[UMA-SRE-20080046] SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LETTER BOOKS, CHRONOLOGICAL SERIES

Description

IdentifierUMA-SRE-20080046Extent162 unitsLinear Meterage9.1Scope and ContentThis series contains correspondence letters sent between the National Mutual Life Associations Head office in Melbourne and their South Australia Branch. A hardcopy index exists as a more detailed reference of the general contents of the letters. The letters are in bound volumes. This series was originally established by the previous National Mutual Life Association archivist. The series has been maintained in the original order created by the previous archivist.This series of bound volumes contains copies of non confidential letters between the Association's Head Office and its South Australian Branch. Subjects covered include the establishment of the Branch, investments, funds, income tax, building societies, Branch returns, accounts returns, staff, freehold property, home purchase loans, loans on mortgage, loan on reversionary interest and loan on life interest, land tax, fire insurance, actuarial matters, group assurance schemes, underwriting - special enquiries, proposals, war risks, annual meetings and miscellaneous subjects difficult to categorize. Until 1st January 1939 the volumes also included copies of letters on such routine matters as acknowledgements of memoranda, advice of the despatch of returns and other. routine documents to Head Office and other matters of a similar nature. The difference between letters and routine memoranda was implemented in all branches with the exception of the England, South Africa and Ceylon Branches which continued the previous practice for some time. There are various systems of arrangement discernible within the series. Initially until 1914, letters 'to' and 'from' Head Office were held in separate sequences and a volume might contain correspondence covering a period greater than a year. From 1914 the practices of having more than one year's correspondence in a volume and having separate sequences of inwards and outwards letters were discontinued. From 1914 until 1939 the inwards and outwards letters were held in yearly volumes, one for inwards and one for outwards, and placed next to each other; these volumes were differentiated by an 'I' for inwards and 'O' for outwards on the spine. In 1939 the deletion of memo type material from the correspondence in the volumes, which was described above, took place. Concurrent with this change letters in the volumes were grouped by the subjects with which they dealt. This practice meant that inwards and outwards letters on the same subject were interfiled. At the start of each volume two indexes were constructed, one for inwards and the other for outwards. These indexes gave details of letter number, subject and file number. The file number referred to a number either written or stamped on the top right hand corner of an item of correspondence. The contents of the volume were then arranged in the file number order. Thus, letter L39/1 to a Branch would not necessarily be the first folio in the volume but may appear at ; say , file l37. This may be followed by several letters .to and from the Branch on the subject each of which belongs to the same file. This system continued until 1956 when inwards and outwards letters were again filed chronologically and the subject grouping abandoned. From 1961, 'Inwards' and ‘Outwards’ were again placed in separate volumes.Collection CategoryBusinessAccess StatusOpen for public accessRequest Access to RecordsRequest records from this SeriesSearch within this Series

Provenance

CreatorNational Mutual Life Association of Australasia

Dates

Date1879 - 1973

Description Control

Previous System ID2008.0046Other IDsNMLS 1.Descriptive NoteYes listed ONLINE

University of Melbourne Archives

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[UMA-SRE-20080046] SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LETTER BOOKS, CHRONOLOGICAL SERIES