SESSION OE PARLIAMENT AT DUNEDIN.

5

G.—No. 9.

Committee rooms—at least three, not less in size than those suggested in the Colonial Architect's Eeport, 1871. One waiting room for strangers and witnesses. Clerks' offices. Three rooms, at least one of which must be not less than 16 ft. x 12 ft., all communicating. One messengers' room. L. Stowe, Clerk, Legislative Council.

Report on Accommodation required for Government Printing in Dunedin. Should the work of printing Hansard and the chief Parliamentary Papers and Bills be required to be done at a branch of the Government Printing Office in Dunedin, it will be necessary to provide the following accommodation ;— Corn-posing Rooms.— Two large rooms, one 30x60 ft., the other 30x40 ft. Side light will be required, with a space of about 5 ft. between each window. Reading Rooms.—Three rooms, about 10x10 ft., are requred. One for press reader, and two for first proof reading. Machine and Press Room.—One room, 30 x 25 ft., will be sufficient for this purpose. Government Printer's Office. —One room, 15 X 13 ft. Clerk's Office.—One room, 15 xl 2 ft. This can also be used as a publishing office. Wetting Room.—A shed, for this purpose, should be provided in the rear of the building. To perform the work above specified, a staff of about sixty men and boys will be required. The space estimated for above will be sufficient for the accommodation of a staff of that number. An estimate of the type, material, and machinery required will shortly be completed. Geo. Didsbuex, 4th December, 1871. Government Printer.

Accommodation required for General Assembly Library. Political and Social Sciences—4 x 10 ft. Jurisprudence— Statutes, 4 x 7 ft. =28 ft. Treatises on Law and Laws, 4x7 ft.=2B ft. Parliamentary History and Proceedure— Imperial Journals and Papers, BxB ft.= 64 ft. Colonial „ „ „ (namely, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria) BxBft.-64ft. New Zealand General and Provincial, 10 X 4 ft. =40 ft. Proceedure and Speeches, 12 x 12 ft. (Hansard, &c.) = 144 ft. Annual Eegister, and General Books of Eeference, 4x7 ft.=2B ft. The above is the utmost room which would be required for Books of Eeference. 3-28 = 84 2-64=128 40 144 396

No. 5. Mr. W. H. Clayton to the Hon. W. Gisbobhe. Sib,— Wellington, Bth January, 1872. On the 4th of December last I proceeded to Dunedin, according to your instructions of that date, for the purpose of inquiring into and reporting upon the accommodation available for holding a Session of the General Assembly in that city. I arrived on the 6th, and on the following day waited upon His Honor the Superintendent, who was unable to see me until the Bth, when we inspected the Provincial Council Hall and University Building together. I immediately addressed an official letter (No. 1 attached) to His Honor, as well as circulars to the Speakers and all the Members of both Houses in and for Otago and Southland. On the 11th I received Mr. Macandrew's reply (see A), from which it will be gathered that the Provincial Council Hall and the rooms in connection with it would be absolutely set aside for the purpose of the Upper House, but the letter contained nothing definite respecting the University Building, in which it was contemplated to locate the House of Bepresentatives, nor could anything be decided until after a meeting of the University Council had been held, which was fixed for the following Friday. During this interval information reached me that Fernhill, which from the first was considered as the settled residence for the Governor, had been leased to Mr. Charles Nichols. This rendered it necessary for me to search for some other house. After doing so, and finding it impossible to obtain any residence for His Excellency so suitable as Mr. Biss's house, I addressed Mr. Nichols by letter No. 2, and received a reply (B), from which it appears the bargain had not been definitely concluded, a difficulty having arisen through some misunderstanding between the parties treating. 2