I.—D.

represent ?—All that it does not represent are the Whanganui Chronicle, Focclon Herald, Wairarapa Daily and Standard, the Northern Luminary —I do not know where that is published, but I think at Whangarei—and the "West Coast evening papers, and a few up-country papers in Otago and on the West Coast. 20. Mr. Shepharcl.] You have not the Lyell Times ? —No ; not the smaller "West Coast papers. We supply the Grey Miver Argus, the West Coast Times, and the Westport Times. With regard to the latter it has ceased to subscribe, as the times were so bad that it could not afford to do so; but they act as correspondent for us: so that I may say we still represent that paper. There are a lot of these little papers. We represent all the other papers. 21. Hon. J. Hall.'] What about the Grahamstown papers? —They all belong to us. We have forty-three papers, both morning and evening. 22. The Chairman.] Have you all the southern papers ? —Not papers like the Dunstan Times, and Walcatipu Hail, and Bruce Herald. They copy the telegrams from the big morning papers. 23. Mr. Murray.] Perhaps Mr. Gillon can give us a list of all the papers belonging to the Association ?—The New Zealand Herald, Auckland Star 24. The Chairman.'] You might supply us with a list of all the papers that belong to you.—l will do so. 25. Have you any other suggestion to offer ? —There are one or two things we rather complain of. In regard to vides, for instance, we have asked the department to allow us to have the names of all the evening papers printed on the first sheet, instead of having to put in a separate vide sheet filled up and signed for each paper. At present we have to write out separate forms for each paper. 26. Hon. J. Hall.] You do not mean that the messages have to be written out to each paper? —No; but we have to put a separate address, date, and signature to each vide, and, if we want to get a message off in a hurry, time is lost in getting these vides filled up. We were told that there would be a risk by having the names printed on the first slip, but we are quite willing to take the risk. There would be less risk than if you put in twelve or thirteen separate sheets. It works well in the case of the special wire, and we want it in the evening papers, to save time in the transmission. There is another point. When an interruption takes place, the same as yesterday, when the wire North was down, as soon as the wire is down, the department will receive no messages. They will not take any to send till the wire is restored. Well, that puts us in this position: If the wire is down North at sor 6 o'clock, we put in a number of messages for the South, but cannot put in vides for the North. It is contrary to rule to take a vide after the original message is deposited, and if the wire is right at 7 o'clock, it is practically impossible, if the message is a long one, say, 1,000 words, to re-write it. When the wire is interrupted, we have to send a person down to the office, and keep him waiting to the last moment, to see if the wire is restored, so as to get the messages in. A little concession by the department that way, would save us an infinity of time and trouble. 27. The Chairman.] They apply the same rule to ordinary telegrams, do they not ? —They refuse to take them; but it is particularly hard on us in busy times. 28. Hon. J. Hall.] Would they not send you word when the wire is right?— Probably it would reach us too late; the wire might be right the last five minutes. 29. The Chairman.] Have you anything more to state? —I do not know that there, is much. I have always found the officers of tho department here very willing to oblige us. 30. I see in your former evidence you complain of antagonism; lam glad to hear you call that baclt.—Since the amalgamation things have worked better. Before that the Press generally were spending a great deal more money than they could possibly afford, and that was not good either for the public or the department. The amalgamation has given satisfaction on all sides. 31. Are the Press generally satisfied? —I think so ;we have had no complaint in any way. With regard to the special wire I desire to point out one thing. Without the special wire it would be impossible for the Press to give such full reports of parliamentary proceedings as now. We can now put in messages up to 1.30 or 2 o'clock in the morning, but by a " word rate," closing at any hour, such full reports could not be given ; nor could the Press bear the expense of a word rate. If every word had to be counted and considered as paid fpr, they could not give anything like the information to the public that they can now. Mr. Shepharcl': The reports are better than those in the Wellington papers. 33. Mr. Murray.] Is the parliamentary report distributed to every paper?—lt goes to every special-wire paper. Then there is another report, of from 400 to GOO words, which goes before 8 o'clock to the bi-weekly and tri-weekly papers, the Nelson Colonist, the Wanganui Herald, the Taranalei Herald, and others. That is a separate report altogether. Those papers are out of the line of the special wire. Then, in the morning, those papers get from 300 to 600 words of the night's proceedings. Then there is another smaller report, of from 50 to 200 words, sent at night to tiie smaller papers which cannot afford the long one. Then, in the morning, the Star at Grahamstown receives the report from where the Advertiser leaves off at 10 p.m. So that altogether five or six reports are made up. In fact, it keeps Mr. Carrick and myself constantly employed in the House. 34. Tip to what hour in the morning do papers receive the latest parliamentary intelligence ?— Two o'clock ; but the larger papers —at Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch, and Auckland—have their reports marked "to be finished at Press rates if not finished at 2 o'clock." They are then finished at Press rates. 35. Then the wires can be kept open at Press rates after 2 o'clock ? —Yes. 36. Would it be better to have your report available to appear in the morning papers throughout the colony ? —We do that now. 37. It is not very long then—l mean a report more like an abbreviated Hansard? —I do not think the Press could get more in than they do. We send from two to three columns. I do not know that it would be possible to get much more through. 38. Mr. Shephard.] The mechanical difficulties would be too great ?—The transmission does not begin till 8 o'clock, and the first parts do not reach their destination till after 9. The House sits till

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