198 



PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS. 



[Sept. 1896. 



propose that (1) direct communication with the offices at 

 Southampton and Dublin should be allowed on the part of (a) 

 a certain limited number of local agents, who would be appointed, 

 on special terms, (b) local map sellers generally ; (2) that the 

 Government should retain for themselves full freedom to produce 

 and publish maps in any form they think desirable, and to 

 increase or lower the prices as they may consider proper ; (3) 

 that equal facilities should be afforded to the public for the 

 purchase of maps in the cheap as in the expensive forms ; (4) 

 that reasonable facilities should be allowed for the exchange of 

 maps wrongly ordered and for the withdrawal of obsolete maps ; 

 (5) that contracts with the agents for sale should be made direct 

 with the Board of Agriculture ; (6) that the proceeds from the 

 sale should be appropriated in aid of the Survey Vote, so as to 

 show more clearly the net cost of the survey to the country. 



They further propose that a single agent should be appointed 

 for the sale of maps in Loudon and that an agent should be 

 appointed for Edinburgh, Dublin, and each of the larger pro- 

 vincial towns. They also propose that any book or map seller 

 should be allowed to order maps direct from Southampton or 

 Dublin. 



The Committee recommend further that the Postmaster-General 

 should be invited to sanction arrangements for the exhibition of 

 indexes, catalogues, and specimen sheets at a certain number of 

 selected post offices ; for the transmission of orders to South- 

 ampton ; for the supply of explanatory pamphlets to postmasters ; 

 and for the exhibition of notices showing how the maps can be 

 obtained. 



The Committee make the following supplementary recom- 

 mendations, viz. : That announcements of new issues should be 

 furnished to mapsellers and individuals in the locality concerned, 

 and that similar information should be supplied to the local news- 

 papers ; that advertisements of the maps should be inserted in all 

 Government publications ; that the official catalogues and indexes 

 should be made more simple for the use of non-technical 

 purchasers, and that separate indexes should be prepared for 

 each scale of map ; that handbills and notices should be prepared 

 for distribution, showing where the maps can be obtained, and 

 that a small explanatory memorandum should be prepared for 

 gratuitous distribution, and that a larger one with more detailed 

 information should be issued and sold at a price not exceeding 

 6d. ; that the prices of the maps should be simplified and made 

 more uniform, and that the charges for unfilled sheets and sheets 

 with but little work should be reconsidered ; that the charges 

 for packing and postage should be simplified and reduced ; and 

 that maps should be supplied under discount to local authorities 

 and the managers of elementary and public endowed schools. 



The Committee are of opinion that the evidence which they 

 received showed that there would be a considerable sale for 

 a coloured edition of the 1-inch map ; a thin paper edition of 



