VPRS 14656 File Movement Cards, 'Rs' Files

This series consists of the cards recording the file markings or movements for the 'Rs' files. A card has been allocated for each ' Rs ' file which gives the registration number and name of the file and of the reserve. Details given include the registration number of the initiating piece of correspondence (prior to the 'Rs' registration and details of subsequent file movements and markings.There is some evidence that the card system may have been begun prior to 1943 or that cards from a previous system were incorporated into this one.The first Land Act passed by the Victorian Parliament (the Sale of Crown Lands Act 1860) provided that the Governor-in-Council was able to reserve lands permanently or temporarily for a wide variety of public purposes. This meant that the land was reserved from sale, leasing or licensing and from the provisions of the Mines Act. Legislation relating to Crown reserves remained under the Land Act until the passing of the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978. Proclamation of, alterations to and any revocations of reserves were to be published in the Government Gazette. Revocation of permanent reserves was by legislation whilst revocation of temporary reserves was by Order-in-Council.Management of the provisions of the Land Act relating to reserves was done, from at least 1876 (and possibly prior to that) until c 1920 by the Correspondence Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). In 1917, it was reported that the Correspondence Branch was also known as the Reserves and Commons Room. From c1920, it would appear that management passed to the Occupation Branch. In 1978, due to Ministerial dissatisfaction with the management of Crown lands the Crown Land Management Division was created and was responsible for the broad management of Crown lands including reserves until 1985.From 1914 a dual system of files was used for Crown reserves. The original file raised was a 'C' file. If the reservation was not to involve an ongoing situation the file remained as a 'C' file. This is noticeable in the late 1940s when it was apparent that Crown reserves were being reviewed, with the revocation either by legislation or by Order-in-Council of a number of them. In all these cases, where no correspondence relating to the reserve had been received for decades, the 'C' file number remained and was the final number for the file.It is believed that, from 1914, once a reserve was proclaimed and the details were to be published in the Government Gazette an Rs file was created. These Rs files were registered with a permanent number. Registrations are at various times a mixture of new proclamations and of old ones where new business concerning those reserves brought them to the attention of registry staff and the Rs file was then created. Most often the first entry in the file management markings was the number of an old file (pre-1896) or a C file or of a file or piece of registered correspondence forwarded from another Branch or section as denoted by the alpha-numeric correspondence registration number. It was reported in 1917 that each Rs file also had a card (or cards) which were indexed under parish and locality and in some cases, type of reservation. Some of those cards or later versions of them may have survived with the post - 1943 file movement cards. This system of 'C' and 'Rs' files continued until 1980 at least.Some 'Rs' files for revoked reservations may be found in VPRS 242 Crown Reserves Correspondence.