The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY. JULY 18, 1896. THE BANKING ENQUIRY.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 16, 18 July 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY. JULY 18, 1896. THE BANKING ENQUIRY.

Notwithstanding the opinion of the Premier to the contrary, we think the position taken up by the directors of the Bank of New Zealand, and their instructions to their representative (Mr Watson), is on the face of it a strong one. Unless the public and the customers of the Bank can have absolute confidence in the reticence of the officials the business of that institution would soon diminish in such an appreciable degree that its utter collapse would merely be amatt eof time. To the average mind it appears strange that so much aad such bitter antagonism (in a parliamentary sense) should be exhibited by the Premier, who is, so to speak, the head of the State, to what is practically tbe State Bank. It is, however, within the limits of possibility that Mr Seddon, who is an able and expert parliamentary tactician, has another object in view while he " fools the Opposition to the top of their bent" in this enquiry.

Before the session commenced it was hinted in these columns that Mr Seddon bad a card to play which would make a large point in his game, and that surmise would appear to have been based on a tolerably sound foundation. It is easy to believe, then, all this " sound and fury signifies nothing," and that the whole turmoil will end in smoke. As Mr Watson is perfectly safe— acting under orders from his official superiors — from pecuniary loss, it would be absurd to waste sympathy on him, although he deserves every credit for the determination he has so far, when well backed up, exhibited.