VPRS 21945 Supreme Court, Register of Applications under the Unemployed Occupiers and Farmers Relief Act

Full description

This series comprises a register of applications made under Section 20 (9) of the Unemployed Occupiers and Farmers Relief Act 1931. Included in the register is the name of the applicant, their address, date of the order and government gazette reference the order was published in. The register was available for public scrutiny upon request. 

Under the Act, the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court, as well as other Court officials (including County and Courts of Petty Sessions) were required to keep the register although the applications were initially heard by the Courts of Petty Sessions. The Farmers Relief Act 1932 (No. 4060) changed the jurisdiction from the courts to the Farmers' Relief Board (VA 2267), although the court or board could issue a Protection Certificate if satisfied that debt proceedings were impending and that it was in the interests of the farmer and his creditors to issue the certificate.

The aim of the Act was to "provide Temporary Relief to Unemployed Lessees, Mortgagors and Purchasers under Contracts of Sale of Dwelling-Houses, and to Farmers in respect of Debts and other purposes." This was one of several actions taken to assist the community during the peak of the Great Depression. Various subsequent acts and schemes phased out applications under the 1931 Act.

See VA 2267 Farmers' Relief Board and VA 2269 Farmers' Debts Adjustment Board for more information about farmers' debt relief during this era.