The files in this series deal with policy and cases arising from  special legislation enacted during World War 1 (e.g. War Precaution Acts, Trading with the Enemy Act, Unlawful Associations Act).

Subjects covered include: 
.   censorship; 
.   prize courts; 
.   prosecutions under the Military Service Referendum Regulations; . .   seditious activities (eg Red Flag protests in Brisbane Irish
    nationalist movement; 
.   Industrial Workers of the World), treatment of enemy (German)
    subjects; and 
.   German firms in Australia and the Central Wool Committee. 

A significant proportion of the files in the series are concerned with various aspects of the administration of the former property of German nationals in Australia and German New Guinea, involving the Public Trustee.
 
System of arrangement and control

This multiple number series has two main components and an occasional third component; each component is separated by a slash '/'.  The first number, with the 'W' prefix, indicates the primary subject or division.  The second number indicates the specific subject within the primary subject.  The third number generally indicates a piece of correspondence separately registered within a specific file (indicated by the primary and secondary components of the file number).  Often file numbers only have two components (primary and secondary) and no third component.