Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-04-03
OFFICIALS BEGIN TO
REALIZE NEED OF COUNSEL
Many Have Endorsed The New
Jersey Department OF
Archives
REPORTS ARE CONFIDENTIAL

From the estate Gazette Trenton, N. j.,
March 25, 1914.
The new public records and archives
law, passed at the last session of the
state Legislature, is making many
public officers all over the state realize
the need of advice and counsel in their
work, the need of safes and fire resist
ing receptacles for records, and the need
of expert and experienced suggestions
as to order, system, method, simplicity
and uniformity in the keeping of
records. Already city and borough
councilmen and township committee
men have endorsed this department
and asked advice, and in several in
stances have bought new and larger
safes for records since this department
was organized and began its work.
Every record official in the state heard
from (more than 6O0.already) expresses
himself as IN sympathy with the de-
partment's plans and desire to coop
crate with it. There was not one word
of discord.
The public records of a village, town,
city, township or countyor human doc
uments, registering the real property,
the individual and communal wealth,
the education, the health, the character,
and in great. measure the public activ-
tiles Of thelpeople. From the birth en-
try to the death certificate, they follow
the social and material progress of all,
protecting with their mute evidence
against invasion of property rights or
personal honor. They link together all
generations, giving us the heritage of
the past, protecting our rights in the
present, and transmitting to the future
our wishes and our ways. Though
made only Of paper and ink, they are
the true bulwarks of intelligent pro-
gress from age to age.
In every controversy involving prop
erty, money or personal reputation,
public records are sought and apprec-
lated. At other times they aretaken as
a matter of course, like the air and the
sunlight. Yet its public records are the
most valuable possession of any COM
munity-probably the only possession
that, once lost, cannot be replaced.
The older countries of Europe have
long appreciated and safeguarded their
public records, but it is within only the
past quarter of a century that any Of
the American states have awakened to
their duty regarding theirrecords. The
capitol fire in Albany in the spring of
1911, with its irreparable losses of val
liable documents, shocked New York
state into action, and a supervisor Of
records was appointed to examine into
the care, custody and condition ofpub-
lie records in all the civil divisions OF
that state. New Jersey has taken note
of the facts and the department Of pub
lie records and archives of New Jersey
was organized In October last. The
commissioners are: Chancellor Edwin
Robert Walker, chairman; William
Nelson, of Paterson, and Francis B. Lee,
of Trenton, all archivists and historians
OF note, and well known SINE Of keen
legal minds and training. The
director, Colonel Lewis Perrine, of
Trenton, Is the secretary of the COM
mission and In active charge Of the
work. He is a lawyer by training, q
writer, journalist and travel lecturer.
For many years he has been engaged in
historical research. These gentlemen
are charged with the work OF this val
liable and highly important character.
Many states have long been doing