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6. Is the present staff overworked, and, if so, would the appointment of an additional gallery reporter relieve the pressure ? —To both these questions my answer is Yes. 7. If the Chief Eeporter reverted to the old system of taking his turn in the gallery, would that relieve the staff sufficiently without the appointment of an additional reporter?— Yes. 8. If the Chief Eeporter took his turn in the gallery, would his work be any heavier than that of other members of the staff?—No; on the the contrary, it would be lighter, as it was previously when he took his share of the reporting. Of course, Ido not pretend to speak as to the conditions which may have obtained prior to 1888, when I joined the staff. Even when the Chief Eeporter was in the habit of taking his turn in. the gallery his work was lighter than that of other members of the staff in the following respects : — (a.) That in the daily rota of turns in the House of Eepresentatives his turn was invariably the last, while the turns of the others were constantly changing. Thus, the reporter who went first into the gallery one day was placed for the turn immediately preceding Mr. Barren's the next day, and the man who had taken the second turn the previous day went in first the following day. Mr. Barron's turn was always last, and in this way he frequently escaped a turn of the questions and answers, which are always difficult to take by reason of the fact that the speakers do not as a rule raise their voices as they do in debate; and also in consequence of the noise that prevails in the House at this stage of the daily business. (&.) I have never known Mr. Barron to take a turn in the Legislative Council, where the turns (half an hour) are just double the duration of those in the House. The work of reporting the Council proceedings falls upon six members of the staff, two of them, in regular rotation, being told off each day to do it. Until these reporters have written up their turns, and the Council has risen for the day, only five reporters are available for service in the House. (c.) The Chief Eeporter takes no share in the compilation of the Hansard index. To this work the other members of the staff address themselves during those days of the week when there is no reporting to be done, that is to say in the interval from Saturday until Tuesday. (d.) It is the custom when the House is in Committee on a Bill to make a " draw " at midnight, to determine which two reporters shall be left to carry on the reporting for the rest of the night, so as to enable the others to go home. The Chief Eeporter does not take part in the draw, and does not remain after it is made. 9. If not, would £300 per annum be sufficient payment ?—This is a matter on which I have no opinion to offer. I have no hesitation, however, in saying that if the Chief Eeporter takes his fair share in the work of reporting, which I consider a sine qua non, he ought to receive a higher salary than the other reporters; not that his duties would then be one whit more onerous than theirs, but because it is in consonance with a principle recognised and acted upon in all departments, that one officer shall be in authority over the others, and that an ampler remuneration should be provided for him. 10. What should be the duties of a Chief Eeporter ?—The primary and most essential duty should be to take his fair share in the task of reporting. If he fails to do that, then practically the only service he can render on the staff is to act as amanuensis to the other reporters, which is a very anomalous position for a Chief Eeporter to hold; and that work could just as well be performed by any ordinary shorthand clerk who can manipulate the type-writer. It is also the Chief Eeporter's duty to exercise general control. 11. Is the system of employing note-takers out of the gallery a good one?—lt is a system to be avoided as far as possible. There are periods of stringency when this extra assistance has to be obtained, as when it happens that both Houses are sitting simultaneously at night. But as a general rule it should only be resorted to under the compulsion of stern necessity. It increases the liability of mistakes being made; and, as the reporter tias not the time to read over the transcription of the amanuensis, he has not the opportunity of detecting and rectifying any errors; and yet the responsibility for them must fall on his own shoulders. I would prefer to do my own transcription rather than delegate the duty to another while the responsibility remains with myself. 12. Is Mr. Barron a satisfactory Chief so far as you are concerned?—Up till the time when he withdrew entirely from any share in the note-taking he was. 13. How should future appointments to Hansard be made ? —ln case of a vacancy applications should be invited, so that the field of competition may be as wide as possible ; and, in selection, preference ought to be given (other things being equal) to candidates who already possess a knowledge of parliamentary work, either through service in the |Press Gallery, or through acting as Ministers' Private Secretaries. Not only are the capabilities of such candidates more easily ascertained, but they have had a training which should fit them for Hansard work. 14. Do you know of anything likely to improve the reporting in regard to the position in which the staff is placed in the House ?—A position near Mr. Speaker would enable the reporter to perform his work in a more satisfactory way than it can be carried out under present conditions. It is desirable that he should be as nearly as possible on the floor of the House, and midway between Government and Opposition benches, so as to hear clearly all that is said. At present the reporters labour under great difficulties. Jas. M. Geddis.

1V1K. JUESLrUfl S AlNSWiiKH. 1. Has the work of the Hansard staff, per day, increased of recent years?—No; here is the proof: In 1892 the Houses sat on sixty-six days, and produced 2,841 pages of Hansard, or an