VPRS 15763 Advances Files - Melbourne Division

This series consists of files created and maintained by officers of the Closer Settlement Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) as a result of the advances schemes for settlers under both the Closer Settlement scheme (commencing from Part III of the Land Act 1898, followed by the Closer Settlement Act 1904) and the Soldier Settlement schemes (commencing from the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1917). The files provide evidence regarding the advance account holder and the land leased. Details given on the cover of the file are the names of the estate and the landholder, the location and area of the land leases and the date and term of the lease. Other details may include a summary of the advances made and the purpose (house, grading, wire netting or stock) and a summary of liens taken on produce and of payments.Other inclusions in the files may consist of correspondence between the settler and the Closer Settlement Board (VA 2266) or the Closer Settlement Commission (VA 2268), advances applications, improvement reports made by Inspectors of Land Settlement, payment receipts, asset realisations and Board hearings, proceedings and decisions in relation to the advance account. Some of the files have 'deficiency case' stamped on the facing page. This appears to have been done when the decision was made that there was little or no possibility that the settler would be able to make repayments.Tenants on closer settlement or soldier settlement land lots were able to lease the land for at first a period of six years with residence and improvements conditions. These terms required the lessee to fence the land, destroy vermin and noxious weeds and some leases required the tenant to erect a dwelling on the land within one year. After six years, lessees could mortgage, transfer or sub-let their land. They could also apply for a Crown Grant to purchase the land if the balance of the purchase monies had been paid.Both the Closer Settlement Acts and the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1917 (and its successors) allowed for the payment of advances to settlers to allow for the erection of buildings, for fencing, for the purchase of implements and stock and for other defined purposes. The amount able to be obtained and the terms of repayment were set forth in the Acts with the Board (or Commission) able to take a lien or mortgage or other security to ensure repayment of the advance. Details of these may be found in VPRS 11922 Register of Securities, Discharged Soldiers Acts or in VPRS 11923 Register of Securities, Closer settlement Acts.When closer settlement land was first selected like any Crown land, a selection file was created. Selection files are held in VPRS 5714 Closer [and Soldier] Settlement Files. If settlers applied for and were granted an advance, an advance file was created.The advance file records the closer settlement selection file number of the advance account holder. Conversely, if an advance file existed, the selection file will record the advance file number. The two files were maintained simultaneously as the selection file recorded information about the lease/licence of the land and the advance file recorded information specifically concerning advances made to lease/licence holders.Files in the P1 consignment were formerly held in VPRS 10381/P Soldier Settlement Advances Files from which they were removed during re-processing and re-listing of that series.

本系列档案由王室土地与测量部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey）密集定居办事处（Closer Settlement Branch）的官员编制并维护，其来源为两项面向定居者的预付款计划：一是始于1898年《土地法》第三部分、后续由1904年《密集定居法》完善的密集定居计划（Closer Settlement scheme），二是始于1917年《退伍士兵定居法（Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1917）》的士兵定居计划（Soldier Settlement schemes）。
该系列档案可用于查询预付款账户持有人与租赁土地的相关信息。档案封面上标注的细节包括：地产与土地持有人姓名、土地租赁的位置与面积、租赁日期与租期。其他细节可能包括预付款明细、资金用途（建房、土地平整、铺设铁丝网或购置牲畜），以及针对农产品的留置权与付款情况汇总。
档案中还可能包含定居者与密集定居委员会（VA 2266）或密集定居专员公署（VA 2268）之间的往来函件、预付款申请、土地监察员出具的改良报告、付款收据、资产变现记录，以及与预付款账户相关的委员会听证程序、诉讼与裁决文件。部分档案的内页加盖有"偿债无望个案"字样的印章，该标注通常在判定定居者几乎或完全无法偿还预付款时加盖。
密集定居或士兵定居地块的租户，最初可签订为期六年的租赁协议，需遵守居住要求与土地改良条件：承租人需围栏圈地、消灭害虫与有害杂草，部分租赁协议还要求租户在一年内于土地上建造住宅。六年租期届满后，承租人可抵押、转让或转租其土地；若已付清剩余购地款项，还可申请王室授地以购置该土地。
1904年《密集定居法》及1917年《退伍士兵定居法》（及其后续修订法案）均允许向定居者提供预付款，用于建造房屋、围栏、购置农具与牲畜及其他指定用途。可获得的预付款金额与还款条款在法案中均有明确规定，委员会（或专员公署）可通过留置权、抵押或其他担保方式确保预付款得以偿还。相关细节可查阅VPRS 11922《退伍士兵法担保品登记册》或VPRS 11923《密集定居法担保品登记册》。
当密集定居土地像其他王室土地一样被选定时，会创建土地选定档案。选定档案保存于VPRS 5714《密集[及士兵]定居档案》系列中。若定居者申请并获批预付款，则会创建预付款档案。预付款档案会记录预付款账户持有人的土地选定档案编号；反之，若存在预付款档案，选定档案也会标注对应的预付款档案编号。两类档案需同步维护：选定档案记录土地租赁/许可的相关信息，而预付款档案则专门记录向租赁/许可持有人提供的预付款相关信息。
本批次P1的档案原保存于VPRS 10381/P《士兵定居预付款档案》系列中，后经该系列的重新处理与重新编目被移出。