VPRS 13941 Rent Rolls, Permits to Occupy, Village Settlements, Settlement on Lands Act 1893 and Land Act 1901

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. (Application details may be located in VPRS 13940.) The record of payment of these rents is recorded in this series with the file number, the name of the person, the location and extent of the land and the details of any advances made for the settler to become established as well as the reference to the entry in the Register of Leases.After the initial three years 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. Once a lease was granted, there is a reference to the entry in the lease register (see VPRS 11874/P1 Register of Leases Granted Under Sections 5, 20 and 26 of the Settlement on Lands Act and VPRS 11875/P1 Register of Leases Including Closer Settlement and Soldier Settlement.)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 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. These Conditional Purchase Leases, granted under the Land Act 1901 had rents recorded separately (see VPRS 1298/P Rent Roll, Conditional Purchase Leases, Village Settlement Land Act 1901)Unit 8 of the series was previously registered as Unit 2 of VPRS 1302/P Rent Roll - Sundry Licences. Due to problems with the computer system, there are no Units 6 and 7 in this consignment.