VPRS 1322 Register of Applications, Sections 113 and 114 Land Act 1898 [1899 - 1901]; Register of Applications, Village Settlement, Settlement on Lands Act 1893, Land Act 1901 [1909 - 1910]

Section 113 of the Land Act 1898 allowed a holder of land under Section 99 of Land Act 1890 who had made improvements to the land to purchase the land if it was not in a town and had been held by the licensee for five years. Section 99 allowed the licensing of land for use for rural industry (eg as a butter factory) or for a rural store or inn. Objections could be made on the grounds that the land was auriferous. Rents previously paid by the applicant could be certified and used to defray the cost of the purchase.Section 114 allowed holders of forest land not on a water reserve, who had occupied that land as a home for the previous five years and had made substantial improvements to purchase up to ten acres of the land.The Governor in Council could proclaim land for the purpose of village settlements under the Settlement on Lands Act 1893 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. After that time 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.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. Applications in this register of applications were those made under a number of sections of the Settlement on Lands Act 1893 and the Land Act 1901 all of which related to village settlements.Researchers should note that the application number constitutes the file number with the section of the act as the denominator. For applications relating to village settlements, both the numerator and the denominator are given . Researchers should consult VPRS 7311 Microfiche Catalogue to Crown Land and Survey Files: File Number Order or VPRS 7312 Microfiche Catalogue to Crown Land and Survey Files: Parish/Township Order to retrieve a file.