policy uniformity, examining editorial content of Governor General decrees (all
decisions must conform the existing laws and other regulations), editing editorial
content of Javasche Courant, handling reports and statistical data sent by regional
administration which became the content of reports sent to the Netherlands,
and compiling the materials for Staatsblad van Nederlandsch Indie (compilation
of regulations) after 1817. Later, this organization was also responsible for the
making of Regeringsalmanak voor Nederlandsch Indie (from 1865), and supervising
the materials compiled for Bijblad op het Staatsblad.13 This bijblad contains
government decisions, missives from the first Gouvernementssecretaris, and
circulars from head of departments which could not be found in the Staatsblad.14
The General Secretariat was the backbone of the communication not only
between the Governor General and other institutions in the government of
Dutch East Indies but also with its residents by handling correspondence with
heads of regional administration which had previously been sent straight to the
Governor General.15 In the course of time and along with the increasing duties
of the Governor General, the role of the General Secretariat was increasing
and thus underwent several reorganizations. The grow was quantified by the
growing number of civil servants and consequently large annual budget. The
idea of reorganization was mostly triggered by financial motives which brought
consequences to reduce staff or simplify the structure.
Seeing the task we can imagine the amount of documents received and produced
by this organization. How did they manage the massive amount of papers? Did
the reorganization effect the management? In the following section the relation
of the reorganization and the archives created will be explored.
NADIA F. DWIANDARI ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT AND BUREAUCRACY DEVELOPMENT:
THE CASE OF TRANSITIONAL DUTCH EAST INDIES, 1816-1830
Index registers on the verbaal of the General Secretary, second half nineteenth century.
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