THE BANKING COMMITTEE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10444, 21 August 1895, Page 3

THE BANKING COMMITTEE.

(Per United | Phess Association.) Wklunoton, August 20. In the Legislative Council to-day The Joint Committee on the Bank of New Zealand Assets Company brought up an interim reporfc recommending that the committee be a " secret committeo " The Hon. Mr BOWEN moved the adoption of the report. ,The Hon. Mr SHRIMSKI believed tbat unless tbe Joint Committee divulged the secrets 'of their proceedings they could not be made public. He' considtr.d the motion for the adoption of the report a . mockery and a delusion and a snare. He called for a division, which resulted as fellows s— Ayes, 26 ; noes, 6. The-Hon. Mr-MONTGOMERY moved the appointment of _Ifcf_rs Oimood, Jennings, and Walker to'the Bauk Ctmmittee —Agreed to. -The Eon. Mr M-CULLOUGH gay« notice to ask the 'Colonial Secretary on Friday if he will lay on the table a stasement showing .the , present capital of the Bank ot New Zraland, . the amount of the capital fctill uocilled up, and the number of sharchoklsrn holdiDj? over 1000 shares, the number of shareholders holding over 500 shares'and lass than 1000, the number of shareholders holding over 100 shares and less than 100 ; the total sum paid in dividends since . 1880 ;. the sura received frem the last call made upon the shareholders ; the capital and number of shareholders ih the Bank of New ZeaUnd Estates Company, the amount of capital calli-d up, the liability per share, and the total ' amount received by the bank since the company was formed. ■On the House of Representatives meeting at 2.30 p.m . ■Mr BUCHANAN; brought, up an interim, report from the Joitit\Commtttee on the bank cf New Zealand Estates Company to the effect that' the ".committee, should be a tecret committee. He moved the adoption of the report. Dr NEWMAN asktd what was meant by a ■ secret committee. Did ir. mean that membera , were to vote blindfold on this question without having any knowledge at all in tho matter ? Aa an addition to Mr Buchanan's motiou, The,;Ho_. Mr SEDDON moved, that the names'of Messrs Piuks-rtyn, Fi'iser, and Millar be added to thn committen. Mr J. W. KELLY asked whether tbe notice of motion be had given to add the uime< of ' Mi-ssrs R. Thompson aud Graham to the committee would uot lake precedence of the ' -Premier's motion. The SPEAKER: Certainly not. Tho Hon. Mr LARNAGH .asked whether members generaUy would obtain as much intorjaation as member* <,f tbe committee. Tbe Hon. Mr SEDDON said te -<boii!d be quite prepared to give thy luilrst information when the commit tsu m.n i.jjried -is to its report. He said he h«.d ouVi.-t "on Friday night, to . move th<! addition of c-rtain names to the committeo. When they met the committee found a member of the Houte preseut, who refused to leave the committee room, as he was f>f course withiu his rii-hfc in attending there. The committee, ho.veier, decided that their deliberatious phould bi secret, a= it was nob, deemed advisable ti allow inembsrs or t>c House and press to be present. He Mt satisfied from the composition of the committee that they would justify tho report tbey braujtht dowD, although' he of course could not say what their report would be. Ho felt it would be . very undesirable that members nhould go in and sut of a..committee of this kind and detail icrapscf evidence to outside persons. Those v nembers who composed the committee were in a very different position,.and they should bo trusted by the House to act with tbe necessary discretion. He justified the inclusion of the' names of themembc-rs he proposed to add to the committee, and said.he regarded them as representative men, He considered the Labour party had a Tight to be roprcteoted on the cora- • mittee, no they contributed indirectly to the - taxation of the country, and three Labour members in a committee of 18 wa*, he thought, not an unreasonable r.umner. ,r Mr MACKENZIE thought the Premier I sbould have selected men competent to grapple - with a greafc question of this kind, and ha asserted that the members proposed by Mr Seddon were not competent for tbat purpose -He thought the bsst met. iv both Houses should have beeu chottcn. Mr G. J. SMITH said he was the member alluded to by the Premier as having attended the committee, he being under the impression that the committee was an open one. He waa prepared, however, to leave- the room when the committee commenced to deliberate, but there .were othee. mem-era.present who did not leave. He was strictly within his rights in attending that committee, but thought otber mem burs SORE THROATS, HOARSENESS, Ac, Quickly cared by Connv's Fi.mn. Sir Morell Mackenzie, M.JX, of England, eivys ■ "You cannot use a better gargle than (Jondya Fluid. For -purifying the taeth and breath, wash out the mouth with Condy's Fluid largely diluted with water." —Sold by all Clieii.vsta Condy and Mitchell, of London, .England, are the sole makers. Insist oh buying " Condy's Fluid."

should be requested to withdraw if he had to withdraw. The Pre_iier had defended the inclusion of the Labour party on the committee, but he asked who represented the commarcial cias« on the committee. After a lengthy debate, ' MrJ. W. KELLY moved that Mr Millar's name be struck out with a view of substituting tbe name of Robert Thompson. After further leD^thy debate Mr. Rellv's pmt-ndment wns lost by 28 to 24. ..-. ' The Hon. Mr Seddon's, motion to add-tbree raembers to the committee was carried by 29 to 25. Mr Buchanan's motion to make the,committee a secret ono, and with the addition of Messra Fra«er, Pinkerton^ and Miliar, was cArried on the voices.