VPRS 13154 Registers of Applications, Castlemaine, Section 49 Land Act 1869 (Castlemaine District Survey Office)

VPRS 13154/P1 Register of Applications, Castlemaine, Section 49 Land Act 1869 (Castlemaine District Survey Office) was created by the District Survey Office at Castlemaine.VPRS 13154/P1 was previously registered as Units 12 and 14 of VPRS 450/P Applications Registers, Land Act 1869 Section 49.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.Under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a licence to occupy and cultivate auriferous (gold field) land. The licence was for one year and the size of the land occupied was not to exceed 20 acres. The licence was renewable each year with the payment of a licence fee. A selector could not hold more than one licence under section 49 of the Land Act 1869.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 section 49 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same series of registers irrespective of location; see VPRS 13128/P1. 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 49 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 for Licence under Part II of Land Act 1869' 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 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 applicationsThe 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.After the creation of the Occupation Branch, applications made under the Land Act 1869 that had been registered prior to 1874 were copied to District Indexes that were separate from registers created for new applications received. These District Indexes that recorded pre 1874 applications are arranged alphabetically but the application numbers are not consecutive. An Index for the Castlemaine District in not in the custody of PROV as at September 2002.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 49 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.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 49 of the Land Act 1869 was registered as application number 324 then the selection or occupation file number would be 324/49.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. 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.

VPRS 13154/P1 卡斯尔梅因区申请登记册（1869年《土地法》（Land Act 1869）第49条，卡斯尔梅因区测量办公室（District Survey Office））由卡斯尔梅因区测量办公室编制。VPRS 13154/P1 原登记为VPRS 450/P 1869年《土地法》第49条申请登记册的第12、14单元。

1869年《土地法》的出台，使得维多利亚州此前未被占用的全部王室土地（Crown land）开放供土地申领。该法此前的1865年《土地法》第42条便已规定可在测量前申领土地，而在此之前，所有王室土地需先完成测量方可对外供应。1869年法案延续了"测量前免费申领"的规定，其立法目的在于鼓励在对殖民地最具优势的土地上开展定居活动。

依据1869年《土地法》第49条，土地申领人可申请许可证以占用并耕种含金（金矿区）土地。该许可证有效期为一年，占用土地面积不得超过20英亩，且可通过缴纳许可费逐年续期。根据该法第49条，一名申领人不得持有多于一份许可证。

1869年《土地法》为申领人带来的额外利好，使得王室土地申领申请数量激增。至1873年，王室土地与测量部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey，VA 538）在管理申请事务时面临诸多难题，公众投诉达到顶峰。投诉内容包括申请处理周期极长、同一地块的申请被批准给多人、回复函件耗时良久等。

当王室土地申领申请提交至该部后，会被登记至申请登记册中。在1874年占用事务分支（Occupation Branch）成立之前，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的申请均被记录在同一套登记册中，相关登记册详见VPRS 13128/P1。此类申请登记册按字母顺序编排，申请编号按字母表顺序以区块形式连续分配。

通常，每一类可用于土地申领的《土地法》条款都会单独设立申请登记册。例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的申请均记录在同一登记册中；而使用频率较低的法案条款，其申请往往也被记录在同一登记册中。

为理顺王室土地管理流程，1874年在助理测量总监H·拜伦·摩尔（H Byron Moore）的推动下，占用事务分支正式成立，负责处理所有与王室土地占用相关的事务。

该州被划分为15个土地行政区，分别为：阿拉拉特、巴拉瑞特、比奇沃思、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、Sale与贝恩斯代尔、桑德赫斯特（本迪戈）、西摩与圣阿尔诺。每个行政区均由位于墨尔本的占用事务分支下设的"区土地办公室（District Land Office）"负责对接。

每个区土地办公室配备一张双人办公桌或工作台，由一名文员与一名绘图员共同办公，文件、地图与规划等物料均放置在随手可取之处。同一批工作人员负责王室土地售卖从"发起至处置"的全流程事务。区土地办公室的人员配置最初仅为一名文员与一名绘图员，专门负责对应土地行政区的事务，其职责在于熟悉本辖区并处理所有相关土地业务。至1877年，每个区土地办公室的人员已扩充至区官员、租金文员、绘图员及多名普通文员。

1874年占用事务分支成立并将全州划分为土地行政区后，申请按行政区进行登记。每个"区土地办公室"均创建并维护各自的申请登记册系列。1874年之后收到的所有新申请，均在独立的区登记册中进行登记，申请编号从1开始连续分配。不同行政区可使用相同的申请编号，例如巴拉瑞特与本迪戈土地行政区均可存在申请编号1021/49，唯有结合行政区名称与附带的档案编号，方可成为唯一标识符。

申请人需在区测量办公室填写《1869年土地法第二部分下的许可证申请表》。大多数土地行政区均设有区测量办公室，区测量员会将申请人的详细信息记录在区测量办公室留存的申请登记册中，并为每位申请人分配申请编号。该申请编号会被标注在土地申领申请表上，若申请获批，该编号即成为该地块的申领档案编号。

区测量员需在申请登记册中记录以下信息：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，申请会被转发至位于墨尔本占用事务分支的对应区土地办公室，并由该处按相同的申请编号录入至一式两份的申请登记册中。区测量员还需随附申请地块的绘图描件。

申请地块的位置会立即以铅笔标注在工作规划图上。随后，该绘图描件会被送至矿产与供水部（Department of Mines and Water Supply，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（Local Land Board）进行听证。地方土地委员会由当地社区代表与王室土地与测量部（VA 538）的代表组成，负责审理所有地块申领申请人的诉求，并决定将许可证或租约授予何人。

记录地方土地委员会决议的清单会被转发至占用事务分支的对应区土地办公室，决议内容将被录入申请登记册中。土地与工程委员会（Board of Land and Works，VA 744）作为管理王室土地的法定机构，会依据地方土地委员会的建议，对土地申领作出最终批准。土地与工程委员会（VA 744）的决议同样会被记录在申请登记册中。登记册还会记录许可证的发放日期，以及该档案后续的所有相关操作。获得地块申领资格的申领人信息，会由占用事务分支的区土地办公室绘图员标注在工作规划图上。申请地块的绘图描件随后会被送至负责对应土地行政区的王室土地执行官。

在占用事务分支成立后，1874年之前登记的、依据1869年《土地法》提交的申请，会被抄录至与新申请登记册独立的区索引中。这些记录1874年之前申请的区索引按字母顺序编排，但申请编号并非连续分配。截至2002年9月，卡斯尔梅因行政区的此类索引并未由维多利亚州公共档案馆（Public Record Office Victoria，PROV）收藏。

新的申请登记册按土地行政区与申请所依据的《土地法》条款进行编排。例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的巴拉瑞特土地行政区申请，均记录在同一套登记册中。使用频率较低的法案条款，其申请往往也被记录在同一套区登记册中。

申请登记册管控着申领与占用档案。若王室土地申领申请获批，申请编号即成为档案编号。例如，若依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的申领申请登记编号为324，则该地块的申领或占用档案编号即为324/49。

若所有条款与条件均得到满足且申领最终获得王室土地授予（Crown Grant），则该申请编号将始终作为特定地块的申领档案编号。然而，许多初始申领人最终并未获得土地所有权，众多申领人因违约或放弃许可证而丧失资格。在此情况下，该土地会重新开放供申领。新的申请人会被分配新的申请编号并登记至申请登记册中，原申领人的档案会被附加至新申领人的档案中，新的档案编号会被注释在登记册中原申领人的条目旁。

即便同一申领人就此前已被其违约放弃的土地再次申请许可证，也会被分配新的申请编号，且该档案将拥有全新的申领档案编号。