VPRS 10191 Papers Relating To Legislation

The records in this series appear to be part of an informal filing system of the Farmers Relief Board (VA 2267) and its successor the Farmers' Debts Adjustment Board (VA 2269). It is likely that the records were created and managed by the Secretaries of the two Boards.Many of the files relate to the development of legislation, in particular:Farmers Relief Act 1933 (No. 4201)Farmers Debts Adjustment Act 1935 (No. 4326)Farmers Protection Acts of 1940 and 1941 (Nos. 4737 and 4877).This series also includes ministerial correspondence files, and files of correspondence between the Boards and other bodies such as the Closer Settlement Commission (VA 2268).The material relating to the development of the Farmers Relief Act 1933 includes a report dated 23 April 1933 prepared by George Brown (Secretary of the Farmers Relief Board) for the Minister for Lands, on Farmers Relief legislation in other states and in New Zealand. There are also papers from a Rural Rehabilitation Conference held by the Premier of Victoria from 5 to 23 May 1933, during which nine plans were presented by individuals and interest groups.Unit 5 includes a file on conferences with interest groups held during 1936 and 1938. It also contains material relating to amendments to the Farmers Debts Adjustment Act in 1939, 1941 and 1943.Unit 6 contains files relating to the administration of the Farmers Protection Act 1941 (see also VPRS 10197 Farmers Protection Case Files). These files include copies of notices relating to the issue and cancellation of Limited Stay Orders, forms, other notices issued by the Farmers' Debts Adjustment Board, and correspondence.This series contains some records that are likely to have been created as part of other series not currently in PROV custody. Unit 2 includes a file labelled Preferential Payment Lists removed from files, containing forms that appear to relate to Section 32 of the Unemployed Occupiers and Farmers Relief Act 1931 (No. 3962). This file is subject to further research, as it is not clear why the forms were removed from the Farmers Relief case files. As at December 2001 these are the only records in PROV custody relating to the administration of the Farmers Relief Acts. Unit 5 includes a bundle of empty file covers relating to applications for advances under the Farm Water Supplies and Drainage Advances Acts (Nos. 5020 and 5174). It is likely that the Board of Land and Works (VA 774) created these Advances records in c. 1947 but it is not clear why or when they were interfiled into this series.