THE CHIEF OF THE HANSARD STAFF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 38

THE CHIEF OF THE HA NSARD STAFF.

RETIREMENT, FROM THE STAFF OF j THE DAILY TIMES. i An exceedingly pleasant little function took place in the managing director's room at the Otago Daily Times office on Thursday afternoon, when tho members of the H- ; terary staff, and others in the ser- j vice of the company who were brought into contact with him during his long term of office, assembled to present Mr Silas Spragg, late chief of the reporting staff, with | a token of their esteem and respect on the cc- ; casion of his retirement to assume the posi- ; tion of chief of the, Hansard staff. Mr George ' Fenwicli (the managing director) presided, i and amongst those present were- the editor of the Otago Witness (Air Wflliam.Fenwick) and the members of the literary staff of the Daily \ Times. Apologiea for the unavoidable non- ' attendance of Dv Hocken (of the directorate) and Mr H. F. Bastings were received. The presentation took the form of a handsome silver tea, and coffee service and silvermounted oak tray, which bore the following inscription :—": — " Presented to Mr 8. Spragg, on ■ his resignation from the reporting staff of the Otago Daily" Times, 12th October, 1900, after 22 years' service, consequent on his assumption of the position of chief of the New Zea- : land Hansard staff." iv .. . i Mr Fenwick, in making "the presentation, j said : I shall, of course, \vtter a tiuism when I ' say that occasions of this sort usually give J rise to feelings both of pleasure and regret. I It is generally the case that a presentation to J a valued employee or fellow- worker is made' at a time, when he is about to sever the pleas- j ant companionship of many years. This is so in the ease of Mr Spragg. There are still among the employees of the company a few who can take their memories back for a period of more than 22 yea.-s — the date at which the. Otago Daily Times and Witness Newspapers Company was formed. Like v many other business concerns in New Zealand, "" it had_its own troubles in its earlier years, for bad times came over the colony in the very year of the company's formation — the City of Glasgow Bank year; — but amidst them all there was the comforting knowledge that in its staff there were sterling men and true. Among the staff was Mr Spragg,. then a young man in the early stage of his successful career as a stenographer. — (Applause.) He has, as you all know, sittco come intc the front rank as an accurate note-taker, who, with unerringfidelity, can take down and transcribe the utterances of the swiftest speaker, and who has made the special reporting domain of our j superior law courts so much his own that his reports of important legal arguments and judicial utterances have*"been recognised as absolutely reliable and trustworthy. It was fitting, then, that Mr Spragg should in due course — and that is a good many years ago — receive an appointment on the Hansard staff ,of the colony. The reward of faithful and intelligent service came to him last year in his selection for the position of chief of the Hansard staff, which we all trust he may long be spared to fill to his own credit and -to the advantage of the colony.— (Applause.) With that appointment, however, came Mr Spragg' s belief that it was desirable for various reasons that he should not remain in full employment on a newspaper staff during each recess, and consequently his resignation as chief reporter on the Otago Daily Times staff after his long service. And now, Mr Spragg, I have to ?ay that neither the company nor your late fel-low-employees could let you retire from your position without .showing their esteem for you in *a tangible form. It gives me great pleasure to present to you this service of plate as a tokep of their goodwill. — (Applause.) Mr Spragg, in replyine:, said that he could now appreciate for the first time why it was ' that othei_ people whom he had frequently Feen in a similar position Mere so agitated and diffident. He expressed himself profoundly grateful for the very tangible mark of friendship and esteem that had been accorded him that day. He had not had a large experience ' of employers — the only employers he lad had 1 were the- proprietors of the New Zealand Herald and the Otago Daily Times, from the Guardian right onwards, —bin; he felt constrained to say that no man had been movs fortunate with his employers. He felt grateful that he could look back upon bo many years of happy relations with the sub-edito? ! and the members generally of the staff, and hp felt,, in respect oi a»" whieli te*.

■ ■■— ' ii I—,1 — , — <, attended his efforts, that the credit was theira and not his. He felt especially thankful that beyond any possible or probable doubt — any manner of doubt whatever — the journals it had been his pleasure and duty to labour for in a responsibe, though subordinate, capacity, had, from the inception of the company-, maintained a character for fairness, impartiality, and downright honesty of purpose that was above challenge and beyond praise. The dis-' cipline of such a service was an inestimable privilege, and his hope was that lie had profited at least to an appreciable extent thereby, Mr Spragg having agai i expressed his thanks, the proceedings terminated.