VPRS 13955 Register of Applications, Section 110 Land Act 1898 and Section 346 Land Act 1901 (Occupation Branch)

The Settlement on Lands Act 1893 was passed with a view to providing an outlet for the unemployed labour of Victoria through the establishment of three main types of rural settlement. Village Communities was one of these three.The Governor in Council could proclaim land for this purpose which could be then divided into allotments of between one and twenty acres. Under Section 5 of the Act (Section 318 of the Land Act 1901), a permit to occupy a village community allotment could be granted for three years at a nominal rental. After that time a lease for up to twenty years could be applied for if certain conditions, as set by regulations, had been met. The price of an allotment was to be no less than one pound per acre and was to be paid in forty half yearly instalments. For a Crown grant to be obtained at the end of the period, the lessee had to pay this sum, repay any advances made and the cost of the survey of the land. As well, the lessee or his family was to reside on the land with certain proportions to have been brought into cultivation within specified time periods.It was recognised relatively soon that not all the land allocated by the Board of Land and Works was suitable for village settlements and that 20 acres was an inadequate area for a settler to make a living. As a consequence, provision was made in Section 110 of the Land Act 1898 Sections 344 to 346 of the Land Act 1901 for landholders to acquire more land to, with the original holding, the value of two hundred pounds.Each application was allocated a number which became the numerator of the file number. Other details given were the name and current address of the applicant, the location and extent of the land, the decision made regarding the application and annotations related to the subsequent management of the file.Researchers should consult VPRS 7311 Microfiche Catalogue to Crown Land and Survey Files: File Number Order or VPRS 7312 Microfiche Catalogue to Crown Land and Survey Files: Parish/Township Order to retrieve a file.VPRS 13955/P1 was previously registered as Units 8 and 156 of VPRS 458/P Applications Registers, Land Act Unknown.