FINAL REPORT OF THE REPORTING DEBATE COMMITTEE.

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1549, 24 October 1867, Page 3

FINAL REPORT OF THE REPORTING DEBATE COMMITTEE.

; ipie following report has been presented to the House of Representafees:^—, ■ ■ -•-■• ■-;;■•>■' -tow -committee, in making their %S. report, desire to say -i that the success -which has attended this first afienipt'.to..establish a New Zealand "Hansard" (and which they trust will, in the opinion of the House, amply repay the cost), has been! principally Ofing to the zeal and assiduity and ÜBremitting exertions of the chief porter and his staff, and of the Govprinter. They do not think ifrnfecesßtiry to enlarge upon this point, Because -they feel sure that the fact %y are calling attention to is already within the knowledge of every member of the House. Your ;committee have to lay before the House an approximate statement of "the entire cost incurred upon the "Hansard," which is as follows: — Reporting ... £903 toting 1059 £1962 In the first item is included the chief salary for one year, £500;! «*■§ reporters for thirteen weeks, at *6 a week, and a messenger at £1 a yeek for the same period. The second item includes compositors' work for three months, £700; machine work, *36; bindingweekly parts, £65; paper, £218 ; contingencies (including Juel, & c -.), £40. As a set-off against tnis, the return from the sale of the

weekly partg is estimated for the three months: at £90 ; besides which there will be the sale of the bound volume containing the whole of the debates for the session ; and a further drawback from the apparent coat must be made, as the services of the chief reporter will be available in various ways during the recess. This estimate of the cost, it will be observed, is considerably in excess of the estimate made at the beginning of the session ; but this is chiefly owing; to the increased size of the weekly parts—the original estimate being for eighty pages weekly, while the averageactual number has been over one hundred. There has been also an increase of fifty per cent, in the number; of copies struck off, which, of course, has caused a proportionate increase in the items of paper, press work, and binding. Tour committee desire to express their decided opinion that plan of reporting the debates now commenced should be continued next session, and with a view to effect this they would submit for the favourable consideration of the House the following recommendations :— That the chief reporter should be engaged by the year, his serviceTbemg at the disposal of the Government during the recessi That the chief reporter when engaging a staff for the next session, be authorised to offer a rate of pay not exceeding £7 per week ; the amount depending on the qualification of the particular reporter, with no extra allowance except for travelling expenses. Your committee also desire to recommend to the favourable consideration of the House the following resolution which they have come to in reference to the payment of reporters for the present session: — " That the pay of the reporters who came from a distance ought to be calculated from the seventh day before the session, and be carried up to the seventh day after the session." In reference to this proposal they would say that, if adopted, it will be adding a sum not exceeding £60 to the expenses ; but they have been led to recommend it from the fact of the very large increase in the labours of the reporters during the latter part of the session, and from a belief that the same staff could not be engaged to do similar work another session for the pay agreed on—especially as they would lose a considerable time on their other engagements both in coming to and going from Wellington. (Signed) A. S. Atkinson, Chairman.