VPRS 442 Outward Letter Books [1862 - 1907]; Register of Inward Correspondence [1877 - 1880]

With the establishment of the Occupation Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) in 1874, each District had appointed to it officials responsible for the administration of the Lands Act. Duties included the receipt of applications for the licensing of the occupation of Crown Lands and the leasing of Crown Lands, the administration of surveys of the District, the listing of applications for and the administration of the hearings of the Local Lands Board and the collection and forwarding of rents for Crown Lands.Volumes in this series consist of copies of the outwards correspondence of the local Lands Officer. This includes the preparation of listings for Local Lands Board hearings, the forwarding of appropriate advertisements of hearings to local newspapers for insertion, the acknowledgment of applications for lands, the administration of the survey of Crown Lands and general matters to do with the administration of the Lands Act. Some volumes may also contain written accounts given as evidence at Local Lands Board hearings.Unit 32 of the series was also used as a Register of Inward Correspondence between 1877 and 1880. Details given are the Office Number, the date of registration, the name and address of the writer, the subject and how the correspondence was disposed of. This last section gave notes on the action taken in relation to the piece of correspondence.