VPRS 13454 Register of Applications, Bairnsdale Section 65 Land Acts 1884, 1890 and 1898 and Section 103 Land Act 1901 (Bairnsdale District Survey Office)

VPRS 13454 Register of Applications, Bairnsdale Section 65 Land Acts 1884, 1890 and 1898 and Section 103 Land Act 1901 (Bairnsdale District Survey Office) was created by the District Survey Office at Bairnsdale. It is duplicated by Register of Applications, Bairnsdale Section 65 Land Acts 1884, 1890 and 1898 and Section 103 Land Act 1901 (Occupation Branch) (VPRS 13453) which is the register created by the 'Bairnsdale District Office' at the Occupation Branch.VPRS 13454 / P1 was previously registered as Unit 36 of VPRS 446 / P Applications Registers Land Act 1884.Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one register. This was the case with a number of sections of the Land Act 1884. These sections remained in consolidations of the Land Act (1890 and 1901), but with a change in number of section. Other lesser sections were added and also entered in the same register from subsequent acts such as the Land Act 1891, Land Act 1898 and the Wattles Act 1890.Section 65 of the Land Act 1884 (and Section 103 Land Act 1901) provided for the annual licensing of auriferous (gold-bearing) lands. Areas licensed were to be of no more than 20 acres with only one license being allowed for each individual. There was to be no sale of these lands. This section was amended by Section 90 of the Land Act 1898 providing for the appraisal of these lands. If the value of the land was appraised to be more than the rent already paid on them, the subsequent rental was to be no more than two shillings and sixpence per annum with no annual license fee.When an application to select Crown land was received by the Department it would be registered in a register of applications. The contents of registers of applications were arranged alphabetically and application numbers were allocated consecutively in blocks for each letter of the alphabet.In an attempt to try and rationalise the way the Department managed Crown land, the Occupation Branch was established in 1874 under the influence of H Byron Moore, Assistant Surveyor General. The Occupation Branch was to deal with all matters relating to the occupation of Crown land.The State was divided into fifteen Land Districts, these being Ararat, Ballarat, Beechworth, Benalla, Castlemaine and Dunolly, Echuca, Geelong Warrnambool and Camperdown, Hamilton, Horsham, Melbourne, Sale and Bairnsdale, Sandhurst (Bendigo), Seymour and St Arnaud. Each District was represented at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne by a 'District Land Office'.Each District Land Office consisted of a double table or desk at which both a clerk and draughtsman sat. Everything in the way of files, maps and plans were at convenient reach. The same officers dealt with the sale of Crown land from its 'inception to its disposition'. The District Offices' staff consisted essentially of a clerical officer and a draughtsman who dealt solely with that Land District. It was their business to know the District and to deal with all land business related to it. By 1877 each District Land Office, consisted of a District Officer, a rental clerk, a draughtsman and several general clerks.After the establishment of the Occupation Branch in 1874 and the division of the State into Land Districts, applications were registered by District. Each 'District Land Office' created and maintained their own series of registers of applications. Any new applications received by the Department after 1874 were registered in separate District registers with applications numbers that were allocated from the number one onwards. The same application number could be allocated for selections in different Districts. For example the application number 1021/32 could exist in both the Ballarat and Bendigo Land Districts. It is the District name plus the accompanying file number that is the unique identifier.Applicants completed an application form at District Survey Offices. Most Land Districts had a District Survey Office. The District Surveyor would enter the applicants' details in a register of applications kept at the District Survey Office. The register of applications allocated a number to each applicant. The application number was written on the application to select and subsequently became their land selection file number if their application was approved.The District Surveyor would enter into the register of applications the application number, the date the application was received, the applicants' name, occupation and parish, the allotment number and size (acres, roods and perches) applied for. The application was then forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne. It was then entered in a duplicate register of applications there against the same application number. The District Surveyor also forwarded a tracing of the allotment applied for.The position of the allotment applied for was immediately charted on a working plan in pencil. The tracing was then sent to the Department of Mines and Water Supply (VA 2720) for a report on any mining objections. If there were no mining objections the application would be heard before a Local Land Board. Local Land Boards were made up of representatives from the local community and the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). The Boards would hear from all applicants for an allotment and would decide who was to be granted the licence or lease. The schedule documenting the decisions of the Local Land Board was forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch and the decision was entered into the register of applications.The Board of Land and Works (VA 744), the statutory authority for the management of Crown land would give final approval for land selection, acting on the recommendation of the Local Land Board. The decision of the Board of Land and Works (VA 744) was then recorded in the register of applications. The registers also record the date of the licence or lease issue and any subsequent action in relation to that file. The selectors granted each allotment would then be recorded on the working plan by the District Land Office draughtsman at the Occupation Branch. The tracing of the allotment was then sent to the Crown Land Bailiff responsible for that Land District.Registers of applications control selection and occupation files. If an application to select Crown land was successful, the application number would become the file number. For example if an application to select under section 65 of the Land Act 1884 was registered as application number 324 then the selection or occupation file number would be 324/65.The application number remained the selection file number for a particular piece of land if all terms and conditions were met and the selection resulted in a Crown Grant. However, often the original selector did not end up owning the land. Many selectors forfeited or abandoned their licence or lease. If this were the case then the land was re-opened up for selection. Any new applicants were registered in a register of applications under a new application number. The original applicants file would be attached to the new selectors file. The new file number was annotated in the register against the original selectors' entry.Even if the same selector applied for a licence on land he had previously forfeited a new application number would be allocated and the file would have a new selection file number.

VPRS 13454《申请登记簿》（拜恩斯代尔地区，涉及1884、1890及1898年《土地法案》第65条与1901年《土地法案》第103条）由拜恩斯代尔地区测量办公室编制。该登记簿与VPRS 13453《申请登记簿》（拜恩斯代尔地区，涉及1884、1890及1898年《土地法案》第65条与1901年《土地法案》第103条，占用分支）互为副本，后者由占用分支（Occupation Branch）下的‘拜恩斯代尔地区办公室’编制。VPRS 13454/P1此前曾作为VPRS 446/P《1884年土地法案申请登记簿》的第36单元进行登记。

法案中较不常用的条款通常集中记录于同一登记簿。1884年《土地法案》的若干条款即属此类。这些条款在1890年及1901年《土地法案》的整合版本中得以保留，但条款编号有所变更。后续法案（如1891年《土地法案》、1898年《土地法案》及1901年《金合欢法案》）中的其他次要条款亦被增补并录入同一登记簿。

1884年《土地法案》第65条（及1901年《土地法案》第103条）规定了含金（auriferous）土地的年度许可制度。许可面积不得超过20英亩，且每人仅限持有一份许可。此类土地不得出售。1898年《土地法案》第90条对该条款进行了修订，新增了土地评估相关规定：若土地评估价值高于已支付租金，则后续年租金不得超过2先令6便士，且无需缴纳年度许可费。

当部门收到王室土地（Crown land）的选择申请时，会将其登记在申请登记簿中。申请登记簿内容按字母顺序排列，申请编号按字母分段连续分配。

为理顺部门对王室土地的管理方式，1874年在助理测量总监H·拜伦·摩尔的推动下，设立了占用分支（Occupation Branch）。该分支负责处理所有与王室土地占用相关的事务。

该州被划分为15个土地区，包括阿拉拉特、巴拉瑞特、比奇沃思、贝纳拉、卡斯尔梅恩与杜诺利、埃丘卡、吉朗-沃南布尔与坎珀当、汉密尔顿、霍舍姆、墨尔本、塞尔与拜恩斯代尔、桑德赫斯特（本迪戈）、西摩及圣阿诺德。每个地区在墨尔本占用分支均设有‘地区土地办公室’作为代表机构。

每个地区土地办公室设有一张双人桌，文员与绘图员并排办公。文件、地图及规划图等资料均触手可及。同一批官员负责王室土地出售的全流程（从立项至处置）。地区办公室的核心人员为一名文员与一名绘图员，仅负责该土地区事务。他们需熟悉本区情况，并处理所有相关土地业务。到1877年，每个地区土地办公室的人员配置已包括一名地区官员、一名租金文员、一名绘图员及若干普通文员。

1874年占用分支设立及州划分为土地区后，申请按地区登记。每个‘地区土地办公室’编制并维护各自的申请登记簿系列。1874年后部门收到的所有新申请均登记在各地区独立登记簿中，申请编号从1开始连续分配。不同地区的选择申请可能使用相同编号，例如1021/32这一编号可能同时存在于巴拉瑞特与本迪戈土地区。唯一标识符由地区名称与附带文件编号组成。

申请人需在地区测量办公室填写申请表。大多数土地区均设有地区测量办公室。地区测量员会将申请人详情录入地区测量办公室保存的申请登记簿中，并为每位申请人分配编号。该申请编号会标注在选择申请表上，若申请获批，则成为其土地选择文件编号。

地区测量员会在申请登记簿中录入申请编号、接收日期、申请人姓名、职业与教区、申请地块编号及面积（英亩、路得（roods）、派尺（perches））。随后，申请会被转发至墨尔本占用分支下对应的地区土地办公室，并在当地的副本申请登记簿中以相同编号登记。地区测量员还需转发申请地块的描图。

申请地块的位置会立即用铅笔标注在工作图上。描图随后被送至矿业与供水部（VA 2720），以获取是否存在采矿异议的报告。若无采矿异议，申请将由地方土地委员会（Local Land Board）审理。地方土地委员会由当地社区代表及王室土地与测量部（VA 538）代表组成。委员会会听取某地块所有申请人的陈述，并决定向谁授予许可或租赁权。记录地方土地委员会决议的明细表会被转发至占用分支下对应的地区土地办公室，并录入申请登记簿。

土地与工程委员会（Board of Land and Works，VA 744）作为管理王室土地的法定机构，会根据地方土地委员会的建议对土地选择申请给予最终批准。其决议随后会被录入申请登记簿。登记簿还会记录许可或租赁的签发日期及与该文件相关的后续行动。占用分支下地区土地办公室的绘图员会在工作图上记录获授地块的选择人信息。地块描图随后被送至负责该土地区的王室土地法警处。

申请登记簿管控选择与占用文件。若王室土地选择申请成功，申请编号将成为文件编号。例如，根据1884年《土地法案》第65条提交的选择申请若登记为324号，则选择或占用文件编号为324/65。

若某块土地的选择申请满足所有条款条件并最终获得王室授予，则申请编号将保留为该土地的选择文件编号。然而，原始选择人往往并未最终拥有该土地：许多选择人放弃或终止了其许可或租赁权。在此情况下，土地会重新开放供选择，新申请人将以新编号登记在申请登记簿中，原始申请人的文件会附于新选择人的文件之后，且新文件编号会标注在原始选择人在登记簿中的条目旁。

即使同一选择人申请其此前放弃过的土地许可，仍会被分配新的申请编号，文件也会拥有新的选择文件编号。