VPRS 14120 Applications and File Management Cards, Bairnsdale Land District (Occupation Branch)

Application and file management cards replaced Registers of Applications in content and partly in function. Details given are the application number either as a single number or as the fraction where the denominator indicates the Section of the Act (the Land Acts of 1901, 1911, 1915 and 1928 were the main Acts) and the numerator is the file number, the name and address of the applicant, the area and location of the land (section, allotment, parish) and relevant dates. Other details are notations regarding file movements and management and the receipt and sending of correspondence. If a change was made in the Section of a Land Act under which a lease or a license to occupy had been issued the new file number might be found on this card.From about 1901 there was a steady decline in new applications being made under the Land Acts. In mid -1907 a circular was sent to District Land Officers notifying them that from that time onwards, all applications regardless of Act and Section of the Act, were to be recorded in a single register kept at the District Land Office and allocated an annual single number. Once applications had been ruled upon by the Local Land Board, details of those which had been successful were to be entered in the register to be kept at the District Land Office for specific Sections of an Act and allocated a running number which became the file number.Successful applications had this card and a rent payment card made up at theOccupation Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). Details of active files which were initially registered in the volume registers of applications were gradually transferred onto the cards with an annotation being made on the registers either by the word 'Card' or a tick beside the entry. Unsuccessful applications, after 1907, did not have a card made up. These were listed at the Department and papers were filed there in case of appeal against the decision of the Local Land Board.The system of District Land Offices parallelled by similar 'District Offices' in the Occupation Branch continued, with a smaller number of physically separate offices outside Melbourne. Within the Occupation Branch itself, officers dealt with the business of a number of District Offices with the number of Divisions within the Branch fluctuating in number relative to the amount of business to be transacted, this in turn being affected by legislative enactments.Cards in this series relate primarily to agricultural and grazing licenses and leases and selection purchase leases under the 1911 Land Act. Others relate to Sections 121, 129 and 86 Land Act 1915.Section 44 (Licensing) Section 46 (Lease and Grant) of the Land Act 1898 divided lands into three classes for the purpose of the licensing or leasing of agricultural allotments. No more than 200 acres of first-class lands were to be licensed at the rent of one shilling per acre per annum; no more than three hundred and twenty acres of second-class land at the annual rental of ninepence per acre. Both types of land were to be licensed for no more than six years.In the 1898 Act, Sections 58 and 59 provided for the extension of the licensing and leasing provisions for agricultural allotments to grazing allotments. Sections 59 and 61 of the Land Act 1898 allowed for the issue of residential or non-residential licenses for grazing allotments on third class land. A license to occupy could initially be issued for up to six years for 640 acres. If conditions relating to the provision of fencing and the destruction of vermin were met, a lease for 14 years could be obtained at a cost of sixpence per acre. Rent payments could be used to defray the cost of purchase at ten shillings per acre.Under the consolidated Land Act of 1901, agricultural allotments were dealt with under Sections 47 (licensing) and 49 (leasing) and grazing allotments by Sections 54 (licensing) and Section 56 (leasing).The Land Act 1911 (Section 6) brought these provisions to an end. As an alternative, the option of taking out a selection purchase lease was offered with a period of twenty years being offered to fulfil the payment conditions for either a residential selection purchase lease (Section 8) or a non-residential selection purchase lease (Section 13). Conditions and covenants of these leases were laid down in Section 11.Section 65 of the Land Act 1884 (Section 103 Land Act 1901 and Section 86 Land Act 1915) provided for the annual licensing of the occupation of auriferous (gold-bearing) lands. Areas licensed were to be of no more than 20 acres with only one license being allowed for each individual. There was to be no sale of these lands. This section was amended by Section 90 of the Land Act 1898 providing for the appraisal of these lands. If the value of the land was appraised to be more than the rent already paid on them, the subsequent rental was to be no more than two shillings and sixpence per annum with no annual license fee.Section 93 and Section 91 of the Land Act 1884 (Section 99 Land Act 1890, as Section 145 Land Act 1901 and subsequently as Section 129 Land Act 1915) provided for the licensing or leasing of Crown lands for a multitude of purposes such as rural businesses, the removal of raw materials and other purposes none of which were to be agricultural or grazing. Licenses were renewable annually at a fee to be set. Leases under the 1884 Act for these purposes were to be of no more than three acres at an annual rental of five pounds.Section 119 Land Act 1884 provided for the issuing of grazing licenses for Crown lands not otherwise held. This provision continued as Section 123 Land Act 1890, as Section 187 Land Act 1901 and subsequently as Section 121 Land Act 1915.Researchers should note that further research is required into the actual end date of this card recordkeeping system. Some evidence suggests that the card system continued into the 1970s, although some series may have ended previously. For some series of cards it is possible that these were the cards for files for which active life had ceased. It may also have been that all cards are included as details of all files were transferred to a subsequent system.

本系列文件管理卡片在内容与部分功能上取代了申请登记簿（Registers of Applications）。卡片所载信息包括：申请编号可采用单一编号形式，或分数形式：分母代表所适用的法案章节（1901年、1911年、1915年及1928年土地法为主要适用法案），分子则为文件编号；此外还包括申请人姓名与地址、土地面积与坐落信息（区段、分配地块、教区）及相关日期，以及文件流转与管理相关批注、往来函件的收发记录。

若某租赁或占用许可所依据的土地法案章节发生变更，则可在本卡片上查询到新的文件编号。

自1901年左右起，依据土地法提交的新申请数量持续下降。1907年中期，官方向地区土地官员（District Land Officers）下发通告，要求自此之后，无论所适用的法案及法案章节为何，所有申请均需登记在地区土地办公室留存的单一登记簿中，并分配年度统一编号。经地方土地委员会（Local Land Board）裁定后的申请，成功获批的案件详情需录入地区土地办公室留存的特定法案章节专属登记簿，并分配流水号作为文件编号。

获批申请会由王室土地与测量部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey，编号VA 538）职业科制作本卡片与租金缴纳卡片。最初登记在申请批量登记簿中的有效文件详情，会逐步迁移至卡片中，并在登记簿对应条目旁标注“Card”字样或打勾以示标记。1907年之后，未获批的申请不再制作卡片，此类申请仅在部门内留存清单，相关文件归档以备针对地方土地委员会决议的上诉使用。

地区土地办公室体系与职业分支内的类似“地区办事处”体系并行运作，墨尔本之外仅设有少量物理独立的办公点。在职业分支内部，工作人员可处理多个地区办事处的业务，分支内的部门数量会随待办业务量波动，而业务量又受立法法案出台的影响。

本系列卡片主要涉及1911年《土地法》框架下的农业与放牧许可、租赁及择购租赁（selection purchase lease）；其余卡片则涉及1915年《土地法》第121、129及86条。

1898年《土地法》第44条（许可）及第46条（租赁与授予）将土地划分为三类，用于农业地块的许可或租赁：一级土地的许可面积不得超过200英亩，年租金为每英亩1先令；二级土地的许可面积不得超过320英亩，年租金为每英亩9便士；两类土地的许可期限均不得超过6年。

1898年《土地法》第58、59条将农业地块的许可与租赁条款扩展至放牧地块。第59与61条允许为三类土地上的放牧地块发放居住类或非居住类许可。初始占用许可的发放期限最长可达6年，对应地块面积为640英亩。若满足围栏建设与灭杀害虫的相关条件，则可按每英亩6便士的成本获得为期14年的租赁。租金缴纳金额可用于抵扣购买土地的费用，抵扣标准为每英亩10先令。

根据1901年合并版《土地法》，农业地块的许可与租赁分别依据第47条（许可）与第49条（租赁）执行，放牧地块则依据第54条（许可）与第56条（租赁）执行。

1911年《土地法》第6条终止了上述条款。作为替代方案，官方推出了择购租赁选项，租赁期限为20年，申请人可选择居住类择购租赁（第8条）或非居住类择购租赁（第13条）。此类租赁的条件与契约条款在第11条中作出规定。

1884年《土地法》第65条（1901年《土地法》第103条，1915年《土地法》第86条）规定对产金（auriferous）土地的占用进行年度许可。许可地块面积不得超过20英亩，每人仅可获得一份许可，且不得出售此类土地。该条款经1898年《土地法》第90条修订，增加了土地估值要求：若土地估值高于已缴纳的租金，则后续租金不得超过每英亩每年2先令6便士，且无需缴纳年度许可费。

1884年《土地法》第93与91条（1890年《土地法》第99条，1901年《土地法》第145条，后调整为1915年《土地法》第129条）规定，可出于多种目的对王室土地发放许可或租赁，包括乡村企业、原材料运输及其他非农业、非放牧类用途。许可每年可续期，费用需另行设定。根据1884年法案发放的此类用途租赁，地块面积不得超过3英亩，年租金为5英镑。

1884年《土地法》第119条规定，可为未作其他处置的王室土地发放放牧许可。该条款先后演变为1890年《土地法》第123条、1901年《土地法》第187条，最终调整为1915年《土地法》第121条。

研究人员需注意，本卡片档案体系的实际终止日期仍需进一步调研。有证据表明该卡片体系延续至20世纪70年代，但部分系列可能在此前已终止。对于部分卡片系列而言，其对应的文件可能已停止活跃使用；也有可能所有卡片均已被纳入后续体系，因所有文件详情均已迁移至新系统中。