Archifacts September 1987-3
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ARCHIFACTS Bulletin of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand 1987/3 September 1987 Archifact s is the official bulletin of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand Incorporated. It continues the bulletin of the same title, previously published by the Archives Committee of the New Zealand Library Association, 9 issues of which appeared between April 1974 and October 1976. The successor "new series" contained 24 issues (nos. 4 & 5/ 7 & 8 were combined) with consecutive pagination from February 1977 to December 1982. From March 1983, issues of the bulletin are numbered sequentially within the year of publication, with the pagination commencing afresh with each issue. Currently, Archifact s is published quarterly, at the end of March, June, September and December. Subscriptions to Archifact s are through membership of the Association at the current rates. Copies of individual issues are available at NZ $6-00 per copy, plus postage. Reprints of issues 1974-76 are available at $7-50 per copy. The membership year begins with the June issue and ends with the March issue. Enquiries concerning the content of Archifact s (including advertising), non-receipt of an issue (or receipt of an imperfect copy), and requests for back or single issues, should be addressed to the Editor. All members (and others) are welcome to submit articles, short notices, letters, etc. to the Editor. Copy deadline is the 15th of the month preceding publication (i.e., 15 May for the June issue, etc.). Book reviews should be sent directly to the Reviews Editor; details of accessions directly to the Accessions Co-ordinator. EDITOR: Cath y Marr , P.O. Bo x 11-553 , Manner s Street , Wei 1 i ngton . EDITORIAL BOARD: Nicol a Frean , Alexande r Turnbul l Librar y PO Bo x 12349 , Wellingto n Michae l Hoare , 58 Beaucham p Street , Linden , Wellington . Hugh Price , 24 Glasgo w Street , Kelburn , Wei 1 i ngton . Ken Scadden , Nationa l Archives , P.O . Bo x 6148 , Wellington . Jan e Tucker , Nationa l Archives , P.O . Bo x 6148 , Wei 1 ington . REVIEWS EDITOR : Richar d Greenaway , 1 Snel l Place , Dallington , Christchurc h 6 . ACCESSIONS CO-ORDINATOR Bruc e Ralston , Manuscript s Section , Alexande r Turnbul l Library , P.O . Bo x 12-349 , Wei 1ington . ADVERTISING MANAGER Kevi n Bourke , 57 Fo x Street , Khandallah , Wei 1 i ngton . Copyright for articles Sc. in Archifact s rests with authors and the Association. Permission to reproduce should be sought, in writing, from the Editor. ISSN 0303-7940 CONTENTS GUEST EDITORIA L - A futur e fo r th e Labou r Movement' s Past ? Richar d Hil l TRAININ G REVIE W Stuar t Stracha n ANNUAL GENERAL MEETIN G Stuar t Stracha n A TRADE UNIONIS T LOOKS A T ARCHIVES AN D RECORDS Doug Crosad o THE LETTERBOOKS O F SI X NE W ZEALAND CHIE F POST OFFICES , (EARL Y 1880s-LAT E 1910s ) AN D THEIR VALUE A S SOCIA L AN D ADMINISTRATIV E ARCHIVES Tony Wilso n FATHER E.R . SIMMONS, ARCHIVIS T AN D HISTORIAN Siste r Veronic a Delan y 25 NEWSPAPERS A T TH E NATIONAL LIBRAR Y Nicol a Frea n 27 RECORDS MANAGEMENT GROUP Aliso n Frase r 29 ACCESSIONS 30 EARLY FRENCH MANUSCRIPT CHARTS O F NEW ZEALAND Bria n Hooke r 33 ANALECTA 35 BRANCH REPORTS 39 BOOK REVIEWS James Brodl'e . Terawhiti and the Goldfields (Joh n Wilson ) 41 An Account of Joseph Sowru's Voyage to New Zealand in the Ship Zealandia. ed . Cliv e Vincen t Sowr y (Raewy n Dalziel ) 41 R.J . Gregory . Politics and Broadcasting: Before and Beyond the N.Z.B.C. (Michae l Higgins ) 43 Alwy n Owen an d Jac k Perkins , speaking for Ourselves ; Echoes from New Zealand's Past from the Award - Winning 'Spectrum' Radio Series. (Barbar a Birkbeck ) 44 A OBJECTS OF THE ASSOCIATION 1. T O FOSTER th e care , preservation , an d prope r us eo f archive s an d records , bot h publi c an d private , an d thei r effectiv e administration . 2. T O AROUSE publi c awarenes s o f th e importanc e o f archive s an d record s an di n al l matter s affectin g thei r preservatio n an d use , an d t o co-operat e o r affiliat e wit h an y othe r bodie s i n Ne w Zealan d o r elsewher e wit h lik e objects . 3. T O PROMOTE th e trainin g o f archivists , record s keepers , curators , librarian s «nd other s b y th e disseminatio n o f specialise d knowledg e an d b y encouragin g th e provisio n o f adequat e trainin g i n th e administratio n an d conservatio n of archive s an d records . 4. T O ENCOURAGE researc h int o problem s connecte d wit h th e use , administratio n and conservatio n o f archive s an d records , an d t o promot e th e publicatio n of th e result s o f thi s research . 5. T O PROMOTE th e standin g o f archive s institutions . 6. T O ADVIS E an d suppor t th e establishmen t o f archive s service s throughou t New Zealand . 7. T O PUBLIS H a bulleti n a t leas t onc e a yea r an d othe r publication s i n furtheranc e o f thes e objects . MEMBERSHIP Membershi p o f th e Associatio n i s ope n t o an y individua l o r institutio n intereste d i n fosterin g th e object s o f th e Association . Subscriptio n rate s fo r 198 7 are : withi n Ne w Zealan d $N Z 19-00 * individual s $N Z 28-0 0 institution s oversea s $N Z 24-0 0 $N Z 32-0 0 Oversea s member s wh owis h airmai l dispatc h o f notice s an d bulletin s wil l nee d t o advis e thei r requirements . Th e additiona l fe ewil l depen d o n curren t posta l charges . Application s t o joi n th e Association , membershi p renewal s an d correspondenc e o n relate d matter s shoul d b e addresse d to : The Membershi p Secretar y ARANZ P.O. Bo x 11-553 Manner s Stree t Wei 1ingto n NEW ZEALAND *Fo r tw o individual s livin g a t th e sam e addres s (withi n Ne w Zealand ) a joint membershi p i s availabl e a t $N Z 22-0 0 pe r yea r whic h entitle s bot h peopl e t o ful l votin g right s a t meetings , bu t provide s onl y on e cop y o f eac h issu e o f Archifacts. LETTERS T O TH E EDITO R Addres s letter s t o Th e Editor , P 0 Bo x 11553 , Manner s St , Wellington . The edito r reserve s th e righ t t o abridg e o r declin e an y letter , withou t explanation . Letter s ar e preferre d double-space d typed , o n on e sid e o f th e pape r only . Letter s ar e publishe d onl y ove r genuin e name s an d thoug h no t fo r publicatio n ful l adresse s mus t b e given ; pseudonym s ar e no t accepted . Β 1987/3 September 1')8' ARCHIFACTS Bulletin of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand A FUTURE FOR THE LABOUR MOVEMENT'S PAST7 (Guest Editorial) For a very long time a small but persistent number of voices have proselytised about the importance of preserving the historical records of the New Zealand 'labour movement' Among these voices has been that of ARANZ's Labour Archives Committee (LAC) General awareness on the issue was low at the beginning of the current decade, as indicated by a languid response in 1979 to LAC's masss circularisation of unions and socialist organisations But following upon the challenges posed to the labour movement by the ramifications of such factors as the new technology and altering overseas markets, the numbers of voices of concern increased With the implementation of 'Rogernomics' since 1984, noise level on the issue has dramatically increased - if as yet far from nearing a crescendo The main reason is because 'traditionalists' within the Labour Party and the union movement, whether of welfare statist or socialist ilk, have been forced by the rapidity of the onslaught of politically-generated social and economic change to engage in crash- course examination of the relationship between means and ends In working through the basic philosophy underpinning the emergence of the industrial and political wings of the labour movement, the primacy of collective and co-operative activity over the selfishness and inequalities of the competitive market, they have found the available material to be sparse and mostly unsatisfactory They have concluded - in the words of the LAC soon after its foundation - that 'New Zealand history has been'written with a marked bias against the labour movement1 A number of those who are concerned about the redressing of this imbalance have appreciated that a prerequisite for getting the collective voice of working people and their representatives onto the historiographical agenda is a determined effort to preserve and make accessible the archives of the labour movement Matters are now progressing so fast that even since Doug Crosado penned his contribution for this issue of Archifacts a significant new event has occurred On 2 September 1987 the inaugural meeting of the Trade Union History Project(TUHP) was held in Wellington The new organisation's general objective is to create 'understanding' in the community of the role of trade unions in forging New Zealand's society, and its supporters are deeply rooted in the world of both blue and white collar unions Its patrons give some idea of its power base and scope Sonja Davies, Colin Hicks, Jim Knox, Margaret Long, Bert Roth and Margaret Wilson (Enquiries can be directed to the Secretary at Ρ 0 Box 12412, Wellington) The TUHP is poised to continue on a much grander scale the task undertaken over the years by ARANZ's LAC identifying archival sources for labour history, facilitating their preservation and so on It has also, in response to the modern crisis in the labour movement, undertaken crucial new tasks It intends to help fill the gaps in public knowledge about the history of New Zealand's organised working class - and to rectify Dopular misapprehension about that past It will do so in 2 two key ways First,