VPRS 13947 Rent Roll, Farm Allotments, Sections 103 and 170 Land Act 1898

Part III of the Land Act 1898 was, apart from the Settlement on Land Act 1893, the first legislation for Closer Settlement. It gave the Board of Land and Works the power to acquire land from private persons for the purpose of closer settlement. The land was to be utilised and disposed of firstly as a township in the district and then as farm allotments not exceeding one thousand pounds in value.These allotments were to be advertised as being available in the Government Gazette to be taken up under conditional purchase lease with one lease being allowed per person. During the first six years of the lease considerable improvements were to be made to the land. Their value was determined by the value of the land or at the rate of ten per cent of the purchase money payable. The lessee or a member of his family was to reside on the land for eight months of each year with no power to transfer or mortgage the land within the first six years. After that six years, the lease might be transferred or an application made for a Crown grant of the land.The lease was issued for a term of 31 years with the purchase price to be paid in 63 equal instalments, the first two due with the application. If an application was unsuccessful, that money was returned to the applicant. The total amount of the purchase money was determined by the Board of Land and Works with interest to also be paid on unpaid purchase money. Registers of Applications for these leases are held by PROV as VPRS 13943.Rents could be paid either by post or personally to the Melbourne office of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) or to local Receivers and Paymasters as designated for each parish and Land District (subsequent to the formation of the Occupation Branch in c 1874). Receivers and Paymasters were often local Clerks of Courts.Details given in the rent rolls are the name of the lessee, the details of the location and size of the land, details of the payments of fees and of the date and amount of regular periodic payments of rent. Remarks include details of any transfers of leases to other holders and the subsequent payments made by those persons, any cancellation or revocation or instances of abandonment of the land by the occupier.Applicants were able to apply for these conditional purchase leases under Section 170 of the Act or under Section 103. This latter Section related to swamp lands such as the Koo-Wee-Rup and Moe Swamps where allotments could be applied for , after a valuation was determined, under the terms of Section 85 Land Act 1890 or as a perpetual lease or as a conditional purchase lease as set out in Part III but with modifications. These Sections continued as Sections 130 - 131 and Section 383 of the Land Act 1901.Under the authority of Part III Land Act 1898 estates were purchased and made available for farm allotments at Wando Vale (near Casterton), Walmer (near Horsham), Whitfield (south of Wangaratta) and Eurack (NE of Winchelsea). Rent Rolls for these estates are held by PROV as VPRS 13948.