VPRS 15645 Register of Licensees, Section 19 Land Act 1869, Receiver of Revenue Wedderburn

Full description

Under Section 19 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a three-year licence to occupy Crown land. The rent was set at two shillings per acre and a maximum of 320 acres per selector was allowed. On application, a deposit of half a years rent was paid. If the application was refused, the deposit was refunded. Section 20 of the Act placed conditions on the three-year licence with selectors required to improve their allotment by the erection of fencing and a dwelling, cultivation of their land and the destruction of vermin and noxious weeds. After the licence term had expired, the selector was eligible to apply for a seven-year lease or for a Crown Grant to purchase their allotment. Grants or leases were only approved if improvement conditions had been met. If a selector opted for a seven-year lease, the yearly rent was used to pay off the purchase price of the land. Rent previously paid under Section 19 was credited against the purchase price.

The Land Act 1878 in Section 2 extended the period of licenses under Section 19 of the Land Act 1869 to six years and reduced the fee to one shilling per annum. Section 11 of that Act provided for the issue of non-residence licenses for six years at a fee of two shillings per acre per annum. Leases were to be issued, on expiration of the license term, for a period of 14 years at a fee of two shillings per acre per annum. Further to this, Section 3 of the Land Act 1880 allowed application to be made for an alteration in the terms of a license, particularly in respect to the length of time granted for the making of improvements. If these new terms were then complied with, a lease could then be granted.

Records of rent payments were kept in Registers of Licensees or Lessees which gave the date of the lease or license, the name of the holder, the location (parish, allotment and section) and the extent of the land. Financial details included were the amount previously paid in license fees and the half-yearly instalments paid. In the column for remarks are notations regarding such matters as forfeiture, revocation and transfers of licenses and any relevant references to correspondence or entries in the Government Gazette.

Entries in this series refer mainly to payments made under Section 19 of the Land Act 1869 and the subsequent provisions of the 1878 Act. There are entries relating to other Sections of other Acts relating to the occupation and selection of land. Receivers of Revenue (often the Clerk of the Court) were authorised to recive rents from tenants of Crown Land. Wedderburn was a designated place of payment for the St Arnaud Land District.