VPRS 12145 Register of Loans to Shires under Vermin Acts

The Vermin Destruction Act 1890 and the subsequent amendment Vermin Proof Fences Act 1896 made funds available for the construction of vermin proof fences for landowners within Victoria. While the fences were constructed to protect land from all types of vermin, they were mainly required for protection against rabbits.Landowners within a municipality would be required to submit a petition to their shire council, applying for finance to construct vermin proof fences on their land. If approved, the landowners would be required repay a certain proportion of the funds granted on an annual basis.The shires in turn received the funds to finance these loans as a subsequent loan from Treasury, which they were also required to repay in annual instalments.These records provide details of the loans that were granted to shire councils for the construction of vermin proof fences in accordance with the Acts. They provide the amount that was originally loaned to the shire council, and detail the annual repayments made by that council.These transactions were subsequently posted to VPRS 11336 Loan Ledgers.