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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 1

The Government Printing Office

The Government Printing Office.

The following is a copy of the Government Printer's Report on the operations of the Printing and Stationery Department for the year 1886:—

Printing Department.

The value of work done during the year represents £27,527 18s 9d, and the salaries and wages paid amount to £18,408 18s 6d. The number of entries in the order-book was 2,514, and the number of copies printed 28,979,915. The latter number includes 16,000,000 telegraph forms, which were printed by this department in the earlier part of last year.

The return of the number of employes during each month of the year shows an average per month of 149; that for the previous year was 137. The highest number employed was 159, and the lowest 143.

Among the works issued from the Government press during the past year may be mentioned the concluding volume of the reprint of the early Parliamentary Debates, edited by the late Mr. Maurice Fitzgerald; the first volume of White's Ancient History of the Maori (of which there are three more now in the press); the Handbook of New Zealand Mines (with maps and illustrations); two works on the Eruption at Tarawera— one by S. Percy Smith, Assistant Surveyor-General, and the other by Professor F. W. Hutton; an account of the Insects Noxious to Agriculture and Plants, by W. M. Maskell; and a work on the Rudiments of New Zealand Sociology, by Mr James H. Pope, entitled « The State. »

During the past year, three of the old printing machines which have been in use for many years have been disposed of, and replaced by new ones. The machinery in the binding branch has also been added to by the introduction of one of Brehmer's thread book-sewing machines and two wire stitching machines.

Under « Working Expenses »in the balancesheet attached to this report it will be noted that the gas consumed amounted to £505 1s 4d, notwithstanding that two of the composingrooms are lighted with electric lamps. This large consumption is partly due to the use of gas for driving and heating purposes, and partly also to the fact that in some portions of the present building gas has to be kept burning all day owing to deficient windowlight. The rent of meters costs £9 4s per annum, or nearly 2 per cent. on cost of gas consumed. The indifferent light obtained from gas compared to that from electricity, to say nothing of the cost, have induced the Government to light the new Printing Office entirely by the latter process, gas only being used for heating-purposes by the electrotyper and bookbinders.

The number of vouchers for printing and advertising examined during the year by the Accountant was 4,373, the deductions made therefrom £216 9s 1d, and the total amount passed for payment £14,736 9s 6d. The printing of the electoral rolls for the recent general election cost somewhat less than in 1884, the tenders in the different electoral districts ranging from 5s 10d to 20s per page. The rolls were set to a pattern furnished by this department, by which a saving in space of at least forty pages was effected.

Stereotype Branch.

The number of stereotype plates cast last year was 1,783; of electrotypes, 3,493; and 91lb of leads of various sizes were cast for office use The number of rubber stamps manufactured for Government departments was 2,147. The above figures all shew a considerable advance on those for the previous year.

Among the electrotypes are included six plates of Samoan postage stamps, and four of Tongan, each plate containing 120 stamps; also, two plates of New Zealand postagestamps, each containing 240 stamps, and two plates of post-cards.

The railway-ticket printing executed by this branch during the year shows a steady increase. The numbers were: Railway tickets, 2,805,616; season tickets, 13,202; flag-station tickets, 353,400; luggage tickets, 67,300; parcels tickets, 35,500; weighbridge tickets, 19,800. The printing of the railway tickets required 13,432 separate alterations, being an average of one alteration to every 208 tickets.

Stationery Store.

The number of requisitions received and complied with duriug the nine months ending the 31st December last was 10,427, or at the rate of 44 per day. The number of separate items in the requisitions was 49,749. The receipts from the sale of official publications amounted to £1,272 6s 7d. The quantity of waste paper shipped was 40 tons, representing in value £100, which is all disposed of to local paper-mills at £2 10s per ton.

Now that supplies can be obtained promptly and expeditiously from England by direct steamers, the stocks of all kinds of printing-papers and stationery have been considerably reduced. Instead of ordering annually as previously, orders are now made up about every alternate month. The reduction in stock lessens the risk in the event of an outbreak of fire on the premises, and, as no insurances are effected on either building or stock, this is an important consideration.

Arrangements have been made with Messrs J. Bayley & Co., of Dunedin, for the supply of parchment required for the Stationery Store. This firm, I am assured, have surmounted the initial difficulties attendant upon the starting of a new industry, and have undertaken to supply all my requirements during the coming year. The number of rolls purchased last year was 178, representing in value £667 10s.

With the exception of a small quantity of special air-dried paper, the whole of the brown paper issued from store has been obtained from the local mills. The quality of this production has greatly improved of late.

An attempt has been made to introduce locally - manufactured writing - ink, but, I regret to say, without much success. The corrosive properties of the ink soon render the pens unserviceable. The quality must be improved before the departments generally can be induced to use it.

Local manufacturers supply all twine required, and the oil used for machinery, &c. Honey, now being obtainable at a reasonable figure, is used extensively for roller-making instead of treacle.

Among the articles manufactured in the establishment may be mentioned brass galleys, brass blocks for electric lights, the brasses for brass-bound books, brass spikefiles, &c.