VPRS 10384 Advances Files, Approved Overseas Immigrants, Closer and Soldier Settlement, 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) 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 (for either 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 Commisssion (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. The 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.Under the provisions of the British Empire Settlement Act 1922 a number of agreements were made between the Imperial, Commonwealth and State Governments to encourage British residents to migrate to Australia for the purpose of land settlement and to augment the labour force. Overseas promotion and supervision of selection for these schemes became a Commonwealth responsibility. However, management of settlers, their training and their placement on the land was managed in Victoria by the Closer Settlement authorities.

本系列档案由王室土地与测绘部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey）定居拓展处（Closer Settlement Branch，VA 538）的官员创建并维护，相关档案源自两项定居者预付款方案：一是自1898年《土地法》（Land Act 1898）第三部分起实施的紧密定居计划（Closer Settlement scheme），二是依据1917年《退伍军人定居法》（Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1917）推行的退伍军人定居计划（Soldier Settlement schemes）。
本档案可佐证预付款账户持有人及租赁土地的相关情况。档案封面上标注的信息包括：地产与土地持有人姓名、土地租赁的位置与面积，以及租赁日期与租期。其余细节可包括已发放预付款的汇总信息、预付款用途（用于建房、土地平整、安装铁丝网围栏或购置牲畜），以及农产品留置权与付款情况的汇总记录。
档案内还可能包含定居者与定居拓展委员会（Closer Settlement Board，VA 2266）或定居拓展专员公署（Closer Settlement Commission，VA 2268）之间的往来信函、预付款申请、土地定居督察（Inspectors of Land Settlement）出具的改良报告、付款收据、资产变现文件，以及与预付款账户相关的委员会听证记录、诉讼程序与裁决结果。部分档案的正面页面盖有“亏损案例（deficiency case）”印章，该印章通常在判定定居者几乎或完全无法偿还预付款时加盖。
参与紧密定居或退伍军人定居项目的土地承租人最初可按居住与改良要求租赁土地，租期为六年。租赁条款要求承租人围栏圈地、灭杀有害动物与杂草，部分租赁协议还要求承租人在一年内于土地上建造住宅。租期届满六年后，承租人可抵押、转让或转租其土地；若已付清剩余购地款项，还可申请王室授予土地所有权。
《紧密定居法》与1917年《退伍军人定居法》（及其后续法案）均允许向定居者发放预付款，用于建房、围栏搭建、购置农具与牲畜，以及其他指定用途。可获得的预付款金额与还款条款均在法案中列明，委员会（或专员公署）可通过留置权、抵押权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《退伍军人法案担保登记册》与VPRS 11923《紧密定居法案担保登记册》。
当首次遴选紧密定居土地时，与其他王室土地一样，会创建一份遴选档案。此类遴选档案保存于VPRS 5714《紧密[及退伍军人]定居档案》中。若定居者提交预付款申请并获得批准，则会创建一份预付款档案。预付款档案会记录预付款账户持有人的紧密定居遴选档案编号。反之，若存在预付款档案，遴选档案也会标注该预付款档案编号。两类档案需同步维护：遴选档案记录土地租赁/许可的相关信息，而预付款档案则专门记录向租赁/许可持有人发放的预付款相关信息。
根据1922年《大英帝国定居法》（British Empire Settlement Act 1922）的规定，大英帝国、联邦政府与州政府签署了多项协议，以鼓励英国居民移民澳大利亚从事土地定居工作并补充劳动力。此类项目的海外推广与遴选监督工作由联邦政府负责，但维多利亚州的定居者管理、培训及土地安置工作均由定居拓展主管部门负责。