VPRS 15945 Notes Regarding the Original Plan Room

This volume appears to have been maintained by a member of the staff, John Bedford, Registrar, and Custodian of Plans, of the Original Plan Room. It contains transcribed copies of memoranda and transcripts of evidence tendered regarding the condition of the plans held. At the time this volume was created, the Original Plan Room was located in Latrobe Street West Melbourne. In February 1878 it was relocated to the Treasury Reserve and in 1945 was reconstituted as the Central Plan Office.  The Original Plan Room held a variety of plans that have since been transferred to PROV custody as VPRS 16306 Parish and Township Original Plans and Record Plans and VPRS 8168 Historic Plan Collection. The storage of these plans was discussed at a number of investigations during the early 1870’s including the Royal Commission on the Public Service and Working of the Civil Service Act, a Report on the District Survey Offices (the published reports can be found in Papers Presented to Parliament (Legislative Assembly) Session 1873 Volume 3), and the Board of Enquiry into the Crown Lands Department (the published report of which can be found in Papers Presented to Parliament (Legislative Assembly) Session 1874 Volume 3). Contents of this volume includes handwritten transcriptions of Bedford’s internal memo about the state of plans dated 6 November 1872 and other documents about his evidence to the Royal Commission and the 1874 Board of Enquiry. It also contains extracts from the 1873 Report on District Survey Offices.