VPRS 13189 Register of Applications, Warrnambool, Section 47 Land Act 1869 (Warrnambool District Survey Office)

VPRS 13189/P1 Register of Applications, Warrnambool, Section 47 Land Act 1869 (Warrnambool District Survey Office) was created by the District Survey Office at Warrnambool. It is duplicated by Register of Applications, Warrnambool, Section 47 Land Act 1869 (Occupation Branch) (VPRS 13189/P1) which is the register created by the 'Warrnambool District Office' at the Occupation Branch.VPRS 13189/P1 was previously registered as Unit 95 of VPRS 451/P Applications Registers Land Act 1869.The introduction of the Land Act 1869 saw all Crown land, not previously occupied in Victoria opened up for selection. Provisions were made in section 42 of the Land Act 1865 for selection before survey. Prior to this time surveys were conducted on all Crown land before it was made available. The provision of free selection before survey was carried to the 1869 Act. The aim of the legislation was to encourage settlement on lands that would be most advantageous to the colony. The Act also provided for the leasing and licensing of land for other than agricultural and pastoral purposes.Section 47 of the Land Act 1869 allowed, as did Section 53 of the Land Act 1862, for a license to be granted for the use of Crown lands not under lease or license under Part II of the 1869 Act. Uses were for the extraction of raw materials such as timber and stone, the processing of rural products in such facilities as brick kilns, to occupy fishermen's' residences, to erect pumps and collect ballast and for any other purpose for which land might be leased under Section 45 of the Act. Clause 7 allowed the depasturing of animals on land not forming part of any run or common.From the start of 1873, the occupation of any Crown land for pastoral purposes was not to be authorized under the usual pastoral license, but by the use of this 7th clause of Section 47. This change indicated a preference for not giving a prolonged tenure for this purpose and for not selling the country involved as new runs. The use of this clause was advocated, as it conceded no privileges with respect to length of tenure or occupation.The additional advantages provided to selectors as a result of the Land Act 1869 resulted in an exceptional number of applications to select Crown land. By 1873 the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) was experiencing many problems in managing applications. Public complaints were at an all time high. The complaints ranged from extraordinarily long delays in application processing, applications being approved for more than one person on the same allotment and long delays in replying to correspondence.When an application to select Crown land was received by the Department it would be registered in a register of applications. Prior to 1874 and the establishment of the Occupation Branch all applications made under sections of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same series of registers irrespective of location. The contents of registers of applications were arranged alphabetically and application numbers were allocated consecutively in blocks for each letter of the alphabet.Separate registers of applications were usually created for each section of the Land Act under which individuals could apply to select land. For example, all applications received under section 47 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same register. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one register.In an attempt to try and rationalise the way the Department managed Crown land, the Occupation Branch was established in 1874 under the influence of H Byron Moore, Assistant Surveyor General. The Occupation Branch was to deal with all matters relating to the occupation of Crown land.The State was divided into fifteen Land Districts, these being Ararat, Ballarat, Beechworth, Benalla, Castlemaine and Dunolly, Echuca, Geelong Warrnambool and Camperdown, Hamilton, Horsham, Melbourne, Sale and Bairnsdale, Sandhurst (Bendigo), Seymour and St Arnaud. Each District was represented at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne by a 'District Land Office'.Each District Land Office consisted of a double table or desk at which both a clerk and draughtsman sat. Everything in the way of files, maps and plans were at convenient reach. The same officers dealt with the sale of Crown land from its 'inception to its disposition'. The District Offices' staff consisted essentially of a clerical officer and a draughtsman who dealt solely with that Land District. It was their business to know the District and to deal with all land business related to it. By 1877 each District Land Office, consisted of a District Officer, a rental clerk, a draughtsman and several general clerks.After the establishment of the Occupation Branch in 1874 and the division of the State into Land Districts, applications were registered by District. Each 'District Land Office' created and maintained their own series of registers of applications. Any new applications received by the Department after 1874 were registered in separate District registers with applications numbers that were allocated from the number one onwards. The same application number could be allocated for selections in different Districts. For example the application number 1021/49 could exist in both the Ballarat and Bendigo Land Districts, it is the District name plus the accompanying file number that is the unique identifier.Applicants completed an application form at District Survey Offices. Most Land Districts had a District Survey Office. The District Surveyor would enter the applicants' details in a register of applications kept at the District Survey Office. The register of applications allocated a number to each applicant. The application number was written on the application to select and subsequently became their file number if their application was approved.The District Surveyor would enter into the register of applications the application number, the date the application was received, the applicants' name, occupation and parish, the allotment number and size (acres, roods and perches) applied for. The application was then forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne. It was then entered in a duplicate register of applications there against the same application number. The District Surveyor also forwarded a tracing of the allotment applied for.The position of the allotment applied for was immediately charted on a working plan in pencil. The tracing was then sent to the Department of Mines and Water Supply (VA 2720) for a report on any mining objections. If there were no mining objections the application would be heard before a Local Land Board. Local Land Boards were made up of representatives from the local community and the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). The Boards would hear from all applicants for an allotment and would decide who was to be granted the licence or lease. The schedule documenting the decisions of the Local Land Board was forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch and the decision was entered into the register of applications.The Board of Land and Works (VA 744), the statutory authority for the management of Crown land would give final approval for land selection, acting on the recommendation of the Local Land Board. The decision of the Board of Lands and Works (VA 744) was then recorded in the register of applications. The registers also record the date of the licence issue and any subsequent action in relation to that file. The selectors granted each allotment would then be recorded on the working plan by the District Land Office draughtsman at the Occupation Branch. The tracing of the allotment was then sent to the Crown Land Bailiff responsible for that Land District.The new registers of applications were arranged by Land District and by section of Land Act applications were received under. For example, all applications received under section 47 of the Land Act 1869 for the Ballarat Land District were recorded in the same series of registers. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one District register.

VPRS 13189/P1：瓦南布尔1869年《土地法》第47条申请登记册（瓦南布尔地区勘测办公室）由瓦南布尔地区勘测办公室编制。其副本为《瓦南布尔申请登记册，1869年土地法第47条（占用科）》（VPRS 13189/P1），该副本由“瓦南布尔地区办公室”占用科编制。VPRS 13189/P1最初登记为VPRS 451/P《1869年土地法申请登记册》第95单元。1869年《土地法》的出台，将维多利亚州此前未被占用的全部王室土地开放供公众认领。《1865年土地法》第42条已规定可先认领后勘测，而在此之前，所有王室土地需先完成勘测方可开放使用。先勘测后认领的条款被纳入1869年法案。该立法的核心目的是鼓励在对殖民地最具发展优势的土地上开展定居活动。此外，该法案还规定了用于农业、牧业以外用途的土地租赁与许可制度。1869年《土地法》第47条与1862年《土地法》第53条一致，允许为未纳入1869年法案第二部分租赁或许可范畴的王室土地使用发放许可证。许可使用用途包括：提取木材、石料等原材料，在砖窑等设施中加工农牧产品，为渔民提供住宅，架设水泵、收集压载物，以及法案第45条规定的可租赁土地的其他合法用途。该法案第7条款允许在不属于任何牧场或公共用地的土地上放牧牲畜。自1873年起，任何用于牧业目的的王室土地占用不再通过常规牧业许可授权，而是适用第47条第7款。这一政策调整表明当局倾向于不为此类牧业用途提供长期使用权，也不将相关土地划为新牧场进行出售。该条款的应用得到官方倡导，因其不会在使用权期限或占用范围方面赋予任何额外特权。1869年《土地法》为土地认领人带来的额外利好政策，使得王室土地认领申请数量激增。到1873年，王室土地与勘测部（VA 538）在管理此类申请时面临诸多严峻问题，公众投诉达到历史峰值。投诉内容包括：申请处理周期极长、同一块地块的申请被违规批准给多人，以及回复申请人函件耗时良久。当部门收到王室土地认领申请后，会将其信息登记在专门的申请登记册中。1874年占用科成立之前，所有依据1869年《土地法》条款提交的申请，无论地理位置如何，均被统一记录在同一套登记册中。早期的申请登记册按申请人姓氏字母顺序排列，申请编号按字母表顺序分段连续分配。通常而言，每一类可用于土地认领的《土地法》条款，都会单独设立专属的申请登记册。例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第47条提交的申请，均被集中记录在同一登记册中。而使用频率较低的法案条款，其相关申请通常被整合记录在同一本登记册中。为合理化王室土地的管理流程，1874年在助理测量总监H·拜伦·摩尔的推动下，部门正式成立占用科，专门负责处理所有与王室土地占用相关的事务。全州被划分为15个土地辖区，分别为：阿拉拉特、巴拉瑞特、比奇沃斯、贝纳拉、卡斯尔梅因与邓诺利、伊丘卡、吉隆-瓦南布尔与坎珀当、汉密尔顿、霍舍姆、墨尔本、塞尔与贝恩斯代尔、桑德赫斯特（本迪戈）、西摩与圣阿尔诺。每个辖区在墨尔本的占用科均设有“地区土地办公室”作为官方代表。每个地区土地办公室配备双人工作台，供办事员与绘图员协同办公，所有文件、地图与规划图纸均放置在随手可取的位置。同一批工作人员负责王室土地出售从立项到最终处置的全流程业务。早期地区办公室的人员配置仅为办事员与绘图员，专门负责对应土地辖区的所有土地相关事务。到1877年，每个地区土地办公室已扩充配备地区官员、租赁办事员、绘图员与多名普通办事员。1874年占用科成立并将全州划分为土地辖区后，所有申请均按辖区进行分类登记。每个“地区土地办公室”自行创建并维护各自的申请登记册系列。1874年之后部门收到的所有新申请，均登记在单独的辖区专属登记册中，申请编号从1开始连续分配。不同土地辖区可使用相同的申请编号，例如巴拉瑞特与本迪戈土地辖区均可存在申请编号1021/49，唯有辖区名称搭配附带的档案编号才是唯一的档案标识符。申请人需在地区勘测办公室填写正式的申请表格。大多数土地辖区均设有地区勘测办公室，地区勘测员会将申请人的详细信息登记在地区勘测办公室留存的申请登记册中，并为每位申请人分配专属申请编号。该申请编号会直接标注在认领申请文件上，若申请最终获批，该编号即成为其永久档案编号。地区勘测员需在申请登记册中完整记录以下信息：申请编号、申请接收日期、申请人姓名、职业与所属教区、申请的地块编号与面积（英亩、路得与杆）。随后，申请文件会被转送至墨尔本占用科对应的地区土地办公室，并在该办公室的副本申请登记册中以相同的申请编号进行同步登记。地区勘测员还需同步转交申请地块的官方描图。申请地块的具体位置会立即用铅笔标注在工作规划图上。随后，地块描图会被送至矿产与供水部（VA 2720），以获取是否存在矿业异议的专业报告。若无矿业异议，该申请将被提交至地方土地委员会进行审理。地方土地委员会由当地社区代表与王室土地与勘测部（VA 538）的官方代表共同组成。委员会会公开审理所有针对同一块地块的申请人申请，并最终决定将许可证或租赁权授予何人。记录地方土地委员会决议的正式清单会被送至墨尔本占用科对应的地区土地办公室，决议内容会被完整录入申请登记册。土地与工程委员会（VA 744）作为管理王室土地的法定最高机构，会依据地方土地委员会的推荐意见，对土地认领申请作出最终批准。土地与工程委员会（VA 744）的最终决议随后会被正式录入申请登记册。登记册还会同步记录许可证发放日期以及该档案后续的所有相关操作。获批认领地块的申请人信息会被占用科的地区土地办公室绘图员标注在工作规划图上。申请地块的官方描图随后会被送至负责该土地辖区的王室土地执行官。1874年占用科成立后的新申请登记册，按土地辖区以及申请所依据的《土地法》条款进行双重编排。例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第47条提交的巴拉瑞特土地辖区申请，均被集中记录在同一套登记册中。而使用频率较低的法案条款，其相关申请通常被整合记录在同一本辖区专属登记册中。