VPRS 11230 Meeting Agenda (Chairman's Books)

Full description

In February 1913, under the provisions of the Melbourne Harbor Trust Act 1912 (No.2449), the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners was reconstituted from a body of 17 elected members to a body of 5 Commissioners appointed by the Governor-in-Council, including a full-time Chairman.

In conjunction with the reconstitution, the 1912 Act repealed those sections of the Principal Act (at this time the Melbourne Harbor Trust Act 1890 (No.1119) relating to provisions for special meetings of the Commissioners; how notice of meetings was to be given; and the appointment and proceedings of Committees. Hence the multitude of minute books and related series that were maintained prior to the introduction of the 1912 Act, ceased upon the reconstitution of the Harbor Trust Commissioners.

There is significant evidence to suggest that original, handwritten and signed minute books once existed for the period 1913 to 1944. From July 1944 original, signed copies of the minutes of meetings are extant (see VPRS 7982 Minute Books), and hence only those volumes containing the Chairman's copies (VPRS 7981) of the minutes prior to 1945 have been retained permanently as the only record extant.

A series closely related to the Minute Books were the Chairman's Books. The Chairman's Books comprised draft agendas of business to be raised at meetings of the Commissioners, and were presumably known as Chairman's Books because they were maintained for the benefit of the Chairman. Until 1944 these were handwritten and numbered sequentially in chronological order by date of meeting. There is evidence to suggest that this arrangement reflects the arrangement of the original series of Minute Books for the same period which are not extant (see also VPRS 7983 Index to Minute Books). In July 1944 the Chairman's Books changed to the same format and arrangement as VPRS 7982 Minute Books.

This series of Chairman's Books duplicate the information found in the Minute Books themselves.