Bank of New Zealand.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6292, 12 August 1890, Page 3

Bank of New Zealand.

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE A MEMBER. CHARGE MADE BY MR SAUNDBRB. (Press Correspondent) • The following is a verbalim report of a passage in Mr Saunders’ speech of Saturday morning containing his charges against the Bank of New Zealand, which have excited so much interest and talk in the lobbies. I hear that a complete reply will be forthcoming : “I say that no man ought to have any right to sit bn those benches, or to administer the government of this country, and undertake to deal on our behalf with the Bank of New Zealand, unless he was entirely free from all restraint and all obligation to that bank. I know it has been said to-night, and I regret to hear it said, that the Bank of New Zealand would use its influence improperly with any member of the Government. I think that when once a man is placed in such a position as some of the members of this Government are admitted to be placed in with regard to the bank, and become under a deep obligation in their transactions with (hat bank, we can really hardly know how far they are influenced by feelings of dependence or gratitude. IS or can they even be sure themselves that such feelings have no influence on their Ministerial duties. However, it is a very painful position, and I may illustrate what I'mean by a circumstance that, I think, bears very strongly upon this case, and which, 1 think, will show you, sir, and this House that I have the best reasons for saying that the Bank of New Zealand is not above using its influence when it is in a position to do so. It is about 11 years ago that I thought myself a wealthy, affluent man one day, and the next day I had not a farthing left in the world. Fortunately I was in no one’s debt, and I owed nothing to the bank. But unfortunately one of my sons was in some degree connected with the bank, and in some degree under its thumb. I think it was on some occasion in this House when a question came before it in connection with the purchase of some of our district railways. Mr Driver was in the House at the time, and was supposed to represent the Bank of New Zealand. He came to me, knowing my circumstances —how deep my sympathies were for my son, and how much that eon was just then at the mercy of the bank—and told me that the bank wished me to vote in a certain direction. I said to him that if I had to vote in the direction the hank wished I would resign my seat to-morrow as I would never betray a constituency by my pretending to represent it when really I only represented the Bank of New Zealand. The next day I saw about 20 notes come into this chamber. One was handed to me, and the rest were handed round the House. I opened mine, and found it was a message to .the same effect—that the bank wished me to vote in a certain direction, and I never felt J so much humiliated. I sat down to consider . whether I ought to resign my seat or not; but I never considered for a moment whether I I ought to obey that note or not. This shows in the most practical manner that the bank is not above using its influence. If it was worth their while to stoop so low for my insignificant vote, is it likely that they would bring no influence to bear on Ministers which should put hundreds of thousands of our money into their hands? How unlikely then is it that the Government, the majority of whom, seem to have been under some obligation to the bank, were the members to act on the part of the country in the same|iudependent manner as they should have done. I want to know nothing more. I believe that three members of the Government either are or have been in the hands of the hank, and if they are not in its bands now, they are out of its hand simply through obligation to the bank, and they are not in a position to eit on those benches.”