Document Information

Date: 1865-08-25
By: Province of Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Province of Canada, Legislative Assembly, Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, “Third Report of the Joint Committee on Printing,” 8th Parl, 4th Sess, 1865.
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THIRD REPORT

OF THE 

JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING.

COMMITTEE ROOM,
25th August, 1865.

The Joint Committee of both Houses on the Printing of the Legislature, beg leave to submit, as their Third Report:

The Report of their Sub-Committee on the Printing Accounts, together with the Report of the Clerk of the Committee on the Printing Services of the past Session, the general satisfactory nature of which they respectfully recommend to the consideration of both Houses.

All which is respectfully submitted.

A.MACKENZIE,
Chairman.

COMMITTEE ROOM,
24th August, 1865.

The Sub-Committee appointed to examine the Printing Accounts of both Houses, and to whom also was referred the Clerk’s Report on the transactions of the past year, beg leave to submit the following as the result of their investigations:

They have compared the Printing Account Balance Sheet for 1865, marked A, with the several accounts as fyled in the Accountant’s Offices, and find it correct. They have also examined the Printing Accounts in detail with the vouchers verifying the same, and have certified them to be correct.

The Sub-Committee again beg to express their entire satisfaction with the manner and system in which the several accounts are kept.

Those accounts show the total cost of the Printing, Binding and Printing Paper for the January Session of 1865 to have been

For the Honorable the Legislative Council……………$ 2,183 97
For the Legislative Assembly……………… 18,430 18
Being a total for the Legislature of………$20,614 15

The Sub-Committee have to express their gratification that the new Contractors are satisfactorily performing their duties.

One contract period of five years having elapsed, with most economical results, and one year of another period having nearly expired, equally satisfactorily, which together with the shall charge for extras during the past year amounting to only a few dollars, proves conclusively that the contract system, under proper contracts and regulations, and with careful supervision, can be made to work well.

The Sub-Committee regret to find from the Clerk’s Report, that one of the volumes of Sessional Papers of last Session has not yet been issued, in consequence of the non-receipt in a perfect form, of the Education Report for Lower Canada. This document was laid before the louse of Assembly, on the 17th March last, and referred to the Printing Committee. The Superintendent appeared before the Committee and stated that his report was not complete, but that he would furnish a perfect copy in three weeks. The last part of the perfect copy has only been received within the past week.

The Sessional Papers are continually required for reference, and the want of the Volume is felt as a serious inconvenience.

The Sub-Committee would respectfully recommend that in future no document should be presented to or received by either House unless in a perfect shape.

The Sub-Committee have also compared the Balance Sheet, marked B, “Debates on Confederation,” with the accounts for the several services connected with the publishing of those Debates, as fyled in the Accountant’s Offices, and have certified it to be correct.

The accounts shew the total cost to have been $14,490 05. For this sum an English and a French Edition have been obtained.

The cost, though much larger than was anticipated, bears a fair ratio to the much greater length that the Debates reached than was calculated on. They were not expected to extend over 300 pages. The Volumes contain 1032 pages of sold matter, and 11,500 copies were published at a cost of about $1.26 a copy.

The Sub-Committee also recommend that the sum of $72 he paid to Mr. Trudelle, the Binder, for services performed in connection with the Debates.

All which is respectfully submitted.

A. MACKENZIE,
J. SIMPSON

COMMITTEE ROOM,
8^th August, 1865.

To the Chairman and Members of the Joint Committee on Printing:

GENTLEMEN,—In accordance with the Standing Order of the Committee, I now present the accounts for Printing, Binding and Printing Paper for the past Session.

For the verification of the Printing Accounts, there is a complete fyle of the several Documents, &e., printed, each endorsed with its cost. They are numbered, those of the Honorable the Legislative Council from 1 to 296, and those of the Legislative Assembly from 1 to 863, inclusively; in all 1,159 Vouchers.

The new Contractors entered upon their several duties with the work of the last Session, and thus far they have performed them very satisfactorily.

The Binding which has been performed under the new contract is, I think, without question, the best that has been furnished to the Legislature under the contract system.

The paper bas been regularly furnished, as required, and, though good, is not of the sane even quality as that of the late contractor.

The Printing bas been well done as usual, and though there was delay in the printing of some of the documents, owing to the “Debates” being printed at the same time, still the Journals and Sessional Papers were finished within the time allowed by the contract, with the exception of the last volume of the Sessional Papers. This volume has not yet been issued, owing to the non-receipt of the perfect copy of the Report on Education for Lower Canada. This document, though imperfect, was laid before the House last Session, doubtless that it might obtain its number and be placed amongst the Sessional Papers.

It was ordered to be printed, but we had to wait for the corrected copy, the last part of which has not yet been received by the Printers, consequently the last Volume of Sessional Papers is not yet issued,—and when I state that Volume is to contain Returns and Documents which were laid before the two Houses last Session, numbered from 7 to 38, it can at once be seen how very serious the inconvenience is, in a public point of view.

This delay also occasions a serious loss to the Printer and Binder, for they are obliged to keep their establishments open, and waiting, it may be, as in this case, for but one document.

The annexed Balance Sheet marked A, shows that the Parliamentary Printing for the past Session bas cost $20,614.15.

This amount does not include the cost of publishing the Debates, because by the third report of the Printing Committee of last Session, it was recommended, “That the Accountant of each House be directed to open a special account under the head of “Reporting,” and that all charges connected therewith be paid by them on the certificate of the Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, and in the following proportions, viz., the Honorable the Legislative Council paying one-third, and the Legislative Assembly paying two-thirds.”

The amount thus charged in the Accountant’s book-s of the Legislative Council, is …………………………. $ 4,824.43
And in those of the Legislative Assembly………………………… 9,666.22

Total charge ……………………… $14,490.65

Which amount is made up of the following items: —

Reporting……………… ……………………………………….. $ 2,818.20
Translation into French……… …………………………………. 1,005.50
Translation into English………… ……………………………… 382.50
Printing …………………………………. 4,801.05
Binding…………………………………… 209.06
Printing Paper……………………. ……….. 5,261.84 Travelling Expenses of a French Reporter…… …………. 12.50

As is shown in the annexed balance sheet marked B.

The Debates covered 1,032 pages of solid matter, and were printed in both languages. The mechanical execution of the work would do credit to any establishment. The number of copies published was 11,500. Total cost $14,490.65, or at the rate of $1.26 per copy.

All which is respectfully submitted.

HENRY HARTNEY,
Clerk, Joint Committee on Printing.

[…]

B. BALANCE SHEET—DEBATES ON CONFEDERATION.

HENRY HARTNEY,
Clerk, Joint Committee on Printing.

NOTE—The cost of the Debate is charged, one-third against the Honorable the Legislative Council, and two-thirds against the Legislative Assembly, in accordance with the Third Report (last Session) of the Joint Committee on Printing.

* For the Reporting and Translations a regular staff was employed, though the charge is made, in each case, only in the name of one.

Examined the above, with the Accounts and Vouchers, and find it correct. 24^th August. 1865.

A. MACKENZIE,
J.B.E. DORION,             Auditors.
J. SIMPSON