484 ARCHIVAL PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



ference to the archives of the public records which are no more 

 of administrative value. The more important duties which fall 

 upon those entrusted with the management of records is that of 

 their safe custody, better preservation and convenient use. The 

 great growth of Government business, the expansion of the 

 depaitments, and the creation of new cue.' since Union, has 

 lead to a rapid accumulation of records. Many of these will, 

 in due course, have an historical value, and as they become non- 

 current, should be transferred periodically to an archive reposi- 

 tory. Machinery should therefore be provided for the systematic 

 and regular transmission of such papers to recognised archive 

 offices. 



The next point that should receive attention is the safe 

 custody of such papers. They should be placed in a building 

 ■set apart exclusively for the preservation of the national records. 

 Too often the "dead" papers of a department are scattered through 

 the department's building. They are to be found in the basement, 

 in the corridors and in the rooms occupied by the clerical staff. 

 In order to save them from irreparable loss through fire, damp 

 and dust they should be kept in properly constructed buildings 

 ■with plenty of light, air and ventilation. The great enemies of 

 documents are fire, damp, dust, dirt, and it may seem strange 

 to some, the autograph and stamp collector. The archive building 

 should not be attached to any other building, and should allow 

 tor future enlargement, a matter which is bound to occur at some 

 time or other. For a model building to house the national and 

 provincial records we can take some of those found in the 

 European centres, as at The Hague, Rotterdam, Vienna, 

 Dresden. 



When our records have been properly housed we must next 

 look to the problem of making them accessible for the scholar who 

 •desires to use them for historical, economic and scientific purposes. 

 The right of the student to make use of them is now recognised 

 by all countries. After the archives have been arranged and 

 classified, it is necessary to have lists, inventories and catalogues 

 prepared, so that the enquirer may know what the collections 

 contain. This is a very important matter in the system of archive 

 keeping and, unless it is done systematically and scientifically, 

 will only lead to confusion. This work has two objects in view: 

 one as a precaution against loss, and the other as a source of 

 information to the archivist and student. At a later stage the 

 work is expanded and particular series are dealt with in more 

 detail; for example, calendars are prepared. 



To carry out the very important work of classifying and 

 cataloguing will require not only an adequate staff, but also 

 an efficient one. To perforin the higher class of work it will be 

 necessary to have men with some special qualification. As I 

 remarked above, in Europe only men who have undergone a certain 

 training can look to admission to the higher posts in an archive 

 office. It must be borne in mind that an archive office is not 

 merely an administrative department, nor are the members of the 



