VPRS 16751 Soldier Settlement and Land Settlement Estate Plans

This series contains lithographic copies of county, parish and township plans produced by the Department of Crown Lands and Survey which provide detailed information on each particular Soldier Settlement and Land Settlement estate. The Soldier Settlement Commission worked with the Department which undertook the original surveys for the estates. This is evident from the stamp on some plans prepared from SSC survey. There are also a few plans produced by the Rural Finance Commission.Many of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey plans have been hand coloured and annotated with references to drainage easements and other infrastructure as well as information on the changing status of the land e.g. transfer arrangements for crown grants. Some plans are annotated with hand drawn plan sections which detail updated boundary lines and provide enlargements of specific features like reserves or roads.The Estate Plans record the land parcel boundaries, either within an entire estate, or for larger settlements a portion of the estate. They also record the land settlement estates within the context of the county, parish and township boundaries. The plans record details about the individual settler's allotments, including their name, date of crown grant, land dimensions and the Settlement Purchase Lease Preparation File (VPRS 16540). They record topographical features, changes to boundaries, reserves and roads or where provision has been made to add additional infrastructure. The Estate Plans overlap in content with VPRS 16752 Soldier Settlement and Land Settlement Survey Plans.The researcher needs to be aware that the plans have Department of Crown Lands and Survey allotment numbers (unless annotated), but the Soldier Settlement Commission created its own numbering system for the Lot numbers in the estates.The six plans in box 25 are different to the rest of this series. These comprise either state of Victoria or regional district plans which document the Soldier Settlement estates from 1946 to 1961. These plans also chart the government's acquisition of land and the development of railways to the estates.These plans are controlled by VPRS 16756 Soldier Settlement and Land Settlement Estate Cards. The Estate Cards are arranged by estate name, then by lot number and settler's name. The Estate Cards do not seem to cover all the allocated lots in each estate and may have been compiled after the settlement scheme had been established.BACKGROUND TO SCHEMEIn December 1943 the Land Settlement (Acquisition) Act was passed in Victoria, providing for the setting apart of Crown land and the acquisition of privately owned land for ex-servicemen. Victoria's Crown lands had been assessed for post-war settlement by Lands Department officers and staff from the CSIRO and Department of Agriculture as early as 1941. Throughout 1944-45 Lands Department inspectors formally checked the suitability of rural properties all over Victoria, and their valuations and reports were eventually handed across when the Soldier Settlement Commission (SSC) started work in February 1946.The 1945 War Service Land Settlement (WSLS) Agreement (Commonwealth legislation) established the broad outlines for World War II settlement in Victoria. The Soldier Settlement Act 1945 (No. 5107) ratified the terms of this agreement, authorised the setting up of the Soldier Settlement Commission (SSC) and provided the framework for the State scheme. In December 1946 the Soldier Settlement Act 1946 (No. 5179) was passed, authorising the SSC to advance money for Single Unit Farms (SUFs). SUFs were not controlled by the terms of the WSLS Agreement but SUF settlers still had to go through the initial selection process to be classified as eligible and suitable.In February 1946 the Commission began acquiring portions of land, referred to as 'estates', which were then subdivided into blocks of various sizes within each rural industry. The preliminary development of the blocks was handled by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (VA 723) in consultation with the SSC.Potential settlers could submit applications for farms within five years of the scheme's inception and Classification Committees were set up to assess applicants' suitability. The selection process began with an interview and then classification into one of four grades:- Suitable for farm ownership immediately,- Suitable for farm ownership after a short specialised course,- Suitable for farm employment but needing further experience for ownership,- Unlikely to reach the standard for ownership.Less tangible attributes such as aptitude, energy, physical capacity and mental alertness were also taken into consideration.In 1947 the first settlement estates were advertised, with classified applicants required to put their names forward for blocks on particular estates. A second, more detailed, interview was then run by special SSC Land Boards. Applicants were graded using a 100 point system, broken down as follows:- War service (20 points),- Farming experience (30 points),- Personal attributes (30 points),- Evidence of thrift and financial responsibility (10 points),- Marital status (10 points).Other factors were also taken into account and personal references from several people in rural industries were requested. After ratings were given, a process of elimination was applied and an allocation plan drawn up. The three commissioners of the Soldier Settlement Commission assessed the proposed plan before making a final decision.Leases were granted using a two-tier system, leading to freehold. An Interim Lease covered the establishment period of the farm and could be held for up to seven years. Settlers were only required to pay rent during this period. This was followed by a Purchase Lease that allowed the settler a period of at least six years to consolidate before becoming eligible to obtain freehold title to his farm. The issuing of Interim Leases was delayed due to disagreements between Commonwealth and State over valuations. By the middle of 1950 the Commonwealth agreed to fund living allowances for 752 Temporary Lease settlers. Once they were through an initial assistance period, the terms of the Temporary Lease allowed them to contribute part of their farm proceeds towards a credit account.The last group settlement was on the 24-block Warrowie estate near Colac, which was advertised in the Government Gazette on 30 November 1960. It wasn't until 1970 that the last settler obtained his purchase lease.

本系列馆藏由官地与测量部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey）编制的县、教区及乡镇规划石印副本，详细记录了各军人安置与土地安置地产的相关信息。军人安置委员会（Soldier Settlement Commission, SSC）与该部门合作开展了上述地产的原始测量工作，这一点可从部分基于SSC测量成果编制的规划上加盖的印章得到印证。本系列中亦包含少量由农村金融委员会编制的规划。

诸多官地与测量部编制的规划均经手工上色，并加注了排水地役权、其他基础设施等相关说明，以及土地权属变更的相关信息，例如官地批租的转让安排。部分规划还附有手绘剖面详图，用于标注更新后的地界，并对保护区、道路等特定要素进行放大展示。

本地产规划记录了完整地产范围内或大型安置项目中部分地块的地界，同时也结合县、教区及乡镇界域，记录了土地安置地产的空间分布。规划内容涵盖单个安置申请人的地块详情，包括申请人姓名、官地批租日期、土地面积，以及安置购置租赁筹备档案（VPRS 16540）相关信息。此外，规划还记录了地形特征、地界变更、保护区与道路，或已规划增设的基础设施情况。本地产规划的内容与VPRS 16752《军人安置与土地安置测量规划》存在重叠。

研究人员需注意，此类规划使用官地与测量部的地块编号（未加注的情况下），但军人安置委员会（SSC）会为地产内的地块编制专属编号体系。

第25盒内的6份规划与本系列其余馆藏存在差异，这些规划均为维多利亚州或区域层面的规划，记录了1946年至1961年间的军人安置地产项目，同时展示了政府的土地征收情况以及通往安置地产的铁路发展历程。

此类规划由VPRS 16756《军人安置与土地安置地产档案卡》进行管理。该档案卡按地产名称、地块编号及安置申请人姓名排序。档案卡似乎未覆盖每个地产中的所有已分配地块，且大概率是在安置计划启动后编制完成的。

安置计划背景
1943年12月，维多利亚州通过《土地安置（征收）法案》，规定划拨官地并征收私有土地用于安置退伍军人。早在1941年，维多利亚州土地厅官员与联邦科学与工业研究组织（CSIRO）、农业部的工作人员就已对该州官地开展战后安置评估工作。1944年至1945年间，土地厅督察员对全州范围内的乡村地产适用性进行了正式核查，其评估报告与核查结果最终在军人安置委员会（SSC）于1946年2月启动工作后移交该委员会。

1945年《战时服务土地安置（War Service Land Settlement, WSLS）协议》（联邦立法）确立了维多利亚州第二次世界大战退伍军人安置计划的基本框架。《1945年军人安置法案》（第5107号）批准了该协议条款，授权成立军人安置委员会（SSC），并为州级安置计划提供了制度保障。1946年12月，《1946年军人安置法案》（第5179号）获得通过，授权SSC为单一单元农场（Single Unit Farms, SUFs）提供资金支持。单一单元农场不受《战时服务土地安置协议》条款约束，但申请人仍需通过初始遴选流程，以获得安置资格与适配性认定。

1946年2月，委员会开始征收部分被称为"地产"的土地，并将其按各乡村产业的需求划分为不同规模的地块。地块的前期开发工作由州立河流与供水委员会（VA 723）与SSC协商后开展。

符合条件的申请人可在计划启动后的五年内提交农场申请，同时设立资格审查委员会对申请人的适配性进行评估。遴选流程首先为面谈，随后将申请人划分为四个等级：
1. 可直接获得农场所有权；
2. 需完成短期专项培训后方可获得农场所有权；
3. 可从事农场工作，但需积累更多经验后方可获得所有权；
4. 暂未达到所有权认定标准。

评估过程同时会考量申请人的资质、精力、身体状况与思维敏捷度等非量化属性。

1947年，首批安置地产对外公示，通过资格分级的申请人需在特定地产的地块中进行选报。随后，SSC特设土地委员会开展第二轮更为细致的面谈。申请人将通过百分制评分体系进行分级，评分细则如下：
- 战时服役经历（20分）
- 农耕经验（30分）
- 个人素质（30分）
- 节俭习惯与财务责任证明（10分）
- 婚姻状况（10分）

同时还会考量其他因素，并要求申请人提供乡村产业领域多位人士的个人推荐信。完成评分后，将通过淘汰流程确定入选名单，并编制安置分配规划。军人安置委员会的三名委员将对拟通过的分配规划进行审核，最终做出决策。

安置租赁采用双轨制，最终可转为永久业权。临时租赁协议涵盖农场建设期，最长可持有七年，申请人在此期间仅需支付租金。随后将签订购置租赁协议，允许申请人在至少六年的时间内巩固经营，之后方可申请获得农场的永久业权。由于联邦与州政府在土地估值问题上存在分歧，临时租赁协议的发放工作一度延迟。截至1950年中期，联邦政府同意为752名临时租赁申请人提供生活补贴。申请人通过初始帮扶期后，临时租赁协议条款允许其将部分农场收益存入信用账户用于后续购置。

最后一批集体安置项目位于科拉克附近的沃罗维24块地块，该项目于1960年11月30日在《政府公报》上公示。直至1970年，最后一名申请人才获得了购置租赁协议。