HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 56, 3 September 1895, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO CHAMBERS. After repeated adjournments the House at 1.15 a.tn adjourned till 10 a.m. for the consideration of the Council's amendments to the Bill. The House met at 10. The Bankruptcy Bill was returned from the Legislative Council with amendments. Dr Newman asked whether the Conn* cii had the right to amend a money bill. The Speaker said the House was not in the habit of insisting on the observance sf this custom, except in cases of the amendment of money clauses. Ml- Seddou said -the only Clause be ibould call the Speaker's attention to

was that where the Council had raisec tCfirtZ of the Realisation Boarc members from JIOOO to £1500. The Speaker said that clause was 5 distinct appropriation by the Honse, am ought not to have been interfered mtl by the Council. It was with extrem* regret he observed that of late f requem attempts had been made by the Goun cil to interfere with the privileges of this chamber. All students of constitutions history know the House of Lords ie England never interfered in this waj with the Commissioners, and he regret ted it was attempted here. This amendmentwasnot a very material one, and as this was a very importan v Bill, it would be for the House to say whether, in this case, they would insist on its privileges. As the Bill was one of such importance it would be a pity, he thought, to lay it aside for such an amendment, but be must emphatically say that the alteration was a distinct interferance with the privelege ot this branch of the Legislature. On the motion of Mr Ward, the various technical amendments were agreed to. Mr Ward moved the amendments made by the Council in clause 31 increasmg the salaries of the Realisation Board; in clause 37 striking out the proviso that the purchase of another bank should be subject to approval of Parliament ; in striking out the clause which prohibited overdrafts to officers of the Bank; and in striking out the clause making provision for the disposal of laud taken possession of by the Bank as mortgagee, be all disagreed with, and that Mr Seddon, Mr Ward, Captain Russell, Thos. McKenzieand Mr Steward be a committee to draw up reasons. Mr R. Thomas objected that nearly all the members of this committee were in agreement with the amendments made°by the other Chamber (Mr Seddon : •• No "). He also said it was commonly reported that everything had been cut and dried for amalgamation with another bank; that the price had been fixed; and the shares of the Colonial Bank had been put at double value. Mr Seddon said there was no truth •whatever in this report. Mr Steward said the House should insist on its privileges in regard to the alterations made by the Council in money clauses. In the course of considerable discussion which ensued, Mr Ward said the Government would introduce a separate Bill to prevent the Bank of New Zealand carrying on other than merely banking business. Eventually, after two hours discussion, Captain Russell's name was withdrawn from the committee, the remaining of the committee to meet managers from the other House on the points in At 12.15 the House adjourned till 2.30.