[100] The trustees of the principal Savings Banks again petitioned against the bill. The petition from the St. Martin's Place institution prayed "your honourable House to pause ere you pass such an Act as would assuredly compel your petitioners, and, in their view, all parties similarly situated, to resign the charge which they have hitherto had so much pleasure in fulfilling, and, as they may venture to assert, with entire satisfaction to the parties pecuniarily interested." In their opinion "considerably more importance has been attached to the terms 'Government security,' and 'Government guarantee,' than the facts of the case would require." [101] Mr. Sikes said (2,628), "I believe that one great essential for the future progress and prosperity of Savings Banks would be the guarantee of the Government for every deposit duly made in the hours of business." Mr. Wortley said (1,570) that he thought it a desirable thing, and also Government auditors or inspectors. Mr. Hope Nield (1,937) thought it "desirable decidedly, if it can be obtained without trammelling or destroying the operations of the banks." Mr. Maitland "had no doubt whatever about it being a desirable thing, if it can be safely given" (2,153). Sir Alexander Spearman gave his opinion at greater length (4,368). "There will be no satisfactory amendment of the law unless the security of Government is given to depositors. I think it is impossible that the present state of things should be allowed to continue. The question has often been discussed, and depositors in many cases have believed that they had the security of Government, and found to their cost that they had not; complaints are constantly arising; applications are constantly made to know whether they have the security of Government or not. I think myself that depositors are entitled to have the real protection of a Government security, but I think also that it will be quite impossible to give this security without at the same time giving to the officers of Government a very different power of dealing with the management of Savings Banks. It would be idle to talk of the one without the other." So weighty are the conclusions to which the Committee of Inquiry came on the subject of this guarantee that we present them here _in extenso_. "A very general impression prevails throughout the country that the Government is bound to make good a deficiency whenever a deficiency occurs; a claim accordingly has been made, in several instances, on Parliament to replace the money of depositors in cases of defalcation. This impression is not warranted by the laws which regulate Savings Banks. It is difficult, however, to maintain that Parliament, having released local trustees from their liability, should not be bound to provide some other guarantee for the money