VPRS 13980 Lessees Ledgers, Section 49 Closer Settlement Act 1904

Part III Land Act 1898 was the first substantial legislation for Closer Settlement allowing the Board of Land and Works to purchase land which then could be divided and leased, by conditional purchase lease for farm allotments or as allotments in urban areas (which became the Workmen's Homes scheme).The Closer Settlement Act 1904 brought together all legislation relating to Closer Settlement including the Land Act 1898 and amendments made in the consolidated Land Act of 1901 with new provisions. All activities to do with Closer Settlement were placed under the control of the Land Purchase and Management Board (VA 2266).Farm allotments, workmen's homes and an agricultural labourer's lease were to be conditional purchase leases with no person being able to hold more than one. A lengthy list of conditions set out in Section 49 of the Act were part of the lease for farm allotments. These included compulsory residence requirements, compulsory fencing requirements, the destruction of vermin and noxious weeds, the making of substantial improvements to a specified value (subject to inspection and certification by the Board) and the condition of not alienating the land in the first six years of the lease.Instalments of the purchase price were to be paid half-yearly with fines for late payments, the first instalment accompanying the application. Interest was to be paid on the purchase price with payments in 63 equal instalments or otherwise as negotiated with the Board. After twelve years, if all conditions had been met and the full purchase price paid, application could be made for a Crown grant. Rent rolls which documented the payment of these instalments are held by PROV as VPRS 13951.In the Lessees Ledgers details are firstly given of the name of the closer settlement estate, the name of the lessee, the location and extent of the land, the parish in which it was located, the date and term of the lease and details of any transfers. Full details are then given of the capital value of the land, payments of capital and interest made under the conditional purchase lease (Section 49 Closer Settlement Act 1904) and notations of any advances and their repayment or extensions of time granted. Where land was eventually sold at auction these details are also given. Where land was being sold to municipalities for the provision of roads details were recorded in these Ledgers.Files relating to these leases may be able to be found in VPRS 5714 Closer (and Soldier) Settlement Files. File numbers were allocated when applications were registered in VPRS 13950 Register of Applications, Section 49, Closer Settlement Act 1904. Estates for closer settlement on land suitable for irrigation settlements as for the Wein Wein Gurk (near Koondrook) estate could be administered by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.Unit 1 of VPRS 13980/P was previously registered as Unit 155 of VPRS 631/P Rent Rolls and Units 2 and 3 were previously registered as Units 5 and 6 of VPRS 753/P Records of the Closer Settlement Agencies.