VPRS 393 Mining Surveyor's Registers of Surveys, Hepburn Mining Division

In the course of their duties, Mining Surveyor's were instructed by the Mining Warden within their Mining Division to conduct a survey. Surveys would be undertaken for the following reasons: - as part of the process of considering applications for mining leases or licences received, - if deemed necessary in resolving disputed territories in cases before the Warden - in instances where applicants sought to obtain land through license, lease or purchase under one of the various Lands Acts of the 1860's because some land could only be alienated if there was no objection from the Minister of Mines or if special mining conditions were imposed, or - from 1884, as part of the process of considering applications for leases or agreements for mining on privately owned land. The following Information was recorded about each survey conducted. Number of the relevant application as allocated by the Mining Warden, the date and hour of the receipt of the application by the Surveyor, name of the applicant, location and size of the area, date of the actual survey, survey fees received, signature of the Mining Surveyor and remarks. It appears that records of the actual survey will have been recorded in the surveyor's field book with a final version created in another book from which copies in the form of tracings could be made for subsequent distribution. The Mining Warden also created a separate register of surveys.