C—l

2

From this table it will be seen that there is an increase of 131 selectors and 48,600 acres of Crown land as compared with last year. The total revenue shows an increase of £4,267. The number of selectors now on the books is 4,397, holding 1,108,842 acres. Cash Sales. —The total amount received for cash sales is £3,486 7s. 3d., for town, suburban, and rural lands totalling 9,464 acres 2 roods 8 perches. Deferred Payment. —There are seventy-two selectors holding 8,330 acres. The instalments and interest received during the year amounted to £634. Fourteen selectors, holding 1,663 acres, are in arrears of payment amounting to £45. During the year thirty-three selectors acquired the freehold of 3,911 acres, two holdings of 130 acres were forfeited, and one selection of 213 acres was exchanged to lease in perpetuity. Perpetual Lease. —There are 314 selectors holding 61,998 acres at an annual rental of £1,662. Sixty-six selectors acquired the freehold of 19,411 acres during the year. Seven lessees exchanged 1,637 acres from this tenure to that of lease in perpetuity, and one holding of 65 acres was surrendered. Thirty-five lessees, holding 6,339 acres, are in arrears amounting to £138. Occupation with Right of Purchase. —Compared with last year there has been an increase of selectors numbering thirty-four, and in area 4,151 acres. The revenue derived from this form of tenure amounted to £11,517, an increase on last year's figures of £3,767, exclusive of £359 received from seven selectors who acquired freehold of 825 acres. Forty-nine selectors forfeited 15,040 acres, and seven selectors surrendered their holdings of 1,286 acres. The net area now held by 1,814 selectors is 453,019 acres, the annual rent of such area being £12,017. This includes two reinstatements made during the year of 373 acres. 155 selectors, holding 38,196 acres, are £1,086 in arrears. Lease in Perpetuity. —There is a considerable increase in the number of selectors under this tenure as compared with those of last year. The total new selections during the year was 169, with an area of 70,760 acres, being seventy-eight selectors and an area of 46,789 acres in excess of last year's figures. Three holdings of 1,132 acres were reinstated, whilst sixteen selectors exchanged 2,199 acres from other tenures. 7,968 acres were forfeited by twenty-eight selectors, and thirteen selectors surrendered 6,572 acres. 1,088 selectors now hold 251,892 acres at an annual rental of £6,478. The total revenue received during the year amounts to £6,087. 126 selectors, holding an area of 24,878 acres, are £753 in arrears. The increase of selectors under this tenure is owing to the fact that most of the land in the Kawhia County had to be opened for selection as lease in perpetuity only, under section 121 of the Land Act, on account of the existence of minerals. Lease in Perpetuity under the Land for Settlements Act. —During the year thirty-one holdings, totalling 1,061 acres, were taken up at an average rental of 4s. 6d. per acre. The revenue received for the year amounted to £5,111. Three selectors forfeited 287 acres, and three holdings of 9 acres were surrendered. Three reinstatements, aggregating 600 acres, were made. The net area held by 177 selectors is 33,729 acres. Fifteen selectors, holding 3,536 acres, are £485 in arrears. Leases under " The Mining Districts Land Occupation Act, 1894." —Eighteen selectors took up 963 acres at an annual rental of £62. The revenue received during the year amounted to £330. The net area held by 154 selectors is 7,214 acres. Four selectors, holding 93 acres, are £4 in arrears. Village-homestead Special Settlements. — There is a further decrease in the number of these selectors. Two have forfeited their holdings of a total area of 94 acres, and one has surrendered 48 acres. Eight selectors, holding 349 acres, exchanged to lease in perpetuity, leaving a net area of 1,859 acres held by fifty selectors. The amount received during the year was £251. Twelve selectors, occupying 467 acres, are in arrears to the extent of £104. Homestead Lands. —There remains only one selector holding 30 acres under this tenure. Since the commencement of the system 463 selectors have acquired the freehold of 76,066 acres. Special-settlement Associations. —There are now ninety selectors holding 15,406 acres, but only thirty-nine selectors actually reside on 6,777 acres. There were thirty-one forfeitures aggregating 5,824 acres, and one surrender of 200 acres. Three selectors, with 500 acres, are in arrears to the amount of £8 only. For the purpose of providing returned troopers with land, the Otanake Block, containing an area of 7,253 acres, was opened for selection during the year. Of that area, twenty-nine holdings were selected, absorbing 5,761 acres, leaving seven holdings of a total area of 1,492 acres. These have since been applied for, but the transactions are as yet incomplete. Small Grazing-runs. —There were no new selectors under this tenure during the year. One holding of 986 acres at an annual rental of £24 was surrendered, leaving a net area held by nine selectors of 57,711 acres at an annual rental of £458. The amount received during the year was £467. Two selectors, with 9,299 acres, are £73 in arrears. Pastoral Runs. —One holding of 5,030 acres was granted at an annual rental of £12. There are now twenty-six holdings, aggregating an area of 138,246 acres, for which an annual rental of £561 is payable. The sum received as revenue for the year amounted to £85. Six holders of 64,084 acres were £481 in arrears with their rental payments. Miscellaneous Leases and Licenses. —Forty-seven of these were granted during the year, the total area involved being 14,538 acres at an annual rental of £385. The rent received amounted to £1,029, including the rent on account of reserves. 191 holdings are now shown in the books, this number absorbing an area of 43,945 acres producing an annual rental of £1,166. Twentysix lessees are £161 in arrears. Miscellaneous Leases under Land for Settlements Act. —Six selectors took up 462 acres, at an annual rental of £86, under the miscellaneous lease conditions, making a total of fifteen holdings now held under this tenure, the area absorbed being 622 acres at an annual rental of £123. The revenue derived from this source amounted to £657, of which sum £549 represents repayments on account of buildings and cost of insurance thereon.