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APPENDICES.

APPENDIX No. 1. EXTRACTS FEOM THE EEPORTS OF THE COMMISSIONEES OF CEOWN LANDS ON SETTLEMENT OPEEATIONS DUEING THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING 31st MAECH, 1892.

AUCKLAND. Table A shows a Summary of Total Area disposed of —105,119 acres 8 roods 23 perches, being 9,610 acres in excess of last year. Of this area the cash lands disposed of are comparatively small in area, being only 13,047 acres in extent, selected by 159 selectors, which gives an average area for each selector of 82 acres, with an average price per acre of 13s. lid. The analysis of holdings —Table B—shows that the areas purchased have been mostly under 200 acres; whilst Table C shows that out of the total cash land sold 12,984 acres have been rural land. Table D, Deferred-payment Lands, also shows a considerable increase upon last year's return, being of an area of 10,569 acres against 6,109 acres last year, or an increase of 4,460 acres. This area has been taken up by seventy-three selectors, or eight more than last year. The forfeitures have been fifteen, = 1,236 acres. Most of these have been for non-fulfilment of conditions, and no case of any special hardship has occurred. The total area held to date under this tenure is 61,517 acres, yielding a return annually of £5,412 ss. 4d. This area is held by 447 selectors. Table E, Perpetual Leases. —Under this heading the area leased shows a very large and remarkable increase, the area selected being 71,952 acres, against 55,536 acres for last year, or an increase of 16,416 acres. The number of selectors has only been, however, 226, giving an average area to each selector of 318 acres. The forfeitures and surrenders have been twenty-five in number, covering an area of 7,119 acres. The freeholds acquired during the year have been only three in number, and of an area of only 222 acres. The total area held to date under this system is 205,952 acres, leased by 857 selectors. The next table requiring any mention is Table J, Village Homestead Special Settlements. Of these it may be said that they are now holding their own to a great extent, though the weeding-out process has been continued during the past year to the number of sixteen selectors, who relinquished 690 acres. The total number of village homestead special settlers now is 298, holding an area of 12,498 acres, paying an annual rental (including interest upon advances) of £888 4s. 2d. Of the 298 selectors, some forty-eight in number have taken up and are holding additional areas to the total amount of 2,624 acres. I regret to say that the selectors in this class are still considerably in arrear with their payments, some 221 selectors owing for rent and interest £1,401 2s. 2d. (1 enclose the Village Steward's annual report to me, which gives further particulars of live-stock, &c.) Special Settlement Associations. —The statistics shown in Table X give all necessary particulars. The areas held are the same as last year, with the exception of the Gordon Settlement, near Te Aroha, in which there have been four forfeitures for non-fulfilment of conditions, containing a gross area of 436 acres. In the three special settlements —Canterbury (near Hokianga), Onewhero, and Gordon —there are altogether sixty-one resident settlers, and out of this number forty-six selectors owe for arrears of payments and rent £438 3s. 2d. The two settlements which can be called really successful are Canterbury and Onewhero (Tuakau). I may add that another association lately formed in Canterbury has taken up 20,000 acres of swamp-lauds near Matata. These are now being surveyed into 500-acre sections, and will be allotted very shortly. Table L, Homestead Lands, needs little notice, as the area open under these clauses of the Land Act is now becoming very limited (the number of selectors this year being two more than last year) —viz., eight, who selected an area of 1,010 acres, or an average of 226 acres each. The forfeitures for non-fulfilment of conditions been five, with an area of 396 acres. The remaining tables, M to T, call for no special comment. Improvement Conditions. —The improvement conditions obligatory under the various systems are as a rule faithfully carried out, and the total value of improvements made is greatly in excess of that required by law. Of course, there are exceptions, and in these particular cases, after due notice, and every case being patiently and fully gone into, forfeiture invariably follows when no attempt is made to fulfil the obligation. I have had to depend greatly upon the field surveyors and Forest Eangers for necessary inspections during the past year, owing to the large number of selectors now upon the books making it quite impossible for Mr. Hill to overtake a quarter of the work entailed. State Forests and Plantations. —During the past year Mr. H. S. Wilson has had the care of the Puhipuhi Forest added to his other duties. He has kept a careful oversight of all the scattered forests under his care. Under Mr. Wilson's direction some 1,100 acres of the burnt portion of the Puhipuhi Forest has been sown with rye-grass, cocksfoot, white clover, and Agrostis brownii. It is proposed to lay off suitable areas into sections for lease under pastoral regulations, making it a special condition that lessees shall be guardians of the burnt kauri standing on their leases.

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