A STUDY OF THE THEORY OF APPRAISAL FOR SELECTION By ...

authorized by the schedule; and, stripping of useless documents
within files to be preserved.63 The Grigg Report notes that the
execution of the schedule, which was implemented as a means of
preserving valuable records, was ineffective because of one major
factor: "The effect of these arrangements is to place the major
onus for exercising the historical criterion on those least
qualified to bear it, namely the comparatively junior officers by
whom reviewing work is done."64
The Grigg Report identifies the historical roots of the
undesirable results of appraisal practices in the agreement of
1845-46 between the Master of the Rolls and the departments. in
their informal agreement, the departments agreed to accept
responsibility to ensure that their records were properly
maintained and preserved, and the Public Records Department
agreed to act as an agency of the departments in the fulfillment
of those duties. In this manner, the "obligation that is thus
placed on Departments to have regard to the possible needs of
future research workers is an onerous one, and in meeting it
Departments gain little advantage for themselves."65 Because
departments had no direct interest in preserving historically
valuable records, reviewing was done by junior staff members in a
piecemeal manner, and often simply postponed.66
63 Ibid, 23-24, paragraph 41.
64 Ibid, 25, paragraph 45.
65 Ibid, paragraph 46.
66 Ibid, 26-27, paragraphs 48-49, 51.
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