VPRS 4659 Register Of Bonds

The Central Roads Board, the first agency concerned with the establishment of main roads and bridges, was abolished on 1 January 1858 and succeeded by the Department of Roads and Bridges (VA 2964) which operated under the statutory control of the Board of Land and Works (VA 744).Persons tendering for contracts for the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges or the lease of toll houses were required to lodge a deposit with the Department as a bond for their ability to complete the contract. Earlier, contractors needed to provide others as sureties for their solvency and their ability to carry out the works. This series registers the lodging and administration of bonds relating to contracts tendered and let by the Department of Roads and Bridges. It gives the details of the contract, dates of advertisement and receipt of tenders, the name of the accepted tenderer, the amounts of both the tender and the deposit and the dates upon which the District Road Engineer completed the deposit agreement. A remarks column provided for notations regarding the result of the process or regarding the advertisement of the tender.