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Series VPRS
3844
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General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 files), Single Number System
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| Date Range: |
Series |
? 1952 - Circa 1954 |
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Series in Custody |
? 1952 - Circa 1954 |
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Contents |
Circa 1860 - By 1927 |
| Public Access: |
Open |
| Location: |
North Melbourne |
| Format of Records: |
Physical |
  | Agency which created this SeriesAgency which created this Series |
| Agency currently responsible for this SeriesAgency currently responsible for this Series |
Date Range
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Agency Title
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Agency Number
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| 1995 - cont |
Sinclair - Knight Mertz |
VA 3748 |
| 1995 - cont |
Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Victoria [SMEC Victoria] Pty Ltd |
VA 3750 |
| 1995 - cont |
Barwon Region Water Authority |
VA 3756 |
| 1996 - 2002 |
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment |
VA 3972 |
| 2002 - cont |
Department of Sustainability and Environment |
VA 4554 |
| Description of this SeriesDescription of this Series |
- How to use the Records
Consult the records description list to identify relevant files.
Note: The original registers and indices for this series were made largely redundant in about 1954. At that time the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission undertook a final re-arrangement of inactive, pre 1928 files into a single number system based on the alphabetical arrangement by primary and secondary subject as listed in the records description list. As part of this process new controlling records were created. These are: VPRS 9064 Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 Files and VPRS 9474 Register of General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 files), Single Number System.
It is not necessary to consult these two registers to access records in VPRS 3844 as the records description list provides detailed description of files contained in this series.
Remaining files created during the same period of time but in active use after 1928 (thus subsequently top-numbered) form part of the VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems. Consequently, if a specific file is not listed in this series, it might form part of relevant consignments of VPRS 6008.
Some of the files were destroyed by the agency and hence there are gaps in the file number sequence (alphabetically arranged subject files were allocated sequential numbers). The destruction of the files is documented in VPRS 9474.
VPRS 14702 File Location Cards for Portion of pre 1959 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number System (Variable Top Number) allows access to a limited number of files by providing a final correspondence/file number within the annual single number sequence (variable top number), new file number - single number system - these files comprise VPRS 3844 or information about amalgamation or re-activation of file/s into the later annual single number sequence (single fixed number) - these files can be located in VPRS 6008.
- Function / Content
This series comprises files that were separated from the original recordkeeping system maintained by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (VA 723) and files inherited from the Victorian Water Supply Department (VA 2787) in the transitional period between 1906 and 1910 when the Department and its remaining staff formally merged into the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. The files inherited from VWSD were never incorporated into the SRWSC recordkeeping system and were later referred to as O.S. (old system?) files.
This series contains correspondence files on water supply matters created, received or inherited from its administrative predecessors by the Victorian Water Supply Department (1865 to 1910) and the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (1906 to 1927). They include correspondence with local waterworks trusts, municipalities, other agencies and individuals. From 1910, the files include correspondence on closer settlement in irrigation districts, and thus document the development of the closer settlement schemes and their links to immigration policy. The files are thus a valuable source for research into the settlement and development of Victoria.
- Recordkeeping System
Original Recordkeeping System
Files contained in VPRS 3844, prior to their alphabetical re-arrangement, appear to have been part of a typical nineteenth-century correspondence system in which all inward correspondence was registered individually within an annual single number sequence. It is not certain whether outward correspondence was registered separately, although that appears to have been the case, at least for the portion of the series created by the Victorian Water Supply Department. The only related record created by the Victorian Water Supply Department that has been found is VPRS 11167 Attachment Book.
From the commencement of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission in 1906, each inward letter was registered and given the next available number from an annual sequence obtained from the register of inward correspondence. The whereabouts of the register for the period 1906 to 1954 is unknown.
The letters' subject classification was then registered in VPRS 6009 Classified Registration Cards for General Correspondence. If a letter was received relating to a subject that had been dealt with in a previous letter, the earlier paper was attached to the new letter. The file thus created was stored and controlled by the number of the later paper. In this way files were continually top-numbered whenever a new piece of related correspondence was received. This practice was referred to as Variable Top Number System. The top-numbering was recorded in VPRS 6012 Attachment Books.
From 1908 all correspondence was indexed in VPRS 9606 Subject and Nominal Index Cards to General Correspondence soon after registration.
Papers received from the Commissioners of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission were treated as inward correspondence and were registered and indexed in the series named above.
Re-arrangement of the Series: ?1928-?1952
It is possible that the Records Branch stored or periodically put away inactive files created through the top-numbering process, in alphabetical order by subject within each year.
It appears that sometime in 1928 all alphabetically arranged inactive and closed files, were allocated sequential numbers as documented in the first part of the Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 Files - VPRS 9604. That number was later referred to as an old key number. Over the years, as the files were added on to this inactive collection and more numbers allocated, the initial alphabetical order was lost and consequently retrieval of files was difficult.
Final Re-arrangement of the Series: ?1952-1954
In order to provide a more efficient method of retrieval, about 1952, an archival project was undertaken by the Records Branch of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [SRWSC] and finalised in 1954. At that time, all pre 1928 inactive files and O.S. [old system?] files were grouped together and re-arranged into one alphabetical sequence by subject in a more structured way than previously. Upon completion of the alphabetical re-arrangement according to the primary and secondary subjects, each file (bundle) in this collection was allocated a new sequential number as documented in the relevant part of the Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 Files (VPRS 9604) and in the newly created Register of General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 Files), Single Number System (VPRS 9474).
The subject of the correspondence became the file title. Generally, the titles referred to local bodies, such as waterworks trusts, which dealt with irrigation, flood and other water matters in their local areas. Other titles included government agencies such as the Board of Examiners of Water Supply Engineers, and general subjects.
The new files were arranged lexicographically by primary and secondary subject. Within each secondary subject files were arranged chronologically. All files were then given numbers from a single sequence. For example, new files numbers 1154 to 1172 relate to the primary subject Kerang Centre and Irrigation District. Within this sequence the secondary subjects are arranged from Boundaries - 1910 to Rating - 1911-19.
It appears that in the course of the same project a number of old key number files were destroyed.
Files were placed in boxes and stored in the basement. Prior to the transfer of this collection to the PROV in 1982, the files were culled again. This process was documented in the VPRS 9474.
Controlling series - File Level Control
The two series which linked the old and new sequences were VPRS 9474 Register of General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 files), Single Number System and VPRS 9604 Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 Files. VPRS 9474 listed the new file numbers in sequential order and gave the relevant old key number for each, while the later parts of VPRS 9604 did the reverse. Refer to the series registrations for VPRS 9474 and 9604 for more information.
Controlling Series - Document Level Control
It is not possible to be definitive about the series which registered inward correspondence within the original, annual single number system. The only extant registers were created between 1954 and 1958. These would appear to be a subsequent series.
Contents Date Range
Following a random search, the oldest piece of correspondence found in this series was created in 1879. However, the inside covers of volumes 1 and 2 in VPRS 9474 indicates that the overall date range of files contained in VPRS 3844 is 1860-1927. Given that the correspondence was removed from its numerical (i.e., chronological) sequence some time between 1952 and 1954, it would be impossible to confirm the contents' commencement date without a thorough search.
Series Date Range
The final alphabetical re-arrangement of this series commenced some time in 1952 and was completed in 1954. This has been taken as the date range of the series.
When VPRS 3844 was transferred to the Public Record Office in 1982 it was given the same date range as its contents - 1860 to 1927 - even though the series did not take its current form until about 1954. Subsequently, the series date range was amended.
Relationship between VPRS 3844 and VPRS 6008
The State Rivers and Water Supply Commission used one annual single number sequence to register its inward correspondence from 1906 until 1958 ( Variable Top Number System), when a file-level registration system commenced (Fixed Number System). This form of an annual single number system continued till 1986, when the RMS database for the management and control of general correspondence files took over from the manual, paper based control.
VPRS 3844 comprises inactive, alphabetically re-arranged, pre 1928 files - removed form the original annual single number recordkeeping system. It is only a portion of files registered by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission between 1906 and 1928. Remaining files, retained within the original system, can be found in VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems.
A consignment of files registered between 1906 and 1954 and retained in their original annual single number sequence was serialised as VPRS 6008 and transferred to the Public Record Office in 1985. At that time, the new series start date was incorrectly defined as 1928.
The Rural Water Corporation, which succeeded the Rural Water Commission and the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission in 1992 and 1984 respectively, has since transferred consignments which contain some correspondence registered at item level (1906 to 1958) and later correspondence registered at file level (manual annual single number system 1958 to 1987, RMS database 1987 - c.1995) as well as divisional Hydro-technology files.
The Rural Water Corporation mistakenly understood that all these consignments, in fact representing different annual single number systems and separate divisional system files, were part of one series and processed them accordingly as subsequent consignments of VPRS 6008. This registration of VPRS 6008 was incorrect. When the above errors were discovered in 1995, it was considered impractical to re-serialise them correctly. There were three reasons for not changing the series titles and dates. Firstly, the later consignments are very large. Secondly, successors to the Rural Water Corporation have received copies of the data bases that comprise finding aids for nearly all correspondence files, whether or not they are in Public Record Office custody. These data bases refer to the existing series and consignment numbers. Thirdly, both series have been available to researchers in their current form since the first transfers in 1982 and 1985 respectively.
Note
The recordkeeping processes described in this series registration were deduced from the analysis of the extant records and from the Records Branch operations manuals prepared in 1977 and 1987. However, neither manual describes the recordkeeping processes in the detail that the series note has attempted to do. It is possible that the steps described in the series registration did not actually occur in the sequence set out. The operations manuals are in VPRS 11185 Policy, Procedures and Operations Manuals (Library Set).
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
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Date Range
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Series Title
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Series Number
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| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre-1928 files), Single Number System |
VPRS 9474 |
| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 General Correpondence Files (Refer to Microfiche Copy, VPRS 14628) |
VPRS 9604 |
| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 General Correpondence Files (Microfiche Copy of VPRS 9604) |
VPRS 14628 |
| 1906 - 1928 |
Attachment Books (Microform Copy of VPRS 6012) |
VPRS 6010 |
| 1906 - 1928 |
Attachment Books (Refer to Microform Copy, VPRS 6010) |
VPRS 6012 |
| 1908 - 1918 |
Subject and Nominal Index Cards to General Correspondence Files |
VPRS 9606 |
| 1908 - By 1953 |
Index to Special Correspondence |
VPRS 9605 |
| 1911 - 1927 |
File Location and Top-Number Cards for Portion of pre 1959 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number System (Variable Top Number) |
VPRS 14702 |
| Controlled SeriesControlled Series |
| Previous SeriesPrevious Series |
| Subsequent SeriesSubsequent Series |
| List/s of records in this seriesList/s of records in this series |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
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Date Range
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Series Title
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Series Number
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| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre-1928 files), Single Number System |
VPRS 9474 |
| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 General Correpondence Files (Refer to Microfiche Copy, VPRS 14628) |
VPRS 9604 |
| ? 1860 - By 1927 |
Register of File Numbers for Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of pre 1928 General Correpondence Files (Microfiche Copy of VPRS 9604) |
VPRS 14628 |
| 1906 - 1928 |
Attachment Books (Microform Copy of VPRS 6012) |
VPRS 6010 |
| 1906 - 1928 |
Attachment Books (Refer to Microform Copy, VPRS 6010) |
VPRS 6012 |
| 1908 - 1918 |
Subject and Nominal Index Cards to General Correspondence Files |
VPRS 9606 |
| 1908 - By 1953 |
Index to Special Correspondence |
VPRS 9605 |
| 1911 - 1927 |
File Location and Top-Number Cards for Portion of pre 1959 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number System (Variable Top Number) |
VPRS 14702 |
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
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