VPRS 15568 Soldier Settlers' Concession Committee, Section 15 Closer Settlement Act 1925

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Section 15 of Part II of the Closer Settlement Act 1925 allowed lessees under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act to apply, if owing to adverse circumstances and other stated reasons they could not meet all their obligations, to have certain debts written off.

This series gives details of the Committees formed to deal with these applications. Listings are given in the front of the volume of the membership of committees for the different areas of the state and a summary of the procedures these Committees were to follow. A memorandum addressed to the Committees explained the scope which they had in making their recommendations.

The minutes in the series consist of a summary of the applications dealt with by the Committee for Geelong and Hamilton and for part of Sale and Bairnsdale and Beechworth. Details given are the case number allocated, the name and location of the applicant, the Discharged Soldier Settlement lease number, the arrears owed by the applicant and the amount applied for. A brief summary is given of the adverse circumstances as described by the applicant (often inadequately sized holdings, low prices, crop failures or such things as drought and personal difficulties). Finally, the amount allocated to the applicant is stated.