MR McKENZIE AND THE BANK.

Waikato Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3631, 10 October 1895, Page 4

MR McKENZIE AND THE BANK.

The Minister for Lands has addressed the following statement to the New Zealand Times:--" The question of what was the cause of the Bank troubles was raised by three speakers who preceded me. They attributed those troubles to my land policy. One of them went so far as to accuse the Government of putting a liability of £lO upon every man, woman, and child in the colony for the Bank, which their land policy had got into trouble. In my reply I stated that I would not allow my opponents to bring false accusations against my land policy. I 3aid that if they continued to do so I would give a statement showing the true position of those who had brought the Bank into trouble, and the people of the colony, would know who they were. ( I had no intention whatever of referring personally to any member of the Opposition. My remarks referred generally to the Conservative party, of which the Opposition had been supporters for years. There was no secret at all. I intended, if the chairman had allowed me, to take the opportunity of stating that I had received no information, either directly or indirectly, from the president or auditor, or any past or present officer of the Bank; and that I knew absolutely nothing of the present or past accounts of the Bank. I would have said that I make that statement on my word of honour, and that I was prepared, if necessary, to make a declaration on oath to the same effect. I deemed that to bs my duty, in order to prevent auy shadow of suspicion that I had been supplied with any information by any officer of the Bank, whether now in its service or not. I positively deny that I got the information as a member of the Bank committee.