The Agricultural Reserves Act of 1863 was introduced to amend the Alienation of Crown Lands Act of 1860 specific to Agricultural Reserves.
In brief, it allowed for:
→ the repeal Sections X, XI and XIII of the ‘Alienation of Crown Lands Act of 1860’;
→ the Governor to proclaim agricultural reserves;
→ the provision ” . . . that there shall at no time be a less quantity of available land open for selection within the said agricultural reserves than fifty thousand acres on the shores or navigable waters of Moreton Bay Wide Bay Port Curtis and Keppel Bay and also within seven miles of all towns whose inhabitants shall exceed five hundred in number not less than two thousand five hundred acres . . . “
→ the provision that lands in agricultural reserves be surveyed into portions not less than 18 acres and not more than 320 acres, and that the price be set at 20 shillings per acre;
→ the purchase of agricultural reserve land open for sale by selection on the proviso that 20 shillings per acre be paid to the land agent plus the deed fee;
→ the application to survey sectors of agricultural reserve land not yet surveyed – the survey to be at the expense of the applicant who must supply a certificate by an authorised officer, to clearly identify the selection, and must pay the 20 shillings per acre plus the deed fee to the land agent;
→ the provision that once the above application is accepted, that the survey be completed within 3 months;
→ the provision of any lands privately surveyed be reclaimed for public roads;
→ selectors to declare via standardised schedules attached to the Act, that after a 12 month period, the selector had resided on the selected lands for at least 6 months, had cultivated at least one-sixth of the land, and had fenced all the selected land ” . . . with a substantial fence of not less than two rails . . . “ – should these conditions be declared as having been met, and evidence supplied if requested, then a Deed of Grant would be issued;
→ the condition that should selectors fail to meet the conditions above, they forfeit their selection and the purchase monies would be refunded ” . . . less by one-fourth part . . . “;
→ the condition that selections shall share common boundaries, that the size of the selections not exceed 320 acres, and, that ” . . . no minor agent or trustee shall select land in any such reserve . . . “;
→ conditions of agricultural land leases, purchase of leased lands and withdrawal of leases;
→ ” . . . Any person making a false declaration under the provisions of this Act shall be deemed guilty of perjury . . . “;
→ the conditions of forfeit of lands purchased under the Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1860 – being the refund of the purchase cost less 10% by means of transferable land orders;
→ conditions under which the Governor can make alterations to the Act, and regulations.
→ the provision of standardised forms, named ‘Schedules’, for the purpose of an application to become a selector of land, and, declaring that the conditions of the Act have been met.
.
View other important events in Queensland’s History . . .
