NOT WANTED.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 44, 26 May 1916, Page 4

NOT WANTED.

In past years •'The Press" (says that paper in a recent issue) like many of its contemporaries has pleaded—quite vainly—for the exercise of some economy in the management of the Parliamentary session. Perhaps a protest this year may have some little effect. Already some vigilant citizens in Wellington have been writing to the newspapers claiming that there is abundant room for economy in the matter of "Hansards" and Parliamentary papers. We suppose, we must have "Hansard," and most of the papers that are printed, but there are great numbers of papers furnished in reply to members' motions for returns. In innumerable cases these returns, which cost sometimes a huge sum of money to prepare, could well remain in manuscript, and need not he printed, as they are printed, by the thousand. In many cases the returns are asked for by members who have no object save the widespread distribution of what ill-

informed constituents may regard with awe as evidence of the importance of, their vigilant representative. Thousands of pounds are annually wasted in this way. But "Hansard" is a worse, source of waste. It purports to be a publication purchaseable for 2d, but we doubt whether any human being ever bought a copy. Nobody need buy one. as a matter of fact, for there are plenty «f members willing to deluge you with copies. Every member receives 100 copies to distribute to his friends, j and on the average there are 30 num-j hers issued each session. Probably ]OO.OOO of the pink numbers are thus despatched by the joint distinguished authors every session. Then copies are sent to every sort of institution and public body. Here at any rate is where reform can be introduced at any moment without doing injury to any-, thing but the vanity of a dozen or two members of the House.