15

I.—B.

Major Paul, as Serjeant-at-Arms, in 1877, on the recommendation of Sir W. Fitzherbert, as Speaker. Lieutenant Home, appointment as Serjeant-at-Arms, 10th August, 1880; appointed by the Governor on recommendation of Sir G. M. O'Borke, Speaker. Lieutenant-Colonel De Quincey, appointment as Serjeant-at-Arms, 12th July, 1889; made by Sir G. M. O'Eorke, Speaker, absolutely. From the foregoing it will be seen that hitherto, without exception, the Interpreters and Committee Eeporters have been appointed absolutely by the Speaker without reference to any other authority. So also the officers from time to time holding the position of Eecord Clerk or Clerk of Bills and Papers. The Second Clerk-Assistant has always been appointed by the Governor on the Speaker's recommendation. The First Clerk-Assistant has since 1862 been appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Speaker, the Speaker in turn acting on the recommendation of the Chairman of Committees. The Clerk of the House has been appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Speaker. The Serjeant-at-Arms has been appointed either by the Governor on the Speaker's recommendation, or by the Speaker absolutely. The Hansard Eeporters have since 1871* been appointed— Mr. Fisher, appointed to Hansard staff, July, 1873, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. E. Downey, appointed to Hansard staff, Bth July, 1874, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. G. Downie, appointed to Hansard staff, June, 1876, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. G. W. Adams, appointed to Hansard staff, Ist August, 1884, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. S. Spragg, appointed to Hansard staff, 4th August, 1884, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. W. Berry, appointed to Hansard staff, 13th May, 1886, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. F. Bond, appointed to Hansard staff, June, 1887, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. W. Leslie, appointed to Hansard staff, 25th April, 1888, by Government, on recommendation of Speaker. Mr. J. M. Geddis, appointed to Hansard staff, June, 1888, by Speaker absolutely. Mr. W. H. Eussell, appointed to Hansard staff, 7th June, 1893, by Government absolutely, and contrary to recommendation of Speaker. Mr. H. M. Gore, appointed to Hansard staff, 21st June, 1893, by Government absolutely, and contrary to recommendation of Speaker. What is the practice in the sister colonies of Australia is clearly set out at pages 8 and 9 of Parliamentary Paper A.-3, being the memorandum and correspondence laid upon the table by myself at the opening of the present session. The letters from the several Speakers therein contained will, I think, be of value in connection with the consideration of questions 5 and 6. In connection with questions 7 and 8, I desire to lay before the Committee certain correspondence which is appended to this memorandum. This correspondence will, I think, convince the Committee of the expediency of laying down some definite course of procedure with regard to the revision of the Legislative Estimates by the Government, as suggested in my letter to the Hon. Mr. W. P. Eeeves of date 22nd June, 1892, which will be found at pp. 3, 4, of Paper A.-3 of the present session before referred to. In connection with question No. 9, I beg to lay before the Committee a copy of the Act of the Victorian Legislature intituled "The Officers of Parliament Act, 1888." I do not think all the provisions of that measure would be applicable to our own case, but, subject to necessary modifications, it may serve as a model for any proposed legislation. I may, however, note that section 6of the Act in question provides that " every appointment to any office of Parliament after the passing of this Act shall be made by the Governor in Council upon the nomination, in the case of officers of the Council, of the President, in the case of officers of the Assembly, by the Speaker." In connection with this inquiry generally I should also like to refer to what took place in 1862. In that year, as will be seen by the Journals, page 115, and paper D.-19 of the Appendix, a similar question to that now before this Committee was raised as between the then Speaker (Sir David Monro) and the Government, and it is worthy of note that Sir David Monro took much the same course that I have felt it my duty to take. He also took the step of consulting the Speakers of the Australian Colonies as to the practice there obtaining, and, as an enclosure in one of the replies (that of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales), is given an extract from the Votes and Proceedings of that Legislature in February, 1860, in relation to a precisely similar correspondence to that which has taken place between the Government and myself, and which now forms the subject of the present inquiry. In the New South Wales case, as in the present, the correspondence was laid on the table of the House by the Speaker, and, after debate thereon, it was resolved as follows : — "1. That this House is of opinion that the course pursued by Mr. Speaker in the correspondence which has been laid upon the table is entirely in accordance with the duty of Mr. Speaker as the guardian of the privileges and the depository of the dignity of this House. " 2. That it is the opinion of this House that, in order to maintain the dignity and usefulness of the office of Speaker, all the Clerks and other officers of the House ought to be appointed by the Executive upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly." In the like case in our own colony, above referred to—namely, in 1862—the discussion of the question resulted in the passing of the resolution before cited by me in the present memorandum

* In the recess o£ 1871 the permanent Hansard staff was appointed by the Government under resolution of the House, subsequently to which appointments have been made as stated.