VPRS 13374 Register of Applications, Castlemaine, Section 65 Land Acts 1884, 1890 and 1898 and Section 103 Land Act 1901 (Castlemaine District Survey Office)

This series was created by the District Survey Office at Castlemaine. It is duplicated by Register of Applications, Castlemaine, Section 65 Land Acts 1884, 1890 and 1898 and Section 103 Land Act 1901 (Occupation Branch) (VPRS 13373) which is the register created by the 'Castlemaine District Office' at the Occupation Branch.VPRS 13374/P1 was previously registered as Units 77 and 78 of VPRS 446/P Application Registers, Land Act 1884 and Unit 6 of VPRS 142/P Application Registers, Land Act 1890.Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded together in the one register. This was the case with a number of sections of the Land Act 1884. These sections remained in consolidations of the Land Act (1890 and 1901), but with a change in number of section. Other lesser sections were added and also entered in the same register from subsequent acts such as the Land Act 1891, Land Act 1898 and the Wattles Act 1890.Section 65 of the Land Act 1884 (and Section 103, Land Act 1901) provided for the annual licensing 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.When an application to select Crown land was received by the Department it would be registered in a register of applications. The contents of registers of applications were arranged alphabetically and application numbers were allocated consecutively in blocks for each letter of the alphabet.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 1021/32 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 land selection 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 location 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 or lease issued 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.Registers of applications control selection and occupation files. If an application to select Crown land was successful, the application number would become the file number. For example if an application to select under section 65 of the Land Act 1884 was registered as application number 324 then the selection or occupation file number would be 324/65.The application number remained the selection file number for a particular piece of land if all terms and conditions were met and the selection resulted in a Crown Grant. However, often the original selector did not end up owning the land. Many selectors forfeited or abandoned their licence or lease. If this were the case then the land was re-opened up for selection. Any new applicants were registered in a register of applications under a new application number. The original applicants file would be attached to the new selectors file. The new file number was annotated in the register against the original selectors' entry.Even if the same selector applied for a licence on land he had previously forfeited a new application number would be allocated and the file would have a new selection file number.

本系列档案由卡斯尔梅恩区测量办公室编制，副本源自《卡斯尔梅恩申请登记簿》，涵盖1884、1890及1898年《土地法案》第65条，以及1901年《土地法案》第103条（占用科）（VPRS 13373），后者由「卡斯尔梅恩区办公室」占用科编制。VPRS 13374/P1此前被登记为VPRS 446/P《1884年土地法案申请登记簿》第77、78单元，以及VPRS 142/P《1890年土地法案申请登记簿》第6单元。

法案中较为小众的条款常被整合至同一登记簿。1884年《土地法案》的多项条款便属此类，这些条款在1890及1901年《土地法案》的整合版中得以保留，但条款编号发生变更。后续出台的1891年《土地法案》、1898年《土地法案》及1890年《金合欢法案（Wattles Act）》新增了其他小众条款，并同样被纳入该登记簿。

1884年《土地法案》第65条（及1901年《土地法案》第103条）规定对含金（产金）土地进行年度许可。许可地块面积不得超过20英亩，且每人仅可持有一份许可。此类土地不得转让。1898年《土地法案》第90条对该条款进行修订，新增土地评估要求：若土地评估价值高于已缴租金，则后续年度租金不得超过每英亩2先令6便士，且无需缴纳年度许可费。

当土地部门收到皇家土地（Crown land）的选购申请后，会将其登记至申请登记簿。申请登记簿按字母顺序编排，申请编号按字母块连续分配。

为合理化皇家土地管理模式，1874年在助理测量总监H·拜伦·摩尔（H Byron Moore）的推动下成立占用科，负责处理所有与皇家土地占用相关的事务。

维多利亚州被划分为15个土地辖区，分别为：阿拉拉特、巴拉腊特、比奇沃思、贝纳拉、卡斯尔梅恩与邓诺利、伊丘卡、吉隆-瓦南布尔与坎珀当、汉密尔顿、霍舍姆、墨尔本、赛尔与贝恩斯代尔、桑德赫斯特（本迪戈）、西摩与圣阿诺德。每个辖区在墨尔本的占用科均设有「辖区土地办公室」。

每个辖区土地办公室配备双人工作台或办公桌，办事员与绘图员可在此协同办公，文件、地图与规划图均放置于随手可取之处。同一批工作人员负责皇家土地从「立项到处置」的全流程业务。辖区办公室的人员编制最初仅为一名办事员与一名绘图员，专门负责对应辖区的土地事务，其职责是熟悉本辖区情况并处理所有相关土地业务。至1877年，每个辖区土地办公室已配备一名辖区官员、一名租金办事员、一名绘图员及数名普通办事员。

1874年占用科成立并完成辖区划分后，申请按辖区进行登记。每个「辖区土地办公室」自行编制并维护专属的申请登记簿。1874年后部门收到的新申请，均登记于单独的辖区登记簿，申请编号从1开始连续分配。不同辖区可使用相同的申请编号，例如巴拉腊特与本迪戈土地辖区均可存在申请编号1021/32。唯有辖区名称搭配对应的档案编号，方可构成唯一标识符。

申请人需在区测量办公室填写申请表。多数土地辖区均设有区测量办公室，区测量员会将申请人信息登记于区测量办公室留存的申请登记簿，并为每位申请人分配申请编号。该申请编号会标注在选购申请表上，若申请获批，则成为其土地选购档案编号。

区测量员需在申请登记簿中记录：申请编号、申请接收日期、申请人姓名、职业与教区、申请的地块编号与面积（英亩、路得与平方杆）。随后申请表将被转交至墨尔本占用科对应的辖区土地办公室，该办公室会将相同的申请编号登记至副本申请登记簿中。区测量员还需一并转交申请地块的描图。

申请地块的位置会立即以铅笔绘制在工作规划图上。随后描图会被送至矿产与供水部（VA 2720），以获取是否存在采矿异议的报告。若无采矿异议，申请将提交至地方土地委员会审理。地方土地委员会由当地社区代表与皇家土地与测量部（VA 538）的代表组成，委员会会听取所有地块申请人的陈述，并决定许可或租赁的授予对象。记录地方土地委员会决议的清单会被转交至墨尔本占用科对应的辖区土地办公室，决议内容将被登记至申请登记簿。

负责皇家土地管理的法定机构土地与工程委员会（VA 744）会依据地方土地委员会的推荐，对土地选购申请作出最终批复。土地与工程委员会（VA 744）的决议会被记录至申请登记簿中。登记簿还会记录许可或租赁的签发日期，以及该档案后续的所有相关动作。墨尔本占用科的辖区土地办公室绘图员会将获批的地块选购人信息标注在工作规划图上，随后地块描图会被送交至负责对应辖区的皇家土地法警。

申请登记簿管控选购与占用档案。若皇家土地选购申请获批，申请编号将成为档案编号。例如，若依据1884年《土地法案》第65条提出的选购申请登记为编号324，则该选购或占用档案编号为324/65。若所有条款均得到履行且选购最终获得皇家授产（Crown Grant），则申请编号将作为对应地块的选购档案编号。但通常情况下，最初的选购人并不会最终拥有该土地。众多选购人会因违约或放弃许可/租赁而失去资格，此时土地将重新开放供选购。新申请人需使用新的申请编号登记至申请登记簿，原申请人的档案会被附加至新申请人的档案中。新档案编号会被标注在登记簿中原申请人的条目旁。即便同一选购人就此前已被没收的土地再次申请许可，也会被分配新的申请编号，该档案将拥有新的选购档案编号。