§ MR. BROADHURSTasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether he is aware that the delay in the production of Reports and Despatches is largely due to the fact that the Queen's Printers carry on their business with low-priced labour, therefore the best class of workmen do not accept employment in that firm; and, whether, having regard to the inconvenience caused to this House by the length of time which elapses between the laying of the Papers upon the Table and the delivery of them to Members, he will either make the printing contract an open competition in fact, or transfer the orders to the firm which now does the work of the Foreign and War Offices, and who have a complete command of the skilled labour market of the Country, so far as it relates to the printing trade?
§ MR. COURTNEYI have no knowledge as to the class of labour employed by the different Government printers, and it is not the fact that delays have been greater in work done by Eyre and Spottiswoode than others; I am, indeed, aware that they protest that there has been no delay attributable to them. Irrespective of the present complaint, it has 1087 long been settled that when the present printing contracts expire the work will be thrown open to public competition on an improved system.