HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 45, 21 August 1895, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

HANK OK N.Z. AND THE ASSKTS COMPANY. The House met at 2.80. Mr Buchanan brought up tbe interim report of Joint Select Committee ou the Bank of New Zealand, to the effect that fcho Committee should be a Select CoturHiirec. lie moved tbat the report be adopted. Dr Newman wanted to know whether the House was to have any information at all with regard to the deliberations of this Committee. The Hon Mr Seddon also moved that the Select Committee he enlarged by the addition of tlie names of Messrs Pinkertou, Fraser and Miller. He said the Joint Committee was unanimous in its recommendation that the Committee should be made secret. The presence of tho public at meetings of the Committee meant the presence of the Press. Mr McKenzie said the gentlemen proposed were uot the best qualified in the House to grapple with such a great financial problem. After considerable discussion, Mr G. W. Russell asked whether ihe question of the amalgamation between the Bank of New Zealand and Colonial Bank was to be considered by the Committee. Mr Seddon said the Government had kept entirely clear of the amalgamation riuestion in connection with this Committee, and lie deprecated the members drawing this red herring across tiie scent. He would tell the House distinctly that he was opposed to amalgamation. The committee had only to consider the relations j of the a?=ets of the Company with the Bank of New Z-aland The Premier's motion to add to the Committee was then put and carried be 29 to 25. Mr Buchanan's motion making the Committee secret, with addition of three members proposed by the Premier was then agreed on to the voices. DKI'.ATK ON THK KINANtTAL STATKMKNT. "Mr W. Kelly warmly praised Mr Cadman's management of tho railways, and strongly deprecated the iucreascs of salaries in the public service at the present juncture, and would vote against both the Canadian and South Australian treaties and tho Vancouver mail sovineo. Mr Earnshaw declared the tariff proposals of the Government were opposed to the expectations and desires of the country. He quite agreed as to the excellence of Mr Cadiuan's administration of the railways, and said that the lion, gentleman was really the only administrator on the Treasury benches. Mr Collins applauded the Government for their honest attempt to solve the unemployed difficult}'. Mv Cadman said objections had beon takeu to an iucrca.se in salaries in the public service, but he pointed out mauy of those were due to amalgamation of offices. He challenged those lion, members who objected to the iucreascs to stand up in the House aud move that no iucreascs he granted for the year. He was prepared to justify every penny he had expended in the administration of the Mines Department. The Opposition who so freely criticised the Government would not dare to go to the country and propose io reverse their policy of taxation or auy of their great items of policy. Mr Duncan warmly supported the Government policy. Tho Hon. J. G. Ward replied at 10 o'clock, and referred to the great task belore him in having to reply to 56 speeches in the brief space of one hour. With regard to the comments ou the working of the Advances to Settlers Act, ho said it was remarkable that it was the hon. members who had opposed the Act at every stage through Parliament that were now bitterly condemning the working of the Act. It had beeu contended that the Act had not brought down the rates of interest in the colony, but he showed that this was exactly what the Act had clone, and in this respect alone it had done great work. Hon. members opposite had declared that the Government could not get money at Sh per cent., or even at 4 per cent., yet tbey bad successfully raised a loan at 8 per cent. Iv a brief reference to the tariff, Mr Ward said Government could arrange for au interchange of other articles in the place of fruit and timber, and the excision of these two articles would uot affect the treaty. The House adjourned at 12.80 a.m.