On October 12, 1920, 12 people met at a notary's office to document a loan of £300 that was handed over to establish the Malta Labour Party.
Over the past century, many historians attempted to find the document signed in front of the notary, to no avail.
In August 2020, Michael Buhagiar tried to find the notarial act at the Notarial Archives within the Office of the Notary to Government in Valletta, under the date of October 15.
Following meticulous research throughout the acts of Notary Carbonaro, the researcher with the Notarial Archives Foundation found a deed published on October 12, 1920, in which Lorenzo Cassar, Carmela Bencini, Mikelanġ Borg, and Antonio Schembri appeared.
In this deed, Cassar declared that he gave a loan of £300 to Bencini, Borg, and Schembri to “establish the Labour Party”, although initially, the intention was to set up a printing press for this Party.
Three further acts related to this loan were found in three other volumes of Notary Paolo Carbonaro.
According to Buhagiar's research, the founders of the PL were a group of self-employed workers and a woman: Carmela Bencini.
Although she did not possess the right to vote, Bencini still participated in the establishment of this new political party, which was founded on leftist socialist principles and Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891).
Thanks to Buhagiar's research the date for the foundation of the Partito Laborista was revised as October 12, 1920. Up until recently, it was believed the Partito Laborista group met at the offices of Notary Paolo Carbonaro on October 15.
When Buhagiar concluded his research, the NAF informed the PL about the new find.
The party decided to sponsor the professional conservation of the four volumes of Notary Paolo Carbonaro.
Book and paper conservator Alejandra Molano Contreras was entrusted with this project and worked under the supervision of Chanelle Mifsud Briffa.
Interventions included surface cleaning of all volumes, various paper and binding repairs, and ink consolidation.
Each volume also required cover repairs, which required much care and attention.
Following this, all volumes were individually stored in protective boxes that ensure their preservation in the years to come.
The NAF on Monday thanked the PL for appreciating the historical research that was carried out by Buhagiar and for collaborating with the foundation on this conservation project.
NAF president Joan Abela said the project formed part of the foundation’s initiative to raise awareness about the dire need to invest in Malta's "paper heritage, both in terms of conservation, as well as of professional human resources".
People can participate in the preservation of the island's national patrimony - whether individually or collectively - by sponsoring manuscripts that form part of the foundation’s ‘Adopt a Notary’ scheme.
More information on admin@nafmalta.org