§ MR. DALRYMPLEasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether he would consider the desirableness of adopting a custom, which is said to prevail in the Colony of Victoria, of giving on the first page of every Paper printed for Parliamentary use a statement of its cost, "expense of preparing this Paper, so much," "expense of printing, so much," so that not only honourable Members who are gluttons in respect of "Returns," but their constitutents also, may know what is the cost to the Country of the Returns moved by Members?
§ MR. COURTNEYI fully sympathize with the hon. Member's desire to check the growth of the costs of 1309 Parliamentary printing in respect of Returns; but I am afraid that the adoption of the custom said to prevail in Victoria would avail little. In 1875, on the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Westminster (Mr. W. H. Smith), a Return was presented giving the figures for that year and the sale of those Papers, showing also what cost each Member had entailed on the country; but no appreciable effect was produced; there has been an increase rather than a diminution of cost. The point shall, however, be brought under the attention of the Committee now engaged in considering the public expenditure in stationery and printing.