Captain Russell: From the statement made by Mr Larnaeh in the House on Thursday it was evident that he had made up his mind in a certain direction. Now, Mr Larnaeh was a director of a certain colonial institution, and his brother direc tors might be held to hold similar views. One gentleman from the other House was a director of the same institution. Therefore, five members of this committee of twelve might be held to go on to it with their minds made up. Unless the Committee could have access to the accounts of the bank's customers the investigation must be a farce, because it had already been shown that valuations were unreliable. A resolu tion of the bank should have been antece dent to the inquiry, otherwise the bank might Buspect the figures of the Committee. Mr Glyn in London had declared that the bank wanted no more capital. Then Mr John Murray had assured the Premier and the House that the payment of two millions of new capital would set everything right. The Premier last year,, said that the Assets Company were earning interest, and now he said it was only the Assets Company who were a drag on the bank. From first to last they had been hoodwinked and deceived by the bank and the Government. The Govern ment last session deceived and misled the House. The Government were themselves ignorant of the matter.— (Hear, hear.) The Premier came down to do the whole thing in a big and high handed manner, and it proved that Ministers were grossly ignorant, and that they themselves had been deceived. Capital was so cheap and plentiful now that any solvent bank could obtain assistance from the other institutions. He would not be an actor in any farce, and he hoped that, in stead of a perfunctory inquiry of a week, the House would insist on a full inquiry of at least a month.— (Applause.)

Mr G. J. Smith did not consider that the request for an investigation Bhould have come from the bank, as Captain Russell had suggested. The statements of the officers of the bank and of Ministers during the past two years were quite contradictory. Had the Government taken any pains last year they could have ascertained what the Pre mier stated now as to the value of the assets. 