VPRS 4924 Register of Agricultural Lands Proclaimed for Selection, Stawell District, Land Act 1862

Part II of the Land Act 1862 allowed for the Sale of Lands by Selection. More than 10 million acres of land was reserved for proclamation as agricultural areas for residence and cultivation and not less than four million acres was to be available for selection within three months of the passing of the Act. Land was to be surveyed into lots of at least 40 acres and not more than 640 acres with each lot to be divided into two subdivisions. Selectors could purchase both subdivisions at the price of one pound per acre, or could purchase one subdivision and lease the other one. Persons holding occupation licenses under terms of the notices of 1861 had a pre-emptive right to select the land which they were occupying with the consent of the Board of Land and Works.Leases were to be for eight years at a rent of two and sixpence per acre or part of an acre with the lessee having a pre-emptive right of purchase. Selectors could not be infants or married women (unless they had obtained a judicial separation) and had to be resident in Victoria. No-one could select more than 640 acres in a year. Unselected land or land where leases were forfeited were to be sold at public auction. Conditions of the selection were that selectors would, within a year of the selection, cultivate one tenth of the land, or erect a habitable dwelling upon it or fence the land.Applications were to be made in the form set down in the Schedules to the Act in person at a land office and be accompanied by the purchase price of the whole lot or the purchase price for half and one years rent in advance for the other half. Applications were to be entered into a register, which was to be open to public inspection, by the land officer . The priority of the order of applications was to be determined by lot. Any refusal of an application was to be notified within thirty days in the Government Gazette with the reasons for refusal or disallowance being given.This series is probably either a register as defined by the Act or was created and maintained to record the details of selections made and the administrative decisions and actions taken subsequent to selections.Identified are the place of proclamation and the parish with the details of the sections, allotments and subdivisions available for selection. The date and time of the application were given with the names and addresses of purchasers and lessees and the amount paid for the land purchased. Details were also given of the extent of purchased land and of leasehold land and the amounts of rent to be paid for the latter. It must be noted that land might have been proclaimed as open for selection but was not necessarily selected.Details of lessees were entered into a Register of Lessees.This series was previously attributed to Stawell Courts.

《1862年土地法》（Land Act 1862）第二部分准许通过选地方式售卖土地。法案预留超1000万英亩（acre）土地，宣布为供居住与耕作的农业区域，且法案通过后三个月内，须有不少于400万英亩土地可供选地。土地须被划分为面积介于40英亩至640英亩之间的地块，每个地块再拆分为两个子地块。选地人可按每英亩1英镑（pound）的价格同时购置两个子地块，亦可仅购置其中一个子地块，同时租赁另一个子地块。
根据1861年公告条款持有土地占用许可证的人士，经土地与工程委员会（Board of Land and Works）批准，对其当前占用的土地享有优先购买权（pre-emptive right）。
租赁期限为8年，租金标准为每英亩2先令6便士（pence），不足1英亩的部分按比例计算，承租人享有优先购买权。
选地人不得为未成年人或已婚女性（已取得司法分居（judicial separation）判决者除外），且须常驻维多利亚州（Victoria）。任何人每年累计选地面积不得超过640英亩。
未被选走的土地或租赁权被没收的土地，须通过公开拍卖（public auction）方式处置。
选地的义务条件为：选地人须在选地完成后1年内，耕种该地块的十分之一面积，或在地块上建造可居住的住宅，或对地块进行围栏围合。
申请须采用法案附表所规定的格式，由申请人亲自前往土地办事处提交，并随附整块地块的全额购地款，或半块地块的购地款与另一半地块的1年预付租金。
土地办事处官员须将所有申请录入可供公众查阅的登记册，申请的顺位优先级须通过抽签方式确定。任何申请被驳回或不予批准的，须在30日内于《政府公报》（Government Gazette）中发布通知，并载明驳回或不予批准的具体理由。
该档案系列大概率为法案所定义的官方登记册，或为记录选地详情及选地后产生的各类行政决策与执行行动而编制维护。
登记内容涵盖宣布开放选地的地点与教区，以及可供选地的地段、地块与子地块的详细信息。同时记录申请的日期与时间、购地人与承租人的姓名与住址、购地已付金额；此外还会记载购得土地的面积、租赁土地的面积，以及后者的应付租金金额。需特别说明：虽有土地被官方宣布开放选地，但未必会被实际选走。
承租人的详细信息会被录入承租人登记册（Register of Lessees）。
该档案系列此前被归为斯托韦尔法院（Stawell Courts）的档案。