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ORDER OF REFERENCE. Thursday, 27th Mat, 1858. On motion of the Honourable Mr. Richmond, Ordered, That it be referred to the Printing Committee to enquire and report as to the expediency of establishing a Government Printing Establishment. Such Committee consisting of Mr. Speaker, Messrs. Carleton, Merriman, Stafford, Hall, and Ollivierv REPORT. The Library and Printing Committee having considered the question referred to them on the 27th ultimo, of the expediency of establishing a Government Printing Office, beg leave to report as follows :— 1. Your Committee have taken a considerable amount of evidence as to the effect of the existing system of providing by Contract for the execution of the Government Printing, of the expense of establishing and maintaining a Printing Office, and of the probable result of such a measure. 2. Your Committee find that under existing arrangements the printing for the General Assembly and for the Executive Government is performed in a satisfactory manner and generally speaking with tolerable punctuality and despatch. Its cost during the past three years has been as follows :— viz., 1855 £1421 7 3)™, c A ~ 1856 2466 18 11 The a l^, e for " 1857 1030 52 j therefore about £1600. The existing Contract was entered into on the 19 th April last, and the price paid under it is about 100 per cent higher than under that existing in 1856. Your Committee are not aware of any satisfactory reasons for this large increase. 3. The evidence furnished to your Committee as to the cost of establishing a Printing Office for the Government is conflicting. After giving to it their best consideration, they believe that a sum; of £2000 would be sufficient to put such an establishment on a thoroughly efficient footing. The annual cost of its maintenance, including the salaries of persons employed, allowance for interest on the capital sum above mentioned, and for depreciation in the value of the material, would not be less than £1250. To this amount there would have to be added a further sum of at least £250 for the increased staff required during" the sitting of the General Assembly. The aggregate is very little below the amount paid under the present arrangement. 4. Looking to this fact, to the difficulty which would present itself to the execution by a Government Printing Office of the printing required for the General Assembly, when its sittings are held at a distance from the seat of Government, and also to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient number of extra hands during the Session, your Committee are of opinion that, under existing circumstances, it is not expedient to proceed to the organisation of such an establishment. 5. They respectfully suggest that the attention of the Executive Government should be directed to the possibility of obtaining, either by an extension of the time for which the Printing Contract is let, or by other means, a reduction of the present prices. For although your Committee do not at present recommend the discontinuance of the Contract system, such a step will evidently become necessary, should it be found impracticable to get the Government printing performed under that system upon fair and reasonable terms. John Hall, Chairman. Committee Room, House of Representatives, tithJuly, 1858. MINUTES OP EVIDENCE. Thursday, 15th June, 1858. On motion of Mr. Carleton, it was resolved that F. E. Campbell, Esq., Clerk to the House of Representatives ; Thomas Beckham, Esq., M.G.A.; Messrs. Kunst and Wilson, Printers; and a Clerk from the office of the Hon. Colonial Treasurer, be summoned as witnesses. F. E. Campbell, Esqr., called in, and examined :— 1. By the Chairman. —Have you any information that you could lay before the Committee as to the probable cost of the establishment of a Government Printing Press ? At the close of the last Session I