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not members of the House be put up to ask questions about it, and so cause a soreness and irritation which do not exist at present ?—I do not think a very inferior office could do the work; but at the same time I do not think a second-rate office should be debarred from tendering. 169. Mr. Dargaville.] Do you not think it would be impossible for them to do the work properly, because of not having the necessary machinery ?—The remedy, as I have said, would be to reject it if it was not properly done. I presume the work would be submitted to Mr. Didsbury if done in Wellington, or some other person, to be appointed for the purpose, if executed in one of the other cities; and if it was inferior it would be rejected. 170. Do you not think that might lead to a suggestion from some one that Mr. Didsbury should be removed ? —No doubt some dissatisfaction might be caused ; but if contractors supplied inferior work they should be made to take the consequences. 171. The Chairman.] A great part of these forms are open-work " stock " forms for the various departments. You are aware of that ?—Yes. 172. How would you recommend that the tenders be called? —The printers in the chief districts of the colony should be allowed to tender for the work required in their own particular districts. 173. Mr. J. B. Whyte.] That is, each district to print for itself?—l do not think there would be any saving unless such a course were adopted. 174. To be done during the recess ?—Yes, and during session too. 175. Does it not follow from that that the staff would have to be lessened ? —Yes ; but I know as a fact that there has always been a plentiful supply of extra hands during session time. 176. Mr. Dargaville.] But there are compositors and compositors ?—Yes. 177. Mr. J. B. Whyte.] Does not Mr. Didsbury keep a good staff altogether?—No doubt he does ; but were the staff reduced, I do not think he would experience any greater difficulty in getting the extra hands required during the session than he does at present. 178. The Chairman.] You know, Mr. Fenwick, that it is the long numbers that pay ?—Yes. 179. Then, if each provincial district were to do its own provincial work, as you suggest, would not these forms be set up in four places—would not the same form be set up four times over ?—Yes, no doubt. 180. Is not that a needless multiplication of work ?—Yes, to a certain extent; but that would not operate against the work being done at lower prices, because it would be regarded as stock work, and would keep machines employed at odd times which might otherwise be idle. It is always considered an advantage to have work of this kind in an office. 181. Suppose twenty thousand copies of a particular form were required in each principal district of the colony, which would mean eighty thousand in all, would there not be a considerable saving if they were printed in one office ?—Brobably ; but the desire to obtain a share of the work is so strong that the separate tenders that would be received for the smaller number would be at very low rates. I might here mention that many of the machines at the Government Printing Office are cramped into a totally inadequate space, and also that some of the machinery is of an obsolete character, especially the cutting-machines, in the working of which a great deal of time must be lost. While there I was shown some books which Ido not think is a class of work that should be done at the Government Printing Office, as it is interfering with private trade. 182. Mr. Dargaville.] Could you mention any of them ? —I could not just now remember the titles of any of them, but copies of them are among the books and forms in possession of the Legislative Council Committee. 183. Mr. J. B. Whyte.] Books to bo sold, do you mean ?—Yes; and my impression is they could have been done cheaper if tendered for by private offices. 184. The Chairman.] I remember some of the books. One is Mr. Alderton's book on orangeculture, and then there are Maori legendary works, and so on ?—Yes, these may have been among them. There is a work in progress now, entitled " The Aryan Maori," which seemed to me to be in course of being printed for some private person. 185. They were printed there because they were a class of work to be disseminated for the public good, and this applies to the Maori work you have alluded to. Then I understand you to say that a Government Printing Office is necessary for printing the confidential documents of the Government, &c, and it is necessary to have a skilled staff of workmen?—Yes; there is a class of work which the Government should retain, such as the Government Gazette, Hansard, and forms of which there are small numbers only printed. 186. Take, again, the estimates, Bills submitted to Barliament, the Financial Statement—is it not necessary to have a skilled staff of workmen for that class of work?—Yes. 187. Mr. Bruce.] Then you would not abolish the Government Brinting Office altogether?— No; Ido not think it would be wise to do so. 188. Would it not be difficult to draw the line as to which part of the work should be tendered for? —No ; Ido not think so. A large proportion of the work might be done with advantage outside. 189. In the event of the work being done in each of the provincial districts, would it be done more economically than at present ? —Yes, I feel certain that it would. 190. Have you any personal acquaintance with the department ?—I have gone over it two or three times. 191. Is it not generally understood that the men work harder there than in a private office?—l have not heard so. 192. You assume that the greater part of the work could be done cheaper in the private offices. To which work do you refer chiefly ?—Borms of various kinds. I saw them when I gave my evidence before the Committee of the Legislative Council. 193. You told us that some of the machinery used in the Government Printing Office was of an