2,2 Reminiscences of the Shorthand Congress. 



Allen Reed, who was Chairman of the Phonographic Jubilee 

 Committee, and Mr. Gurney Salter, official reporter to the 

 Houses of Parliament, who was Chairman of the Tercentenary 

 and General Committee. Both of them were excellent men of 

 business and good speakers, Mr. Salter being about the best 

 speaker at the Congress, while Mr. Reed was reputed to be the 

 most skilful shorthand writer in the world. 



One of the earliest subjects of discussion was Parliamentary 

 reporting, as at present conducted in different countries. A 

 list of printed questions relating to it had been circulated by 

 the General Committee, and had brought full replies from all 

 parts of Europe, as well as from the United States and the 

 British Colonies. In nearly every country but England the 

 shorthand writers have places assigned them in the centre of 

 the House, so as to give them the best possible facilities for 

 hearing. In several countries, including the United States, 

 there is a verbatim official report ; and in the European 

 countries, as a rule, the notes for this purpose are taken in 

 duplicate by two men, who serve as a check on one another. 

 In the gallery of our House of Commons the hearing is 

 moderately good, but in the gallery of the House of Lords it 

 is intolerably bad. The evidence given before Parliamentary 

 committees was taken verbatim by a shorthand writer from 

 Gurney's office, who sat at a table in the best position for 

 hearing. The same writer kept his place during the whole of 

 one sitting, and leaves from his notebook were fetched away 

 every half hour to Gurney's office, where they were read aloud 

 by another man to a longhand clerk, or rather to two clerks at 

 once, and the transcript thus produced was afterwards read over 

 to the shorthand writer, who followed it in his original notes 

 and pointed out any errors that had been made. The evidence 

 was in the hands of the committee in print the next morning. 

 As several committees might be sitting simultaneously, a large 

 staff was necessary. Most of the writers used Gurney's system 

 of shorthand, but a few used Pitman's or Taylor's. 



In the English law courts verbatim notes are taken on 

 behalf of the suitors, but there are no official shorthand 



