Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 6 September 1940, page 2


ARCHIVES DESTROYED

Sir-Replying in August to a plea for the establishment of a special archives office in order that valuable historical material might be saved from destruction and preserved for posterity, the Chief Sec-retary said that all State departments which might have any documents of his-torical value were careful to preserve them.

It is now reported that the records of the Ballarat Supreme Court up to the year 1920 have been consigned to a pulp mill. These irreplaceable records include full reports of many famous criminal trials and actions by mining companies and beautifully bound volumes of the notes made by presiding Judges. Surely this material is too valuable to be lost with-out a protest? It seems most desirable that an independent archives office should be established without further delay, modelled on the South Australian in-stitution, which has accomplished so much

since 1920.

-Yours, &c.

I. TRENTHAM-EDGAR.

Fellow, Society of Aust. Genealogists.

St. Kilda.