62 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. — SECTION D. 



must be no outbidding" between rival establishments. That 

 certain records are required for local reference in different 

 parts of the Union does not affect this question, as for purely- 

 administrative work the period of years during which reference 

 is required is not very lengthy, and papers are not usually 

 required for the true archives until that time has elapsed. 



That opens out the question of how the archives should be 

 constituted as regards the material. 



The sources of that material are various. They may be 

 classified as follows : — 



(a) The source over which the Government for the time 

 being has absolute control. The records and documents of 

 Government Departments and offices find first place in this. 

 Not that all the papers of such offices have an archival value, 

 but the trained archivist will readily discern what is of real 

 interest as bearing on the rights, the history, and the general 

 progress of the nation. P'or the purposes to be served all such 

 records should be at the disposal of the archivist at the expira- 

 tion of a term of years io be regulated by the convenience of 

 the Department affected. This, however, should be secured, 

 that such records are not dealt w^ith in a haphazard way, and 

 that the element of personal caprice in the disposal of them 

 shall be eliminated as far as possible. Those who have experi- 

 ence in this direction know that Departments are often very 

 slow to disgorge their documents which, alas ! are often ^o 

 jealously guarded that research among them is almost entirely 

 precluded, and even where allowed the conditions are such that 

 little useful work can be accomplished. Sometimes, on the 

 other hand, the documents are relegated to musty basements 

 and dusty garrets, when that rare combination, the zeal of a 

 fanatic and the instinct of a housemaid, would be required to 

 impel a student to breathe the mildewed odour which infects 

 the atmosphere, or to disturb the dust of the ages. In regard 

 to the large accumulation of documents of this nature in dif- 

 ferent parts of the Union, a special Commission may be neces- 

 sary in order to inspect and report upon them, and on the best 

 means of establishing such relations between the Departments 

 and the Archives as will most effectively provide for the sort- 

 ing and final Housing of the documents. 



(b) Then outside of the ordinarv iJepartments there are 

 records of a more select and exclusive character to which the 

 country has a right in due course. Ministerial documents. 

 Executive Council Minutes, and proceedings of that nature the 

 country is entitled to have at its disposal when the discretionary 

 years have passed during which a closer secrecy is desirable. 

 To these may be added formal legal documents relating to oar 

 Constitutional history; correspondence, petitions and counter- 

 petitions, which at different times have expressed the desires 

 and aspirations of sections of the community. The archival 

 value of many of these can scarcely be over-estimated. 



(c) In the third division of sources of material must be in- 

 cluded the treasures obtainable from oversea. The Canadian 

 archives have been greatly enriched by copies of documents, 

 and even in some cases by originals, from England and J^ ranee. 



