I.—Ba

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Therefore Mr. Spragg's statement about being " trapped." is what Americans would call " altogether too thin." The document which I now enclose was the one, a draft of which was read over to Mr. Leslie and approved by him on the Saturday afternoon, referred to in my letter of this day's date. In that letter the circumstances are detailed as to how Mr. Leslie left the Hansard room before it was ready to be signed, and Mr. Berry's signature would have been attached but for that gentleman's absence at Plimmerton. 18th October, 1895. J. Geattan Geey. " Hansard Office, Tuesday, 30th July, 1895. " The undersigned members of the Hansard Eeporting Staff respectfully submit the following representations for the consideration of the Chief Eeporter : — " (1.) That there is urgent necessity for strengthening the staff by the permanent appointment of at least one additional reporter for note-taking in the gallery. The effect of the time-limit has admittedly been to considerably accelerate the speed with which speeches are delivered in the House, and consequently to increase the quantity of notes. Moreover, the debating in the Council has gradually attained to larger proportions. " (2.) That, if another reporter be engaged, three men should be detailed each afternoon for the Legislative Council, and that the duration of turns there should be reduced from half an hour to a quarter of an hour. That it would also be advisable to provide a room in the Legislative Council Chamber where the Council reporters could transcribe their notes, and so save the time now lost in going to and from the Council. " (3.) That the turns in the Lower House should be : Quarter of an hour up till 10.30 p.m.; ten minutes up till 12.30 a.m. ; five minutes thenceforward until the adjournment of the House. While House is in Committee, quarter-hour turns after supper adjournment. " (4.) That when Mr. Ward is speaking on Bill or other subject, and when replying, five-minute turns should be resorted to at all times. "J. Geattan Geey. " S. Spbagg. " Jas. M. Geddis. " W. H. Eussell. "H. M. Goee."

The Chairman : I notice, Mr. Grey, you state that if you had had further time you could have laid a further statement before the Committee. Do you wish to supplement your statement now? Mr. Grey :I am ready to answer any questions put to me. I am only too glad to have the opportunity. The Chairman : Has Mr. Barron anything to say ? Mr. Barron : I have nothing to say beyond the fact that I received a letter from some of the members of the staff asking for a change, and to which I replied. Ido not think I know anything about the statement submitted. The Chairman : You have an opportunity to make any statement you wish. Memoeamdum as to Me. Geey's Statements. With regard to the indexing and the necessity for my revising it, I may say that in the index to the first volume of the Hansard this session I discovered four or five serious omissions in that portion which was compiled by Mr. Grey —letters A, B, and C. They will be found supplied by me in my handwriting in the manuscript now in the Printing Office. This indexing work is chiefly done while the House is in Committee, and practically very little is done on the off-days. Mr. Grey misstates the facts as to the duties of the Chief Eeporters in Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. My information is taken from a report of a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament, Queensland, this year, 1895. Mr. Gilligan, the Chief Eeporter, travelled through the Australian Colonies, by instruction of the Government of Queensland, and obtained information as to the system of working in each. He does not take " turns " in the gallery, but, as he says in his evidence before the Committee, " I get from each reporter a transcription of his notes." In New South Wales, as I have already stated, the Chief Eeporter does not take any " turn "in the gallery. The work is let by contract in South Australia, and there are a leader and five reporters for the House, and a leader and three reporters for the Council, the leaders not taking " turns " in the gallery. Why Mr. Grey should go out of his way to make such a misstatement as that which he makes with regard to the late Mr. Ebenezer Fox I cannot conceive. Mr. Fox was not on the staff" in 1871. The only session during which that gentleman was a member of the Hansard staff was that of 1869, and he was far too straightforward a gentleman to make any representations to a Minister behind my back. We were friends, and he would have told me if he thought any change was necessary. Both in Victoria and New South Wales amanuenses are engaged. The Chief Eeporter of the New South Wales staff, speaking of the reporters dictating their " turns " to type-writers, says, "By this means the work is greatly facilitated." The chief of the Victorian staff says, " The typewriter is now regarded as an almost indispensable auxiliary to the reporter, who is thus relieved of the tedious drudgery of transcription, and is kept comparatively fresh for the physical and mental strain of note-taking." He also says that without the assistance of type-writers two additional reporters would be required. C. C. N. Babeon.