GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 12

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

'.. A "HIVE, OF INDUSTRY. - 1 WELLINGTON, January tf. Some id<23t,of the extent of the operations of the GQVfirninen^ Printing, Office- .may. be from the remarks, made yesterday,. by the Government Printer (Mr J. MacEar.. Hansard looms largely in" the production of the office. It is increasing annually, "and 'this year runs to" over 4^oo -pages.' In 1005' if made 3094- pages. Ten' thousand copies of this publication are turned out twice a week during the session, end are sent , broadcast over, the Dominion. 1 The ' parliamentary - papers, 'too, varying In issue to departmental requirements, tsrd'iniarily reacih ' issues' of 1500 copies.' - This year's s 'oxitpiit includes 'the* report of the 'lmperial 'and Shipping; Conferfences held, in London. - The figures for the , pliers' ar^' not yet. all made up> but they ' Will certainly form,- a' record in point of Ittmtingg^nd^pjfcper, far. as : the^Gpvern- I 'menV Pfinting.QEfi.ee is concerned. "They axe- -usually composed in three volumes, but they will run into five or six volumes this year, with thair appendices- . I, Kraalway>tioketßi'' tcW/'^haye inoreaßed' m number./; "They are turned out by machines doing 90(30 an hour. The number printed last year was 6,568,466. , k New steel P.lates,^ have^jbeeiL m^de for the 6d^and jLa stamps fj;6m. origjna.l <iie, i There will "be no' change" in the diesign. or' reading matter of the stamps. The plates were fprmerly for 120 .stamps each. J^ow they carry'i 240/ '-'The .'colours 'of the stamp®" have undergone no, change,, The.Government Printer has -to account to the Commissioner/ of- Stomps for every, sheet of paper delivered ' for. stamp printing. If 10,000 sheets are issued, 10,000 sheets, perfect and spoiled, must be accotmted for. , New- post cards have been printed. They are for a halfpenny,' in blue printing-, with ' -the King-*s head on the stamp, • and. there are replj. post cards of similar pattern. > The letter card has undergone a change, the pictorial -•embellishments on the back being oihitted from the .new'cards. « A j new "set of postal ' J notes ,' has been printed, the den'ommations being*' in 'different oolours. 'A tint 'of "the face colour is used for the printing-" oh- the back of the note- '-..£.>.> -< , . . ..,,„ „.,Tha postage stamps;,.' printed during, the past year .have reached 109,865,900, pennystamps predominating. ' The postal notes printed to 1,395,000, but the denomination of other stamps and notes » not,^ret Available."'-' • • ■' The Government Printer has £ lot of ■work in. hand. Perhaps the moat important, "job" of. all is the OonsoHdaied Statute* of the, Dominion. Here a great savins of space will be effected, -upon the bookshelves. ,The statutes "will, as it fe, run into 3000 pages, and the, collection will be ready by next session of Parliament. The work iff a, very^extensive' one, embracing the' "live " statute- law of the Dominion. At present the law fa contained in 49_vol\unes, several of which are- out of prin¥. lac Qew vof umes will contain all the- publfc statutes now |n fpfoe, and. will Tawhably be. hound up in four or five 'volumes*

■ T?he whole of the main electoral rolls of .ifiie. Dominion are.-notf In type, and are undergoing, revision, necessitated by .the new eubdivuioxi. ot electoral districts, This work alone. Involves . the use.of .oves 30 tons of metal. In nrujters r .parlance, the rolls' will* .be "kept etandhig," Ana alterations made in them., from time to time' as necessity artee^, in! order fb bring them up to d&teNew rolls for any electoral district will in future be- obtainable: in a. few days should any unforeseen; raoanoy occur. -• v The Dig"'flr« or Lambtoa quay af the mi 9! 1906 consumed the Law Society's- stook of reports. Xbesa the Government have■utidertaken .to the sooieliy c payiag, Hie cost of tfejwbtk, m instaJinenfci., , This ia.^another, big work for the Government Pr m'fing "Office, and it will be put'fn hand immediately. - - The historical recorcl of the Dominion of New. Zealand, the wort of ' the Hon. B. ft^Kaßv 'fe tn haraf.- The first ' volume w printed-, and will b& issraecl as soon as the mdej- to it is oempletexj. A . bibliojcraphy M~^ew gealand, prepared, by Dv Bopken, 6f Dunfdin, is, also being printed,, but the "copy" is not yet all 'in. the hands of the, printer. gpeekhra of the few in Parliament Birildipgs. Mr, Maokayi^aid 1 he 'did not , think' it. would anfcerefere, in any way with Or~ increase the work of the offioe. Pbesjbly some of the journals' would" be required, fra.% probably spare copies of papers and of Hansard would-be obtainable from departmental offices.- --„.,•■•■- „ • i «5^ work of the Government Printing

• .Office was increasing very; much every year, said Mr Maokay, and although 450 hands were employed more were required, especially _ girls. The want of accommodation was | a most pressing one. Work had to be done -' both day- and night owing to want of. -space, and this must continue until provision had- been made for more floor space to carry additional machinery and to house more workers. I*, was proposed to equip every machine with its individual electric motor, and several of these' were already installed in the. office.' .. "