PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 154, 1 July 1874, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS.

A debate recently took placa in the New South Wales Parliament, with reference to the establishment of a Colonial « Hansard^ J[n an article, com men ii n g v pori the debate, the Sydney Morning Herald rankes the followiog sensible remarks respecting the difficulty experienced in giving satisfaction to fastidious colonial legislators in the matter of reporting :~ ■'.'--'

Experience has shown that for newspaper purpose* there is no one rule that con be laid down for all speakers,, and the reporter who understands his business and has had large experience finds i( necessary to treat different speakers differently. If any of our readers are accustomed to peruse the debates in the House of Commons, they must often have noticed that in the important speeches of Mr Gladstone, Mr Disraeli, or Mr Lowe, there is nothing better to be done than to have a verbatim report, becauß9 the speeches . have been carefully prepared. The language is exactly adapted to the thought, it is neither diffuse nor constrained, and nothing can be added or ommitted with advantage. The form of the epaech is as well worth preserving as the substance, because the form is really the representation of the speaker's mind. But then it ? s only in the ense of a carefully .prepared speech that this respect to the form is to be paid. Many members who spring <o their feet on the spur of the moment, use a great many more words than are necessary — more than they would do if they had time for preparation, end repeat themaelvee, sometimes to their own disgust, and often to the weariness of their auditors. Nothing whatever is gained iv such cases by preserving all the verbiage. If the run of the thought is fairly presented, and in the speaker's own words, es far as extemporaneous condensation will allow, justice is done alike to the speaker and the public. There are other speakers to be found, especially in our Coionial Assemblies, who are men of excellent practical sense, who have got on in this world, and achieved their position in virtue of their sterling qualities, who have something to say — some real contribution to give to the discussion of a subject— but who from defects of early education have not as much mastery over words as they have over (hinge; they express themselves very incoherently, yet they are intelligible, and theygdi r»lly leave a pretty accurate impression on the mind of the hearer of what they meant to say. It would be absurd in such cases to attach any special value to fiheir forms of expression. What ia wasted for the public, and in fact what they want for themselves, is that their meaning should be stated, and persons of this class often express their gratitude to the reporters for haying put what they wanted to say much more clearly than they put it themselves.

There is another class of speakers of the very opposite description. Possessed of more words than ideas, they have the gift of the gab, at*] are always exercising that gift; words ran away with them, and -when they are mounted on a hobby they cannot get off. Because they can talk they do talk, and occupy a great deal of time in saying what is very -little" worth hearing. In such cases a very extensive condensation is necessary in the public Interest. If whatever is really good is preserved, justice is done. 16 is obvious, however, that if a mechanical accuracy is not to be attempted, a certain amount of discretion and judgment must necessarily be exercised by the reporter, and it will, of course, often happen "tliat r his judgment does not exactly coincide with that of his speaker, and this is the cause of frequent complaint.

Geeioug will shortly have another cloth factory, -Asunr of £20,000 has been subscribed as capital, and contracts have been accepted to something like £13,000. In another three months, should nothing unforeseen occur, manufacturing operations will be in full swing. The plan of the factory has been drawn to admit of the mill being 'made four times as large as at present proposed.

An expected breach of promise case at Wan«anui it appears is not likely to come off, the gentleman having preferred to keep his original engagement instead of allowing a jury to assess hia value. The parties, therefore, settled the case in Church instead of in Court, ;

The New Zealand Time,? says that orders have been sent to Scotland by Messrs McMeckao, Blackwood, and Go. for a new steamship for the New Zealand branch of their fleet, and. that Mr Waugb, lately chief engineer of the sB. Tararua, ha 3 been sent home to superintend the construction of the vessel. She will have compound engines and all the latest improvements 80 as to maintain worthily the reputation of the Ike.

A rather curious advertisement, aud one that should bo of interest to persons concerned in Zoological Gardens, appears in the Wilkannia Times, South Australia. In it, Mr Harris, the Manager of the Mount Murcbiaon statioo, gives notice that there are two camels on the run, and if they are not removed within three months from the 22nd ult, they are to be destroyed. The animals thus threatened have been objects of curiosity in the locality for some years, at they were there as far back as 1867. It was not known then and probably is not yet ascertained, where they came from or who they belong to.

4; hue telegram reporting the result =of .the race for the Ddrby gftve the name.; of. the. owner of the secbnd ; liorae -Co^onae de Fer~ ss Lord Roeebery. We observe from the Melbourne Wpera thatth^horae belonged to Sir Tattoo! Sykeßi : ." .- -••■ ",\ _ jj.- ■ \