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The series consists of photographs (negatives and a small number of prints) created by the offices of the Bureau of Mines and the Mineral Survey between 1895 and 1937, and by the Mineralogical Branch between 1937 and 1945.

The series includes a 1938 memo which indicates that selected photographs were to be used or had been used in the department's published bulletins and in its Annual Report of the Minister of Mines. Photographers include the following government mineralogists, geologists, and mining engineers (followed with dates of photographs): William Fleet Robertson, Provincial Mineralogist, (photos 1898-1908); Herbert Carmichael, Assistant Mineralogist (1901-1904); F.W. Valleau, Gold Commissioner and Mining Recorder in the Omineca Mining District (photo 1901); Harold T. Nation (photos 1903-1926); Newton W. Emmens (1914); Joseph T. Mandy, provincial government resident mining engineer for the Atlin district (photos 1926-1945); Douglas Lay, Resident Mining Engineer (photos 1906-1940); Matthew S. Hedley (photos 1936-1939); Stuart S. Holland (photos 1939-1941); J.S. Stevenson (photos 1938-1942); H.S. Sargent (photos 1936-1941); R. Maconachie (1938-1940) and John D. Galloway, Provincial Mineralogist.

A small number of photographs were collected from private sources, including professional photographers. Some are attributed to the British Columbia Provincial Police. Approximately 50 per cent of the photographs are not attributed to a photographer.

Subjects include: mines, collieries, quarries, mineral veins and specimens; mining crews, equipment and operations; prospectors and placer mining activities; coke ovens, mills, smelters, concentrators and cement works; towns, modes of transportation; topographic features such as mountains, lakes, rivers, creeks. The photographers also captured a very wide range of subjects concerning British Columbia cultural and social history. Examples of this are First Nations activities and culture, including graveyards and bridges built by First Nations. The numbering system runs from 1 to 993. A single number may represent a series of photos on the same subject (for example: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d).

Incomplete memorandum on the Department's Social Assistance Branch, prepared by E.W. Griffith, Assistant Deputy Provincial Secretary.

The series consists of Application for Relief forms created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary between 1939 and 1941. Each form gives applicants' name, age, place of residence, marital status, financial status and number of dependents.

The forms, which are numbered from 600501 to 604500, were evidently a part of a larger registry. Unfortunately, other application forms from the registry have not survived. Contemporary registers and indexes to the application forms have not survived either.

Most of the forms in this series are from August-November 1939, although a few are dated as late as November 1941. The forms are arranged by community, with a very few discrepancies in the order. Application forms from the city of Vancouver are, for the most part, arranged alphabetically by the first initial of the applicants' surname.

An oath of allegiance was required from those applying for financial assistance from the provincial government. Oath of Allegiance forms from the years 1940-1942 are to be found in Box 7 of this collection. There is no discernible order to the Oath forms, although a number of them refer to the Application for Relief forms noted above.

The series consists of a photograph album created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary sometime between 1920 and 1940. The album contains 215 black and white prints of varying sizes showing the buildings, grounds and patients at the Public Hospital for the Insane at New Westminster, Essondale and Colony Farm. The photographs are captioned but not dated.

Several of the exterior shots of the buildings and grounds were taken by professional photographers and have been connected together to show panoramas. There are also exterior photos of farm activities and labour performed by patients. The majority of the photographs are of the patients themselves. These photographs illustrate various pathological types that were treated at the hospitals. They include men, women and children; shown as individuals and in groups.

This series consists of a manual containing memoranda, correspondence and forms pertaining to the administration of policy by officials in the Provincial Secretary's Department, 1940-1950.

This series consists of report of the Advisory Committee on Labour Conditions in Hospitals; and Special Report of Advisory Committee on Labour Conditions in Hospitals concerning "Student Nurses" and "Mental Graduates", Provincial Mental Hospital.

This series consists of Provincial Secretary correspondence with municipalities, 1911-1937. Records include correspondence inward with copies of replies from cities, towns, villages, and municipalities. Files deal with a variety of topics, such as local by-laws, amendments to the Municipal Act, transfers of Crown lands, urban development and unemployment relief. Records are arranged alphabetically by relevant city or municipality.

For most of the period covered by these records, municipal affairs were the responsibility of the Municipal Branch of the Department of the Attorney General (1914-1933) and the Department of Municipal Affairs (1934). The Provincial Secretary's department, however, always served as conduit between provincial municipalities and various levels of government.

This series consists of a report of the Advisory Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, 1936.

This series consists of one volume of a record of documents retained by various government departments, 1934-1935.

The series consists of Unemployment Relief Committee files kept by the Provincial Secretary from 1931 to 1933. The files contain records regarding the provision of direct relief for unemployed men and include: organization charts, financial information, circulars, copies of registration forms, correspondence between Provincial departments as well as intergovernmental correspondence between the Provincial and Federal or Municipal governments. There are also memoranda prepared for the Provincial Secretary and reports and requests for information from the Provincial Police, Government Agents, District Engineers and other groups.

The series consists of records created by the Deputy Provincial Secretary between 1914 and 1933 pertaining to the administration of funds for the "aid of the destitute, poor, and sick."

Between 1872 and 1942, an annual vote of funds was included in the estimates of the B.C. legislature. The fund, which was administered by the Office of the Provincial Secretary, originally contained $500. By 1935, this figure had risen to $110,000; but in the fund's final year of existence, 1943, the vote of funds had declined to $40,000.

The Indigent Fund, unlike the Mother's Pension, the Old Age Pension (1927), or the Veterans Assistance plans was not tied to an Act of Parliament, and thus relief was provided to people under a wide range of circumstances, and included many who failed to qualify for assistance under specific federal or provincial schemes. The fund was designed to meet the immediate and shortterm needs of rural B.C. residents (municipalities had their own funds) who through misfortune or bad planning had found themselves without "the necessities of life." The key to the fund, until the early 1930s, when the position of Superintendent of Welfare was created, was the Deputy Provincial Secretary, for it was often at his discretion that assistance was provided. He was aided in his duties by the various Government Agents, who were responsible for handling vouchers, disbursing cheques, and reporting to Victoria any new developments in individual cases. They, in turn, were assisted by Provincial Police constables who usually investigated each case and submitted a report.

The records consist of correspondence inward and outward from the Deputy Provincial Secretary's office; correspondence from Government Agents to the Deputy Provincial Secretary; Provincial Police reports on the condition of Indigents; correspondence from indigents or persons representing them to the Premier, Ministers, and the Deputy Provincial Secretary; and miscellaneous correspondence to and from various government departments and agencies such as Workman's Compensation Board, Department of Immigration, public hospitals, police departments etc.

The files are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the indigent. They are not, however, arranged alphabetically within each folder. There are two alphabetical series, as well as two sets of files titled "miscellaneous". All files have been preserved in their original order.

This series consists of correspondence, memoranda and notes regarding salary adjustments in the Provincial Secretary's Department.

This series consists of a record of personnel showing position, grade, and salary in all branches of the Department of the Provincial Secretary.

This series consists of correspondence inward and outward, and interdepartmental memos of the Provincial Secretary, pertaining to provincial mental health care institutions, mothers' pensions, child welfare, and adoption laws from 1918-1926.

The series contains records pertaining to the care of indigents and destitute persons created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary between 1911 and 1925.

Files consist of applications for relief, supporting documents from police constables and government agents, case files, administrative reports, and general correspondence. Reports on unemployment in specific communities in British Columbia, ca. 1911-1918 are also included.

Records created prior to 1923 were filed numerically and constituted a separate records series within the Provincial Secretary's office. Records created after 1923 were kept alphabetically, by name of applicant. Regrettably, contemporary registers and indices for these records have not survived.

Although it was "the duty of every city and district municipality to make suitable provision for its poor" [Municipal Act, RSBC 1911, c.170 s.526], the Department of the Provincial Secretary was largely responsible for the care of indigents and other destitute people in British Columbia. In fact, prior to the creation of the Department of Health and Welfare in 1946, the Provincial Secretary's office was often the only source of support for deserted wives and children, indigent widows and elderly persons, disabled workers and others in need of public welfare.

The Provincial Secretary administered funds to such groups through charitable accounts, the Workmen's Compensation Board, the Provincial Board of Health, and other agencies. At the local level, relief payments were often distributed by Provincial Police constables or Government Agents.

This series consists of 5 volumes of indexes to letterbook correspondence outward of the Provincial Secretary, 1919-1924.

This series consists of 31 volumes of the Provincial Secretary's indexes and registers to letters inward, 1872-1910 and 1918-1924.

This series consists of 11 volumes of letter book correspondence outward of the Provincial Secretary, 1919-1924.

This series consists of indexes, lists and oaths of office of Justices of the Peace, Stipendiary Magistrates, Police Magistrates, Police Constables, Commissioners, Coroners, and other government officials from 1874-1923.

The series consists of correspondence of the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary with the Civil Service Commissioner from 1920 to 1922 regarding interpretation of the Superannuation Act and representations made by the Provincial Civil Service Association on various matters.

The series consists of records created by the Provincial Secretary between 1916 and 1920, in his capacity as chairman of the British Columbia Returned Soldiers' Aid Commission. Appointed by Order-in-Council on 29 Nov 1915, the Commission was established to help with the resettlement of soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had served in the First World War.

The records include daily orders issued by Col. J.S. Harvey, Commander of Unit "J", Military Hospitals, No. XI District Depot Casualty Company and Hospital Section (Victoria, B.C. and Hastings Park, Vancouver, B.C.). The series also includes lists of B.C. men who served in the armed forces of Canada and Great Britain during the First World War. The lists are arranged by servicemen's former civilian occupation.

The records are arranged into two subseries:
A. Daily orders
B. Lists

The series consists of financial statements solicited by the Provincial Secretary's office in 1920. Forms were sent to hospitals throughout the province requesting that each hospital provide the cost of constructing and equipping their hospital for the period 1903 to 1920. Some of the completed forms are accompanied by correspondence.

This series consists of registers and indexes of individuals appointed to positions in the government service, 1871-1919.

This series consists of correspondence from the Department of the Provincial Secretary regarding government employees on military service, record of government employees on military service, 1914-1919.

This series consists of three volumes: a List of notaries, 1872-1906; index of appointments of notaries public, 1881-1914; and register of notaries public, 1884-1918.

The series consists of a minute book of the Provincial Committee for the Care and Provision of Returned Soldiers created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary between 1915 and 1918.

Proclamations and related records from the colony and province of British Columbia, 1858-1918.

This series consists of 104 volumes of letter book copies of correspondence outward from the Provincial Secretary, 1873-1918. The index to correspondence missing.

This series consists of correspondence inward with replies, of the Provincial Secretary, 1914-1918. Correspondence is arranged by year then alphabetically by subject. Some subjects included in the correspondence:

Canadian Explosives, Ltd., Prince Rupert; Curfew Law in Creston; Dominion Royal Commission Publications; Doukhobors; Congregation of Emanuel, Victoria; flags of foreign consulates; parliamentary franchise be extended to women; Industrial School for Boys; Provincial Jail jury lists; Japanese Consulate; Immigration Branch; marine and fisheries; Marriage Act; Walter Moberly; Observatory; railways; cemetery - Quesnel; Colonial Lumber and Paper Mills Co. Ltd.; Drainage, Dyking and Irrigation; Dyking Districts - Dewdney, Island West, West Langley; jury list; Mission City; Regimental Fund (British Columbia Regiment): British Columbia Electric Railway (Jitney Bus Competition); H.D. Ruggles (Commission-Police Magistrate); Water Works - Sidney; census and statistics office; cemetery-Hazelton; Dyking Districts Projects; Japanese memorial; Workmen's Compensation Act; application to Land Dept. for agricultural development; Census and Statistics Office; Cemeteries; Coroners' inquests; juror lists; jails; Indian Rights Association of British Columbia; Sir Richard McBride's funeral; Public Health Journal (mental health); British Columbia Prohibition Act - Woman Suffrage and Military Forces voting Acts; Returned Soldiers Commission; J.A. Russell regarding taxation; Tupper in respect to Western Power Co. of Canada Ltd. (Water Act); Mary Velleuoweth estate: Vancouver Joint Sewerage and Drainage Board; University of British Columbia Library; Alberni Pacific Lumber Co.; agriculture; Cattle Rangers Act; Cemeteries - Chinese; College Dental Surgeons; Johnson re Chinese camp at William Head; Public Inquiries Act; prohibition; Dept. of Soldier's Civil re-establishment; establishment of steel industry; Special Surveys Act; Vancouver Island Settler's Right.

This series consists of one volume of a roll of coroners, 1899-1917.