Mr. PARMELEE.

I am not a practical builder myself, but I fancy that the addition we would require-and we might as well build for twenty or twenty-five years to come-would cost $100,000, but that I do not consider of any great importance if we can get a proper kind of establishment. In 1894 it was felt that the Printing Bureau, was not quite equal to the work it had to do. and the then government had plans prepared for an extension. Of course, w7e can understand why at that time the plan was not gone on with, and since the present government has taken office, no doubt ministers have been so busy that this matter has escaped their attention.

Mr. PARMELEE.

I hope that as a result of our recommendations, some reasonable endeavour will be made to bring about the reforms I have indicated. As for myself, I do not care so much how these things are done provided they are done, though it has seemed to me, from the cursory investigation I have been able to make during a few weeks of this session, that these recommendations substantially lay the groundwork on which we can carry out the reform desired. I have no doubt that the reform is indeed a most urgent one. It seems to me a shame that in a parliament of this kind documents in French-which our French Canadian compatriots are as much entitled to have on time as -we are to have the English reports-should be all the way from six months to one year, and even two years, behind the publication of the latter.

Mr. PARMELEE.

And more machinery should be provided. But with regard to the latter point, the chief trouble is this, that owing to lack of room it is impossible to add any plant. i have visited the Bureau myself several times this session, and while I do not pretend to be more practical than anybody else. I find that the Bureau is too small and crowded in many departments, and is doing its work at great disadvantage.

Mr. PARMELEE.

Take the bindery : a good deal of the delay of which we are complaining arises from the fact that the bindery is largely incapable, owing to want of room, of handling the amount of matter that passes through it. To give an idea of the amount of work done, let me point out that in the month of March the Bureau turned out over $100,000 worth of printing in connection with parliamentary reports.

Another thing which has helped to congest the Printing Bureau is this. They keep the type of all the voters' lists of Canada standing ; and as a result there are 108 tons of type stored away in nooks and corners, which is very difficult indeed to get at when required. But if the Bureau were enlarged and put in proper shape, that would help very much not only in the distribution of the French documents, but in the handling of the copy generally, judiciously and economically. In this way, the small expense that would be incurred in getting the Bureau on a good working basis would in the end save us a great deal of money.