The Express.
London, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, OCTO3II 16.

A Barony has lately been published by the Meet
Committee appointed, in the mares of bet liersion,'
• "to conaider the cheapest, most expeditious, and
most diciest mode of providing for the Printing re-
quired for the Howse of Pariismsst and the Public
Parries." The gnat mass of oar readers, to whom a

Blue Book is seranch of a 'otiosity as the =Wi-
lful= musters in the gardens at Splashes, will be
surprised to hear of the enormous spew annually
incurred by the British taxpayers la this department.
The work is pretty equally divided among five diffe-
rent printers—Mem% Reza and flearftswooas,
HANSARD, NICHOLS, HARRISON, and HAMILL. Of
these, Meows Rem and SPOTTISWOODB, with Whale
names the peddle I. net familiar, are Queen's
printers seder patent, and contrast printers, es well
as printers for the Huse of Lords. In the first sop
parity, they have the exclusive right of printing for
thirty years, from the 21st of January, 1830, all
statutes and sets of parliament, end all abridgments
thereof. For this work they received, in 1863-64,
about 10,0001. As matron printery, they print all
reports end papers ordered by the Trearary
and most of the public departrosets; end the
Committee report that, while the expenses under the
patent are capable of some reductioc, the soot:est,
entered into in 1861, was then pot as a reasonable foot-
ing. We may add that the charges for the printing
required for the House of Lords have recently been
reduced nearly to the level of the contract printing.
In the House of Commas, Mr. Kumar) prints the
Journal., Returns, Reports of Select Committees, and
other papers; Messrs. NICHOLS and Boa the Votes
sad Prosodies,. Between the years 1860 sad 1864
there has bees a reduction in the profits of them
printers of ant less than 30 per seat., so that whereas
in the year 1860 they received 60 per out., they now
receive only 20 per cent.= work does by order of the
House. Mr. HARRISON, the fourth on the list, is the
confidential printer for the Government, and the
printer of the London Gesegle. His receipts are said
to average from 3,0001. to 4,0001. a year, " and
though the profit may be larger, in proprieties to the
work done, than that which is made by other
printers, it mast be borne in mind that the peculiar
• nature sad clureeter of his week will mot admit of
its being put up to contrast." It does not appear,
therefore, that so far se these four printers
are emerged, the pay is very nosh out of
peeped= to the work. We some them to Mr.
Haartirita, who has the entire assagement et what
is tailed job-work printing for Ragland. Is ether
words, be prints all meaner of recurs% heathsgs of
ledgers, tax papers, ageism letters, and forms of
every kind foe the several departments of Govern-
ment ; the cost, exclusive of the paper, amounting to
14,0001. a year. This branch of the public printing
k at once the most diScalt to manage, the most ax-
pensive, sod that which stands most in need of re-
form. The truth b, that the work is too mach for
• one firm. "The forms are constantly aging;
thousands, eves millions, are often required;
the denude are usually saddle; and they
must be furnished in a short period." The
result is that the work is dome in so slovenly a
meaner, that it would be rejected, were not the Go-
vernment entirely at the mercy of the contractor;
and the Committee recommead the adoption of a
suggestion made by Mr. M'Cum.oca, that four or
. Ire job printers should be employed instead of one,
and on condition that, unless the work was done
satisfactorily, the Government should have the power
to change them. To conaladi this portion of the sub-
jest, the exposes incurred lest year, in the Public
Printing department, was 431,980/., and the estimates
for the present year are about oramixth lees.
Now there can be no doubt that this item in the
public expenditure ought to be very mush reduced,
and it is not difficult to point out whale and with
whom the reform should amuses. It is not the
printers wile are to be blamed. We will not pretend
to any that their charges are meetly in proportion to
the amount of work performed; but, anyhow, no other
arrangeareatean be made, except with Mr. HARTNRIL,
until the year 1880, on the expiration of the Quinn's
Printers' Patent. It is clear, thee, that the
reform mast be began in the Committee-rooms
of the Henn of Commons. There is the ewes
and fountain-head of the printing 'Unease. Themes it
Is that the Qoxert's Printers, undo, patent, derive
their annual thousands, for whisk the British tax-
payer does not receive value of any kind whatever.
Take the ease of the Hull Election Report. Some-
body who was not elected for that pens and in-
dependent borough brought a charge of bribery and
corruption against the suoiseful candidate. A Com-
' mines of the House of Commons was elected to
decide whether Mr. —had, or had not, purchased
. hie sleet in Parliament by ministering to the phy-
sical wants of his sonetiteents. Day after
day a doom British senators essenibled to
decide upon this important question, and after many
a weary week they came to a conclusion, and pub-
lished the result of their inquiries in two enonsose
• Mee Books, whisk east the country not a Birthing
lees than 3,0001. We don't invitee that a single
human being ever &seed through one of the thou-
sand pope of that report, and thus were thouande of
pounds spent which, for all the good derived from their
expenditure by the British public, might just as well
have been thrown into the see. Then, spirt, there was
the Wine Duties Revert. If we look into the appeu-
di: to the 'emend volume, we find a table of 234
pages about vetting, of wine in different "docks."
This table is perfectly melees, can never have been
read by any one is the world—except perhaps the
" reader" of proofs--end yet 1,760 copies were
printed and circulated at the public express. We
might go on quoting instances till doomsday. We
voider that the shelvea of the Commons' library do
• not crack under the weight of human folly which
yeas by year is soosigued to their sate and undisturbed
glardianship. We soy, then, to the Huss of Commons,
Heal thyself." There is apparently mop/epee ebeek
imposed upon the Chairmen of Committees. Whatever
be the subject of investigation—whether a matter in
which the whole Bathe; takes an interest, ere one
about which as one cares an atom, except the seer
tor who gets the committee appointed—there seems
to be no metrketion as to whiter how mach should be
printed. The chairman eansults, or does not consult,
with the secretary, sod gets authority to print as
away espies as are thought advisable. Since, however,
It iseely the patella parse that is to he smoldered,
and slue it is not likely that any me will take
. the treelele to makes fan in Parliament about it, we
don't ise thei either &shun se secretary
"Vs"' much Men the refeet. And so at the