F—No. 3

5

£ s. d. 2 Presses, 1 @ £50, 1 @ £65 115 0 0 Inking Table, Roller Frames and Blocks, Eoller Mould, "Wetting Boards, Trough and Sink, Bank and Horse Points, (spring) Ink Bryar, Ink Slice, Sheeps Foot, Large Brush, Pick Brush, Girting Beams, &c. 150 0 0 Standing Press and Pressing Boards, Glazed boards for pressing Printed work 100 0 0 Printing Ink for 12 months 40 0 0 Printing Machine 250 0 0 Engine 250 0 0 There are many other articles required such as Coats of Arms, Column Rules , Cross Rules, Leads, Quotations, Rule Cutting Machine, Scissors, Mallet, Saw and Saw Block, Bodkins, Shooting Sticks, Page Cord, Turnscrew, Melting Kettle and Stirrer, Paper Knife, &c, &c, say sundries 150 0 0 3792 10 0 To make the Office complete there ought to be binding Tools and Materials 150 0 0 3942 10 O Less for 1 Press in event of Machine being used , 65 0 0 £3877 10 0 The quantities of type stated above may appear large to a printer only acquainted with ordinary Newspaper and Jobbing offices, but not to any person who is acquainted with the management of a Book or Government Printing Office on a large scale, and with the necessity for being fully provided against emergencies : among which the most important is being able to keep Bills and Acts introduced into the Legislature standing from their first stage until finally assented to. W. C. Wilson. 3. What number of hands would be required during the recess ? For the staff of the Government out of the Session two hands would be sufficient if the work was supplied regularly; at present it is not sent regularly, sometimes six hands are required. Besides the two abovenamed a manager would be required to superintend, and a boy to take messages, &c. 4. What extra addition would be required during the Session ? I should say that about 12 or 14 hands would be required during the Session. 5. Is not the above a very high estimate ? I have now upwards of 300 pages of one kind and another standing that cannot be distributed, the weight of the metal so locked up, may be estimated to be about 2 tons. So large an amount of type being locked up, it is impossible to enter upon any other work ; we are therefore obliged to wait till it can be finally disposed of. What wages are now paid to Compositors ? Compositors at day work are getting £3 and £3 10s. per week ; while good hands at piece work are getting as much as £4. An efficient overseer ought to have from £250 to £300 per annum. 7. Could not the Press-work be done more cheaply by the improved Printing Machine than by hand ? I would suggest that the Press-work should not be done by the improved machinery, because the preparation of the work for the machine would occupy too much time. A short number could be worked off sooner by the hand press. If machinery were provided, a hand press would still be required for proofs. 8. Does the staff you have mentioned provide for binding ? These additional hand 3 do not include the binding, but it would allow of folding. W. C. Wilson. The Witness then withdrew. The Committee adjourned. John Hall, Chairman. Thursday, Ist July, 1858. Committee met pursuant to Summons. Members Present. —Messieurs Hall, Ollivier, Merriman, Carleton. Mr. Hall in the Chair. Minutes of preceding Meeting read and confirmed. The Committee further considered the expediency of establishing a Government Printing Press. The Chairman laid before the Committee the annexed Return, from the Auditor-General's Office, of the amounts paid by the Government of New Zealand on account of printing executed at Auckland during the years, 1855, 1856, and 1857.