COSTLY AND OBSOLETE

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14774, 13 October 1921, Page 7

COSTLY AND OBSOLETE

♦■ THE HANSARD PUBLICATION. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DISCUSSION. At its meeting this week the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce carried a resolution favouring the abolition of Hansard. Mr J. Cilbeii, who introduced a paper on the subject of aiming at Government retrenchment in this particular direction, said that Hansard was the name of a family which was longidentified with the printing of British Parliamentary documents, and especially of the semi-official reports of the debates. The founder, Luke Hansard, svas born at Norwich in 1752, and became the sole printer to the House of Commons in 1800. He was a man of high intelligence, zeal and probity. At the commencement of the session in 1802 the Hansard Publishing Company ceased to publish the Parliamentary debates, and the contract passed to Router's Telegram Company; later o-i it was transferred, in 1893, to Messrs Eyre and Spottiswoode, and in 1895 to Messrs Waterlow and Sons. He did not know whether it was still published by private lirms, or by Government printers, as in New Zealand. This was the age of retrenchment, Mr Gilbert added. The annual repo 't of the Government Printing and Stationery Department showed that owing to unsettled conditions the world over it was necessary to preserve economy in paper consumption and only essential printing should be undertaken. The cost of producing: Hansard in New Zea land last session was £17,000, and worked out at the very high ligurc of £4 5s each complete copy. Apart from the financial high cost, Mr Gilbert considered that Hansard was an obsolete publication. In former illiterate days the talker counted, but m these days they did not want wore They wanted deeds in administration and in constructive work. Last year £7OOO was paid to the Hansard staff and reporters on salaries, while me printing worked out at the very high aggregate of £IO,OOO. Parliamentarians could so modify, amend or delete the printers' proofs of what they said on * particular Bill, that the original speech which was intended to influence Par liament could become misleading and worthless, especially as the debates were not published until in most cases the Bill had passed to the Statute Book or had been rejected. The clerk ..f the House recorded all that was necessary in relation to Bills before (lie House and the documents of the House, including all reports of commissions, etc., were quite sufficient for historical purposes.

Mr Gilbert contended that there was no warranty for the expenditure of £17,000 a year on an obsolete production which was read by very few people in New Zealand, and which, as far as he could see, served no useful purpose. The speaker pointed to the numerous other avenues in which such a sum could be profitably utilised m municipal development. In Hamilton itself sanitation was a crying need, but this was only one of the directions in which £17,000 could give instant relief in a country which was urgently calling out for development. The speaker moved: "That in view of the financial stringency and the great need that will exist for money for urgent public works and national development for many years to come, the Government be urged to sus-pend publication of Hansard as the. money can be more usefully employed in the direction indicated." The resolution, which was carried unanimously, will be forwarded to the Minister of Internal Affairs and the support of the Associated Chambers sought to it.