REPORT OF THE HOUSE AND PRINTING COMMITTEE

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 632, 5 February 1870, Page 2

REPORT OF THE HOUSE AND PRINTING COMMITTEE

.;..::.;, ;/:.,,' ,;■■»:-.; -..;;;.;::■ ;• Tne following report as to the payments/made for, printing -during; j the previous year, under the then existing .contract, \vas brought up last Tliuiaday, and adopted'by tlie Couiity Council :-^- - The Committee having, had copies. 6f all the vouchers for previous paymeiitf for printing before them, for the previous year, find > that 'in ; numerous instances over-payments^haye beenVmade; varying from 75.it>420 r per ce.,iit. $his remark ; applies chiefly to tiie "last ' contract ' with Janies "Br^wtie, extending fi-brn January to July, '1808s".V. The i accounts rendered by that contractor appear to have, been^ systematically constructed" with a view^f evading the legitimate contract jprice, 'and the committee regret to' nnd'that these accounts, which on k c.nrsoiy- examination, would liave been found to be excessive havebeen ceriified to; by MiS, lastjChief Clerk and paid. The^ Committee would submit' the following fnstatice in support of their opinion, vi^., an over-charge of L 44 6s Bel waa'inade on * total'ofi 'L99 |ls for printing UliS' pages ! of Govemrrmt Gcisefite,, , The Committqe. have not, hastily arrived to theijp ppiniou on this matter, having taken the . evidence : of an unprejudiced witness, an experl, : and w.i,tji his assistance compared the, work done! with •the prices contracted for aifd • Tlie .Committee coul^.ijbt elieck the whole of the various items, but selected those Which, involved* jh^e .Jarg^t ampuntj amd most readily examined. The Committee would, draw special attention to. the charges made' and' J paid for 'printnig 'ihe Proceedings of the Council^ Session 4. In thisinstanceji tlie Committe carefully examined the" report and found that, after making due allowance for' all. legitimate extra charges cnstproary with the trade,' an' overcharge was made of about LBB \os on a total of L 17 5105, and It is a 'qiiestitm^taOtiyi cdilaiderStiohl /of the Council whether this overcharge should not be recpY,ered^fi-om,,,MrvJ. P. Klei^i; who received payment for this, account. This.veuiark^yn^also apply |to theover- • payiiients in the late contractor. The^ ifesivhKidf^ -be <soinmittee lpad;,th|m -to' the uojH-lus.i.n that the late Chief iQie'rkV hns beeu guiltv^QDoaulpable negligence with regard to the checking of the pript-itig'-cohtrattj Wridt actual collusion witli the contractor. ; . : With a^^ew'-bf^ardiiig the Govoj-u---ment againqt .a jwdition uf tUeirregu-

larities referred to, and of reducing the cost of printing or advertising, the committee would recommend that in future no charge for printing or'advertising shall be incurred except on a written or printed order, a copy of which shall be retained in the office, specifying precisely the work required ; and in the matter of adver-tising,ihe-number of inchesand insertions^. _ — such order to be carefully'conipared with the accoTjntsjrendered ; that iV cases of difficulty the Chief Clerk shall be T »obtain<4h«^^servi<^i^^^»»«' disintereßted expert. %^^ The,cQ{umittee observe, that thj (Jov^rrment adyertiseujen|B ljave been girjen Jin- - discriniinateiy; itp ■ all newapapeW iaK^the .County^ thus iikcnrring an expense fibiciV under '-present circumstances, cannot be fitforded,' and they would recommend that '\ for the future the advertisements be iiSl-f iserted only, in the chief newspapers'" of rf'^ each locality, v ;' '; ;1 ;;: i :! -i-^' , H; V H. IiAHIffAN" ; Chairman.