25

H.—9,

Sheep Inspector's Office, Dunedin. Sir, —Referring to my letter, No. 79/149, forwarding the annual return for 1878, and to the large decrease in the number of sheep in the Otago Districts since the previous year, I have the honor to submit for your information the following statement, from which it will be seen that, although the sheep depastured on runs do not double the number on freeholds, the losses on runs are more than seven times those on freeholds: — 1877. 1878. Decrease. Depastured on Freeholds ... ... ... 1,401,310 1,348,949 52,361 Runs ... ... ... 2,494,579 2,109,289 385,290 Hundreds ... ... ... 22,875 12,703 10,172 447,823 „ CommonagM ... ... ... 9,736 11,722 Increase 1,986 3,928,500 3,482,663 445,837 Taking into consideration that an annual decrease —governed by the amount of land alienated from the Crown and"becoming freehold —must take place on runs, yet even with this allowance the decrease of last year on the waste lands has been enormously heavy, especially as a less quantity of land was taken from the areas of runs during 1877-78 than in years previous. The losses on freeholds are to be accounted for by the severe snow-storms followed by floods in the spring; but the fact is only too apparent that, where the country is most infested with rabbits, there, the greatest loss has taken place. To exemplify this, Southland Subdivision (in which, so far as I can ascertain, no portion of the runs have been taken for sale or settlement under the Deferred-Payment or Agricultural Lease Regulations since 1876-77) is far worse infested than any other part of the district, and there, out of an aggregate of 768,000 in 1876-77, very little more than 600,000 are returned for 1877-78, or a loss of 150,000, leaving the remaining loss of 300,000 for the other subdivisions of Otago out of 3,000,000. 4—H. 9.

Name and Address of Owner. Freehold. Eun. Hundreds. Commonage. Total. Turnbull, George, Dunedin Turnbull, Eobert M., Linburn Tubman, Edward, Moa Flat Tweedie, William, South Tokomairiro Tauglian, D., Riverton Waddell and Cameron, Tuturau Walker, William, Stewart Island Wallace, David, Clinton Warden, Charles T., One-Tree Point Waters, Andrew, North Taieri Watson, Walter, Outram Watt, James, North Tokomairiro Watt, John. Kailnku Waugh, William, Teviot Wayne, Frederick, Milton Webster, George, Josephville Webster, G. M., Kakanui Webster, G. M., Windermere Westcott, William, Moa Flat White, James, Canada Bush Williams, Peter, fllaheno Williamson, Peter, Waihola Gorge Willocks, James, Inch Clutha Wilson, George, Otago Heads Wilson, James, lialclutha Wilson, James, Oteramika Wilson, John, Papakaio Wilson, J. and S., Papakaio Wilson, Robert, and Co., Wairaki Wisely, Alexander, Korth Tokomairiro Withers, Jolm, (Jueenstown Wohlers and others, Ruapuke Wriglit, Andrew, Goodwood Wright, John, Kailnku Wyper Brothers, Peninsula Young and Dalgctty, Omarama Young, David, Waipahi Young, James S., Palmerston Young, William, Porakanui Young, William, Waihola Youngson, Alexander, Warepa 32 108 400 216 35O 3,500 80 238 3' 300 50 112 640 55° 2,377 8,000 10,800 800 45 200 60 •l 150 1,200 155 39 600 2,700 3,000 200 23,700 2OO 32 23,808 400 216 35° 3,5°° 80 238 31 300 50 112 640 55° 2,377 8,000 11,000 800 45 200 60 6j ■ 5° 1,200 ' 55 39 600 2,700 6,000 400 12,000 2,1 OO 455 ' 03 130 48,250 220 3,ooo 2OO 2,100 455 103 '30 12,000 48,250 220 '35 100 '35 100 150 240 240 Total 1,348,949 2,109,289 12,703 11,722 3.482,663