CO885-8 — Page 207

19,955/82. 4,082/83.

Appendix II.

PAPERS BOUND AND UNBOUND.

5. The Colonial Office papers to be dealt with are---

BOUND PAPERS (a) down to the year 1866 inclusive, deposited in the Public Record Office, and (b) for the years 1867 to 1873 inclusive, at present in the Colonial Office Library; and UNBOUND PAPERS from 1874 to 1902 (29 years); and future papers. 6. The "weeding" of the bound papers would require special and expert treatment in collaboration with the Public Record Office; and in 1883 it was practically decided, owing to the serious trouble and expense, that the volumes should not be disturbed. We concur in this view so far as to recommend that action as regards these bound papers should be postponed indefinitely, and left to the initiative of the Public Record Office

We

7. We have therefore directed our consideration to the measures necessary for dealing with the unbound papers from 1874, and with future papers. have guided our proceedings by the Public Record Office Act of 1877 and the General Rules of 9th May, 1889, as approved by Order in Council of 30th June, 1890; and we have taken as a working basis the Memorandum and Schedule prepared by Messrs. Westbrook and Drayson in 1892. We have dealt only with documents of little or no value, and we recommend that their disposal should be by destruction; that is to say, we have not found it advisable or necessary to recommend that any of them should be transferred to Colonial Governments, or to Libraries in the United Kingdom or Colonies.

SELECTION AT TEN YEARS OLD.

8. We have given our careful consideration to the question of the most suitable age of papers after which the selection for destruction should take place. The system of varied periods adopted in some departments is easily applicable to papers stored away by subjects or special classes, but is not in our opinion suitable for Colonial Office papers, which are kept chronologically and Its working would be by Colonies, irrespective of subject or importance.

"

cum brous, as it would involve more than one examination of all deposited We therefore recommend that in papers; nor is it in our opinion necessary. general there should be a SINGLE SELECTION of the valueless documents at a fixed minimum age of the papers, rather than two or more selections at different ages; and we recommend that TEN YEARS be fixed as the general period after which Weeding" will then be a simple and the selected papers may be destroyed.

We comprehensive process at one stage only-namely, after ten years old. except only some few minor classes of papers kept separately, hereinafter men- tioned, which we recommend for summary destruction at one year after date.

9. We are of opinion that, for the very large majority of Colonial Office papers, it can properly be determined when they are ten years old whether it is papers necessary or desirable to preserve them as permanent records; and that if not destroyed at that age were subjected to a further weeding at 20 or 30 years old, the proportion of them then condemned would probably be so small as to make such further weeding a waste of time and labour.

A.

SCHEDULE.

10. We have accordingly prepared on this basis the Schedule annexed, which we recommend should be adopted to govern the work of selection. Seeing that the whole procedure will depend mainly on this Schedule, we have given great care to its compilation, and have, moreover, in certain matters consulted We have endeavoured experienced members of the Office, and other persons.

to group papers by general classes, so far as possible, and at the same time to secure a classification gufficiently detailed and explicit to be a safe and trust- worthy guide for the officers working from it. Part I. comprises detailed, classes of despatches from and to the Governors, &c., of Colonies, Part IL comprises documents from and to Government Departments and Officers, and from private individuals and others; and the selection therefrom will be governed mainly by the list of "General Classes" prefixed, to which the other classes are supple- mentary.

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5

DESTRUCTION AT QNE YEAR.

11. In Part I. are included certain classes of registered and other papers, and in Part II. a class of miscellaneous "non-registered" papers, marked with an asterisk, which we recommend for destruction at one year after date. Some of the former classes are no longer placed on formal record (vide Circular Despatch to Governors of Colonies dated 7th December, 1892), and those of the Colonial latter class have not hitherto been held to be "official documents" within the Office, meaning of the Act; and since 194 many papers of both classes have been 23.429/92. destroyed at short intervals, in anticipation of the Schedule required by the Act,

as being useless and as being the first documents that would be included in such

a Schedule. We are of opinion that, to quote the terms of the Treasury Letter 19,553/82. of 10th November, 1882, this has been a "reasonable practice" and "not difficult to reconcile with the Act of 1877." We have considered whether certain other classes of papers might not with advantage have been scheduled for destruction at one year, or at a period earlier than ten years; but on the whole we have not thought it advisable to deviate from the simple and general practice advised, except in the cases just mentioned.

PRESERVATION OF IMPORTANT PAPERS.

12. The Schedule does not include for destruction " any documents which can reasonably be considered of legal, historical, genealogical, or antiquarian interest, or which give any important information not to be obtained elsewhere (Para. 7 of Rules made by the Master of the Rolls, 9th May, 1889, approved by Order in Council, 30th June, 1890). All papers of substantial value and importance, and papers such as those giving rise to a special ruling or precedent, or made the foundation of an instruction or circular, or minuted by the Secretary of State, will be preserved.

COLONIAL OFFICERS; APPOINTMENT, LEAVE, PENSION.

13. We have specially considered the classes of papers relating to the appointment, leave, and pension of Colonial Officers. Testimonials, &c., furnished at the time of a candidate's selection for an office have largely lost their value after the lapse of ten yeare or more, when the officer has acquired an official history and reputation, and need not be retained; but the papers of particulars ( forms) of successful candidates should be preserved. Leave papers of over ten years old are very rarely referred to, and the record is usually obtainable from later papers, or should, in all cases where necessary, be obtainable from the Colony. For pension purposes, old papers are now rarely required, inasmuch as the application of the Colonial Laws and Rules governing the grant of pensions is almost entirely left to the Local Government, instead of being, as formerly, subject to close examination and revision in the department. We are of opinion that it should be a recognized principle that Colonial Governments are primarily responsible for keeping any necessary detailed records relating to their own civil servants. We have therefore included in the Schedule papers of the classes mentioned, subject of course to the general exemption of papers of importance giving rise to a special ruling or precedent. All papers relating to the appointment, leave, and pension of Colonial Governors will, however, be retained.

PAPERS AFTERWARDS PRINTED, AND PRINTED PAPERS.

14. We have included in the Schedule the MSS. of papers, reports, and returns, which may afterwards have been printed for Parliament, or for Colonial Office use, or public and general use. We think that all important minutes or memoranda thereon should be retained; and in the cases, probably few, where the docket sheet is not retained, a sheet should be inserted in its place giving (Note. This the reference to the printed Parliamentary or other paper. reference is always stamped on the docket and in the Register.)

The MSS. of various documents sent home from the Colonies merely for class: in convenience of printing in this country are included in this general practice they would also come under the class of " Requisitions."

15. Documents printed for Parliament are easily and conveniently referred

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

∞

ALLY V

BE REB

T PERMISSION OF THE CED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

PUBLIC

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COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO