I.—Bb.

1895. NEW ZEALAND.

REPORTING DEBATES AND PRINTING COMMITTEE (REPORTS OF, ON THE PRINTING OF PAPERS, HANSARD, ETC.)

Reports brought up Ist August and 23rd October, and ordered to lie upon the Table.

REPORT. The Reporting Debates and Printing Committee have the honour to report that they have passed the following resolution : — That it be a recommendation to the Standing Orders Committee to submit to the House a new Standing Order to the following effect: " Except upon the motion of a Minister of the Crown, no order for the printing of a paper shall be made until after the Reporting Debates and Printing Committee shall have reported thereon." Ist August, 1895. W. J. Steward, Chairman.

FINAL REPOBT. The Committee have the honour to report to the House that they have held during the session ten meetings, and, in addition to the ordinary scope of their duties in relation to the ordering of papers for printing or otherwise, and to the general supervision of the reporting of the debates, they have had under consideration various matters, as hereafter enumerated, relating to the convenient despatch of the business of the House —that is to say, in relation to the department of which they have charge. In view of the fact that frequently papers are ordered by the House, on the motion of individual members, to be printed without the House being at all aware either of the value of a paper from a public point of view or of the cost necessarily involved in its publication, whereby it happens frequently that large expense is incurred for very inadequate results, and in view of the fact that in other Legislatures — e.g., that of Canada—there is a Standing Order to the effect that no order for printing can be made until after the paper proposed to be printed has been submitted to the Committee having control of the printing of Parliament, and by such Committee reported upon, your Committee has resolved (and transmitted such resolution to the Standing Orders Committee) as follows : That it be a recommendation to the Standing Orders Committee to submit to the House a new Standing Order, to the following effect: " Except upon the motion of a Minister of the Crown, no order for the printing of a paper shall be made until after the Eeporting Debates and Printing Committee shall have reported thereon." Your Committee has previously, by a separate report, recommended (for reasons stated therein),, the addition of another reporter to the gallery staff, and has submitted the evidence taken at the inquiry which resulted in such recommendation, and now leaves the matter to the judgment of the House. Your Committee has found it necessary, in consequence of the dilatoriness of honourable members in correcting proofs, to issue an instruction to the Government Printer to go to press upon the expiry of the time allowed for return of proofs, with a direction that speeches which have not been corrected shall be distinguished by an asterisk. With a view to the convenience of members in referring to Hansard, and seeing that no extra expense would be involved, except in so far as regards paper and printing, your Committee has directed the Chief Reporter to compile a general index for the whole Hansard of the session, to be bound up at the end of the last volume of Hansard for each session. This will greatly facilitate reference. Your Committee has ordered the following papers to be printed, viz., 11 H, 38 H, 62 H, 64 H, 72 H, 86 H, 108 H, 110 H, 133 H, 149 C, 150 E, 151 E, 155 E, 142 D, 160 H, 166 H, 168 D, 175 H, 180 D, 184 C, 185 C, 206 B, 205 B, 212 C, 204 B, 196 H, 192 B, 195 B, 213 G, 219 H, 239 H, 247 E, 252 H—total, 33 ; and has made no order for the following, viz., 10 H, 13 H, 14 H, 15 H, 16 H, 17 H, 18 H, 19 H, 20 H, 26 H, 29 H, 30 A, 35 D, 36 D, 38 H, 40 C, 41 C, 42 C, 45 D, 49 H, 50 H, 52 E, 56 H, 57 H, 59 G, 61 C, 63 G, 65 D, 66 D, 67 G, 70 H, 73 H, 75 H, 76 D, 78 B, 79 B, 80 G, 87 B, 88 C, 89 C, 91 E, 93 H, 94 H, 100 H, 104 G, 105 H, 107 H, 122 D, 125 C, 138 H, 139 C, 140 C, 141 H, 142 D, 145 H, 147 B, 157 H, 164 G, 167 E, 168 D, 173 C, 174 C, 186 G, 187 G, 188 G, 190 D, 191 E, 218 H, 235 H, 234 H, 216 C, 228 D, 194 D, 224 C, 193 C, 214 H, 220 H, 238 H, 237 A, 249 D, 251 H, 253 H—total, 82. 23rd October. W. J. Stewakd, Chairman. Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1,200 copies), £1 4s.

By Authority : Samuel Costall, Govern lnenc Printer, Wellington.—lB9s. Price 3d.]