PARLIAMENT.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 20, 2 August 1890, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF BEPBESENTATIVES.

Thursday, July 81. Mr Steward moved that the amendments made in the Dog Registration Bill be agreed to. — Car-ried, and the Bill was read a third time and passed. Mr Samuel moved the second reading of the Quinquennial Parliaments Bill, to repeal the Triennial Parliaments Act, and to provide for the duration of future Parliaments of five years. Captain Russell opposed the Bill as a Minister, but if he were a priyate member he confessed he should support it. Mr Bruce said the measure had his most sincere sympathy. Triennial elections kept the constituents in a state of political unrest, and he ventured to assert that a general election cost directly and indirectly i'loo,ooo. The motion for the second reading was lost by 45 to 18. The House went into Committe on the Auctioneers Bill. In clause 3, providing that no person shall sell by auction unless licensed, it was agreed to strike out the portion relating to the penalty of £10, so as to proyide that the penalty should not exceed £100. Mr Fish announced his intention of sacrificing his vote and personal comfort to destroy a Bill so injurious in its effect. A discussion lasting over three hours took place on clause 4. Eventually progress was reported, and the House went into committee on the Employment of Females and Others Act Amendment Bill, which was reported with amendments. The House rose at 1 a.m. Friday, August 1. the hutchison charges. Messrs Bell and Stafford were ushered into the Chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the former addressed the House at great length on behalf of the Bank of New Zealand in reference to the production of the Bank's books, and the charges of Mr Hutchison, The Bank had been advised that — " Having regard to the pledge of secrecy which its officers haye taken, and having regard to the duty which the law imposes upon it not to diyulge the confidence of its clients unless by the proper authority, it ought not to produce the record containing the private accounts." Mr Withy, on behalf of the Hutchison Committee, moved, " lh it Mr J. Murray and R. Butterbigg do attend before a Select Committee on the accusations of the member for Waitotara, and bring with them one of t teir books or documents which the said Committee already ordered to be produced or may hereafter require." Mr Macarthur moved to add to the motion, " provided that the Bank shall only be compelled to disclose the books, accounts, and other papers and information of a private nature on the Committee reporting to the House that as alleged in the speech of the member for Waitotara, the public funds have been improperly used and raised by Ministers to the advantage of the Bank of New Zealand and to fhe detriment of the colony." No business man would say that the charges against the Government went further than that of administering the public funds wrongly. If that were shown it would be time enough to try and prove the existence of the relations of debtor and creditor between the Bank and Ministers, and to inquire as to whether the dealings with the public funds resulted from anything further than ignorance or carelessness. Mr Ballance said the Committee assumed from the first that the evidence required by Mr Hutchison should be placed before them. Mr Bryce considered Mr Ballance had strayed from the real point at issue. There was no cause whatever for tha delay, and he submitted, therefore, that Mr Macarthur's amendment was the only way now for the Committee to pursue the inquiry. Mr Seddon refuted the charge that unnecessary delay had occurred. Alluding to xVlr Bell's address, he said that when Mr Bell was before the Committee he seemed to be appearing more on behalf of Ministers than of the Bank. Mr Hislop : That's not true. The Speaker said that expression must be withdrawn. Mr Hislop at once complied with the request. Mr Percival regarded the whole proceedings connected with this Committee as a succession of blunders, and now they were asked to commit another blunder by voting for Mr Macarthur's amendment. Mr Hutchison said he wished emphatically to deny the statement that he had obstructed the proceedings of the Committee. He had formulated his charges three weeks ago, and had not been allowed to approach the Committee doors since. Had he had the opportunity, he should have stated to the Committee that Government had assisted the Bank of New Zealand in many ways, and that the At-torney-General (President, of the Bank and Chairman of Directors) had been under heavy obligations to the Bank, he could also have shown that the Premier was under a heavy guarantee to the Bank for another person, and that the Native Minister was under heavy obligations to the Bank, and even if they had since been discharged, he could prove that they had previously existed. At 2.30 this morning a division was taken, and Mr Macarthur's amendment was carried by a majority of nine votes.