VPRS 5277 Rent Rolls, Receivers of Revenue, Horsham Land District

These rent rolls record the payments of rents for leases and licenses to occupy Crown lands in the Mallee. It is probable that these were kept and maintained by Receivers of Revenue (often the Clerk of Courts) at such towns as Dimboola, Kaniva and Nhill and at the Horsham District Survey Office.Details given are the date of the lease or license, the number of the lease, or license, the name of the lessee or licensee, the location of the land, the rates to be paid and the instalments of rent paid. Any transfers, cancellations or revocations of leases are also recorded. There may be references to entries in the Government Gazette in relation to the piece of land.Under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a three-year licence to occupy Crown land. The rent was set at two shillings per acre and a maximum of 320 acres per selector was allowed. On application, a deposit of half a years rent was paid. If the application was refused, the deposit was refunded. Section 20 of the Act placed conditions on the three-year licence with selectors required to improve their allotment by the erection of fencing and a dwelling, cultivation of their land and the destruction of vermin and noxious weeds. After the licence term had expired, the selector was eligible to apply for a seven-year lease or for a Crown Grant to purchase their allotment. Grants or leases were only approved if improvement conditions had been met. If a selector opted for a seven-year lease, the yearly rent was used to pay off the purchase price of the land. Rent previously paid under Section 19 was credited against the purchase price.The Land Act 1878 in Section 2 extended the period of licenses under Section 19 of the Land Act 1869 to six years and reduced the fee to one shilling per annum. Section 11 of that Act provided for the issue of non-residence licenses for six years at a fee of two shillings per acre per annum. Leases were to be issued, on expiration of the license term for a period of 14 years at a fee of two shillings per acre per annum.Section 49 of the Land Act 1869 allowed the granting of a license for the occupation of auriferous (gold-bearing) land for a period of one year at a time. The amount of land was to be no more than 20 acres with an individual being permitted to hold one licence only. The fees were to be set by regulation.Section 32 of the Land Act 1884 (as confirmed in the consolidated Land Act 1890) allowed for the leasing of Crown land for grazing purposes. Lands thus leased could not be purchased and were to revert to the Crown after the expiration of fourteen years. No person was to hold more than one lease and no one lease was to exceed 1000 acres. Land was to be appraised for the purpose of setting a rental of between two pence and four pence per acre with the right to levy an additional rental of five pounds per cent per annum based on the capital value of improvements made on the leasehold. Special conditions of occupation were to be the control of vermin and noxious weeds, to keep any improvements in repair, to fence the land and to not cut any timber. The Crown was able to resume the land at any time for certain specific purposes listed in the Act or if the lease conditions were not complied with or at the conclusion of the fourteen years with compensation to be paid to the lessee for any improvements made.An agricultural allotment of not more than 320 acres could be excised from such a leasehold under the same conditions as was set out in Section 42 of the Act. Persons who had selected that amount of land under previous land Acts were not eligible for this provision. Those who had selected less than the 320 acres could select the amount of land necessary to make it up to 320 acres. A license to occupy would then be issued for land thus selected.Section 42 of the Land Act 1884 (as confirmed in the consolidated Land Act 1890) provided for the issue to grazing area lessees (under Section 32 of the same Act) of licences to occupy for agricultural allotments not exceeding 320 acres in extent. Persons who had selected that amount of land under previous Land Acts were not eligible for this provision. Those who had selected less than the 320 acres could select the amount of land necessary to make it up to this amount.Rent was set at one shilling per acre per annum with the licensee to reside on the allotment and make improvements to it. During the period of this license the land could be resumed by the Crown for a number of specified purposes with the repayment of any rentals or if the terms of the license were not complied with. If these conditions and conditions relating to the control of vermin and fencing were complied with at the end of this time, a lease for up to 14 years was able to be applied for under Section 44 at the rental of one shilling per acre per annum or a Crown grant could be obtained by the payment of the full purchase price of fourteen shillings per acre. Lessees could obtain a Crown grant at any time during this fourteen year period by the payment of the difference between the rent already paid under the lease and the set price of fourteen shillings per acre.This Section was amended in Section 44 of the Land Act 1898 to divide lands into three classes for the purpose of the licensing of these agricultural allotments. No more than 200 acres of first-class lands were to be licensed at the rent of one shilling per acre per annum, no more than three hundred and twenty acres of second-class land at the annual rental of ninepence per acre. Both types of land were to be licensed for no more than six years.In the 1898 Act, Sections 58 and 59 provided for the extension of the licensing and leasing provisions for agricultural allotments to grazing allotments. Sections 59 and 61 of the Land Act 1898 allowed for the issue of residential or non-residential licenses for grazing allotments on third class land. A license to occupy could initially be issued for up to six years for 640 acres. If conditions relating to the provision of fencing and the destruction of vermin were met, a lease for 14 years could be obtained at a cost of sixpence per acre. Rent payments could be used to defray the cost of purchase at ten shillings per acre.Under the consolidated Land Act of 1901, agricultural allotments were dealt with under Sections 47 (licensing) and 49 (leasing) and grazing allotments by Sections 54 (licensing) and Section 56 (leasing).Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one register. This was the case with a number of sections of the Land Act 1884. These sections remained in consolidations of the Land Act (1890 and 1901), but with a change in number of section. Other lesser sections were added and also entered in the same register from subsequent acts such as the Land Act 1891, Land Act 1898 and the Wattles Act 1890.Section 93 and Section 91 of the Land Act 1884 (later Section 99, Land Act 1890 and Section 145, Land Act 1901) provided for the licensing or leasing of Crown lands for a multitude of purposes such as rural businesses, the removal of raw materials and other purposes none of which were to be agricultural or grazing. Licenses were renewable annually at a fee to be set. Leases under the 1884 Act for these purposes were to be of no more than three acres at an annual rental of five pounds.Section 119 Land Act 1884 provided for the issuing of grazing licenses for Crown lands not otherwise held. This provision continued as Section 123 of the Land Act 1890 and Section 187 of the Land Act 1901.Unit 1 of VPRS 5277/P1 was previously registered as VPRS 5313 Register of lessees and Unit was previously registered as VPRS 5315/P Rent Roll Register for Agricultural Allotments.