VPRS 13118 Registers of Applications, Section 31 Land Act 1869.

The Land Act of 1869, Section 31 gave a pre-emptive right of purchase to holders of occupation licenses under Section 42 of the Amending Land Act 1865 (regulating the occupation of auriferous lands). Various conditions had to be met for this right to be exercised. The licensee had to have occupied the land for at least two and a half years, have made improvements to the land and no objection to the alienation of the land was made on the grounds that it was auriferous (gold-bearing) or other grounds of a public nature. License fees already paid were to be credited against the purchase price with the Board of Land and Works to grant the licensee a certificate specifying the amount of land and survey fees paid by him during the period of occupation. The licensee also had the option of taking a lease on the land under the same conditions and paying the purchase price in ten equal instalments.The registers in this series record the applications received initially for a Certificate of Rent and Survey Fees paid. Each application was allotted a sequential number besides which was recorded the applicant's name and the area, allotment and section of the land and the parish in which it was located. Spaces were given for the date of application for the certificate could be recorded, the date of the application for purchase or for a lease and the date upon which the applicant was notified of the Board's decision regarding the application to purchase. Reference numbers are also given. These refer to changes in the file number of the applicant.It is apparent that the original number allocated in these registers was also to be the file number as found in VPRS 627 Land Selection Files, Land Act 1869, Section 31. However, for a number of applicants there was an appreciable gap between their initial application for a certificate and an application to purchase or lease the land or other difficulties occurred through objections to the alienation of the land. When these occurred, a new file number was allocated. Previous papers were then attached to this file and the new file number recorded in the Reference Number columns of the Registers of Applications.References are also given with respect to applications including referral to the Mines Departments and to the various action officers within the Department of Crown Lands and Survey.Purchases of land under this Section were recorded in VPRS 13106/P1 Registers of Purchases, Section 31 Land Act 1869. Details of the payment of rents for lessees under this section may be found in the district Registers of Lessees, section 31 Land Act 1869 a few of which are in custody. The registration of leases may be found in VPRS 11871 Register of Leases Granted Under Land Acts 1869, 1878, 1880.