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■ ' 1886. NEW ZEALAND.

LEGISLATIVE EXPENDITURE COMMITTEE (REPORT OF THE), TOGETHER WITH MINUTES OF EVIDENCE AND APPENDIX.

Brought up 3rd August, 1886, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OF REFERENCE. Extracts from the, Journals of the House of Representatives. Wednesday, the 9th Day of June, 1886. Ordered, " That a Committee be appointed to consider and report what retrenchment may be made in the expenditure connected with the Legislature. The Committee to consist of the Hon. the Premier, Hon. Major Atkinson, Mr. Garrick, Mr. Barron, Mr. Dargaville, Mr. Levestam, Mr. T.Thompson, Mr. Brown, and the mover; with power to call'for persons and papers; four to form a quorum ;to report in three weeks." — (Mr. O'Conor.) Wednesday, the 30th Day of June, 1886. Ordered, " That the Legislative Expenditure Committee have leave to postpone bringing up their report for a fortnight."— (Mr.. o'Conor.)

REPORT. Your Committee, to whom was referred the inquiry into the expenditure connected with the Legislature of the colony, have the honour to report that they have not only taken evidence and obtained returns and. other information connected with both branches of the Legislature of the colony, but have inquired into the working and expenditure of the legislative bodies of other countries and colonies, which evidence, information, and returns they have annexed as an Appendix to this their report. 1. Your Committee are of opinion that the number of members in each House of the Legislature can be reduced with advantage to the colony, both in the matter of good government and saving of expense. 2. That no member of Parliament should receive any salary or payment for his services as Chairman of any Committee. 3. That the amount of honorarium should in no case exceed £150 ; and that members residing within a radius of ten miles from Wellington shall be entitled to receive not more than £50. 4. That there are several officers receiving large annual salaries whose duties do not occupy them at the utmost more than six months in the year, and in some instances not more than four months; while officers on the Hansard staff, other than the Chief Eeporter, are only employed during session. That there is no reason why such officers should not be, and your Committee are convinced that they can be, fully employed for the benefit of, and with economy to, the public service. 5. That certain officers whose time is but partially employed, receive, in addition to salary, gratuities or bonuses for work which they should be required to perform as falling within the scope of their duty. 6. That the full employment of officers only partially employed will enable the Government to lessen the number of officers without affecting the efficiency of the Government service. 7. Your Committee recommend the discontinuance of all bonuses or gratuities to officers in the public service without the sanction of Parliament. 8. That no addition should be made to the salaries of any officers which are fixed by Act of Parliament without the sanction of an Act of Parliament. 9. That the Government should be directly responsible for all Parliamentary expenditure, and that all officers should be under the direct control of the Government. 10. Your Committee are of opinion that the cost connected with the printing generally, and of Hansard in particular, is unnecessarily large, and that the use of caligraphs by the Hansard staff has not, by reason of the inefficiency of the staff in their use, tended to decrease such expense. 11. That, with a view to encouraging the use of shorthand by officers in the Civil Service, preference should be given to candidates able to write shorthand. 12. Your Committee would suggest that an amendment be made in the Standing Orders to insure the continuance of business between sessions without retracing steps or repetition, as provided by the following regulation, taken from the Procedure of the Congress, U.S.A., viz.: — Unfinished Business of the Session. Bule 27, page 184. —After six days from the commencement of a second or subsequent session of any Congress, all Bills, resolutions, and reports which originated in the House and remained undetermined at the close of the last preceding session shall be in order of action, and all business before Committees of the House at the end of one session shall be resumed at the commencement of the next session of the same Congress in the same manner as if no adjournment had taken place. I—l. 10.