NRS-954 | Copies of letters to the Colonial Storekeeper

Full description

Copies of letters to this official who was responsible for the provision for official use of "stationery, printed forms, clothing and stores" which were paid for from Colonial funds.

The office of Colonial Storekeeper was created as a result of various administrative rearrangements made by Governor Bourke. Bourke wanted the Ordnance Storekeeper who had taken over the Commissariat stores to be responsible for receiving stores from contractors and delivering them to the various government offices. However, the ordnance regulations would not allow this so a system was tried for a year by which departments were supplied direct by contractors and found transport for their stores as best they could. As this proved inefficient and generally unsatisfactory, a store was set up at the dockyard under the charge of a storekeeper.

This series begins with a letter dated 25 December 1836 notifying W.W. Barrow of Windsor of the Governor's intention to appoint him to the new office. He was placed under the direct control of the Colonial Secretary. Bourke still felt that this kind of service could be handled most effectively by the one authority and finally organised the transfer of custody of colonial stores to Richard Rogers, the Ordnance Storekeeper on 1 January 1839. The Colonial Store department was, however, not abolished by this arrangement and the letters to it continue until 1856 mostly as instructions for the issue and supply of the stores and printed forms.

(4/3639-44; microfilm copy SR Reels 2989-2991). 6 vols.

Note:
This description is based on Concise Guide to the State Archives of New South Wales, 3rd Edition 2000.