THE BANKING LEGISLATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1291, 26 November 1896, Page 17

THE BANKING LEGISLATION.

Auckland, November 20.

At the Hon T. Thompson's meeting last night Mr Theo. Cooper, counsel for the> Bank of New Zealand at the recent Parliamentary enquiry, in proposing the motion of thanks and confidence, said that, as to the banking enquiry, he himself had been in a position to a certain extent of hostility to the Government, and there was no man better qualified to express an opinion on it than he, and he did so with a full sense of responsibility in making the utterance. From the information and papers he had, and from the ! researches he had to make as counsel for the Bank of New Zealand, he declared that there was not the slightest ground for the suggestion of any improper conduct on the part of the Government, or any member of tho Administration, or any late member of the Administration, in connection with the banking legislation. (Loud applause.) It had been part of his duty, in the first branch of inquiry, to prevent, in the interests of the bank, information being given concerning the loss of the .£4,000,000, and he had carried out this duty. It had been equally part of his duty, and it had been consistent with his duty, to prevent any improper enquiry into the affairs of any person not connected with the Bank of New Zealand. He had carried that out, and he said that attacks which were made and which centred themselves upon one person, the Hon Mr Ward, did not arise out of any desire on the part of those men who were prominent in these attacks to obtain any information for the benefit of the country, but sololy out of a personal desire to destroy the reputation of the Hon Mr Ward. If Mr Ward was unfortunately in financial embarrassment, and had had to succumb commercially to difficulties he had been placed in, he (Mr Cooper) challenged any person who had given any careful inquiry to the investigation which took some three months in Wellington—any person with an impartial mind—to say that there was the slightest ground for suggesting that Mr Ward's personal embarrassment had had any influence upon him as Colonial Treasurer, or affected in the slightest degree the banking legislation. He felt it his duty to make these remarks, because the chargo had been distinctly made that this banking legislation, had been promoted in tho first instance by Mr Ward for his own personal interest. That, he (Mr Cooper) said, was utterly, absolutely and completely untrue. If there was one thing the Colony had to thank the present Government for, it was for coming to the rescue of the Bank of New Zealand and saving desolation throughout the Colony.