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during the session, or at all events lessen the cost of such assistance and of the contingencies. Il> is also a question whether some of the extra messengers might not be reduced by employing fewer. I have made a similar suggestion in regard to the House of Representatives expenditure. You are aware that a Committee of the House of Representatives considered the question of expenditure and desired that it should be considerably reduced. Ido not know that 1 can make any other suggestion at present. I leave the matter to you, and bring it under your notice at this early period in order that the matter may be fully considered by you. I have, &c, The Hon. Sir William. Fitzherbert, K.C.M.G., Robert Stout. Speaker, Legislative Council.

No. 3. The Hon. the Speaker, Legislative Council, to the Hon. the Premier. Sib, — Legislative Council, Wellington, 4th January, 1887. In reply to your letter under date Bth December, 1886, relative to the Legislative expenditure under my control as Speaker of the Legislative Council, I have the honour to inform you that with regard to the permanent staff, viz., the Clerk, Clerk-Assistant, Second ClerkAssistaut, and Interpreter—whose appointment was rendered necessary by the Maori Bepresentation Act—l do not see my way to suggest any reduction if the work is to be carried on efficiently. The number of honourable members has increased considerably during the last twenty years, and the clerical work is nearly, if not quite, double what it was at the beginning of that period. For instance, the Journals of 1860 contain 138 pages of printed matter, besides the Appendix papers and tables, &c. Within the period referred to the clerical staff—all of whom were appointed by my predecessor —has increased by one person only, viz., the Second Clerk-Assistant, exclusive of the special necessary appointment of an Interpreter. Whilst, therefore, the amount of work performed has been doubled, the strength of the staff has only been increased by one. I think it creditable to the officers of the permanent staff that they have been able to keep pace with the work. With regard to extra clerical assistance, I have always been careful to avoid unnecessary expense. The onus of that class of expenditure rests, for the most part, with the Select Committees of the Council. If the Chairmen would content themselves with drawing up a draft report that could, as a general rule, be prepared in time for presentation to the Council by one or other of the permanent staff; but if they require, as is the case, minutes of their daily proceedings, and in many cases evidence, I do not see how, in reason —when there are three or four Committees meeting on the same morning, and often at the same hour—the permanent staff could attend them : and, supposing they did so attend, their offices would remain empty during the period of such attendance, which would cause considerable inconvenience to honourable members. For the last month of the session, as it is, I find it impossible to have the Journals always ready for my signature at tha time specified by the Standing Orders. With regard to the shorthand-writer, I beg to state that I at first declined to make the appointment. Subsequently a special resolution was passed by the Council, on the 2nd October, 1884, which I quote : " 'Resolved, That the Hon. the Speaker be requested to take such steps as he may think best to secure satisfactory shorthand-reporting at the Select Committees of this Council." The appointment was then made by me, at the urgent request of the Minister representing the Government, and also because I ascertained, after careful inquiry, that, on many occasions when 'a shorthand-writer was wanted, one could not be obtained, because the entire strength of the shorthand-writers was required in attending Select Committees in another place. As to their acting as Clerks of Select Committees, such a proposal would receive my approval, provided they were in no way connected with the Press. It will, however, be within your recollection that, on several occasions, important matters have been prematurely communicated to the newspapers, that grave inconvenience has in some cases arisen therefrom, and that strong animadversions have been expressed in Parliament. In the matter of the Examiner of Standing Orders on Private Bills, whose appointment is in the hands of the Speakers of both Houses, I am of opinion that that office might be reorganized, so as to secure a larger parliamentary responsibility in the enacting of these laws, and also greater economy. Hitherto their practical abstraction from the view of Parliament has operated injuriously to the public interests of the colony, and at the same time prevented Bills of this class from being treated on their merits ; and has, further, caused them to be regarded by honourable members as measures which do not concern them in their collective capacity, but only individually as members representing particular localities and interests. Should you concur in the opinion I have expressed, then I think the question could be solved by adopting a plan for the treatment of private Bills, after their due introduction into Parliament, somewhat similar to the course adopted by the Council with regard to local Bills, which, I may observe, has proved eminently successful in practice. With regard to the messengers, they have only been increased very slightly, as the number of honourable members has increased. We have had two permanent messengers and three extra ones during the session, which is at the rate of one to each ten members, a proportion which will be found to compare favourably .with arrangements elsewhere. They have to bo in attendance, so that one is always in the messengers' room at the entrance to the offices, and whenever the Council is sitting three are required in the Chamber. I have carefully perused the report of the Committee on Legislative expenditure, to which you have specially directed my attention, and I may add that I entirely concur in the recommendation