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1895. NEW ZEALAND.

"THE GOVERNMENT ADVANCES TO SETTLERS ACT, 1894" (REPORT RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRETION OF).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Mr. J. K. Wabbueton, the Superintendent, to the Hon. the Colonial Teeasureb. The Government Advances to Settlers Office, The Hon. the Colonial Tbeasubeb,— Wellington, 6th July, 1895. I propose in this paper to briefly trace the course of the administration of " The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894," and to state the results to the 31st May last. The balancesheet to the 31st March last has already, in compliance with the Act, been prepared and presented to the General Assembly, but the business since the close of the period comprised in the balance-sheet has developed so much, and has been comparatively so much larger, that a statement not embracing this business would be unsatisfactory. The Act became law on the 18th October, 1894, and on the 28th of the same month I was appointed to hold the office of Superintendent in conjunction with my office of Public Trustee. The Bank of New Zealand was in the following month appointed by the Governor to be the bank in which the Government Advances to Settlers Office Account should be kept; and an arrangement was subsequently made with the Postmaster-General for the Postmasters in charge of the moneyorder offices of the colony to receive money and pay accounts for the Advances to Settlers Office in much the same manner as they already perform these services for the Public Trust Office. The regulations for the administration of the office, and prescribing the form of application for a loan, the valuation-fees, and the legal costs, were made on the 3rd December, 1894, and published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 6th of the same month, to take effect from the date of such publication. A copy of these regulations is appended, together with a copy of additional regulations made on the sth of April, and published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 9th, prescribing a form of declaration of secrecy to be made by all persons employed in the office, and authorising the Superintendent to refund the whole or any portion of the valuation-fees not expended in valuation. The prescribed form of application for a loan and a form of notice to be sent to the Commissioners of Crown Lands by every applicant for a loan on the security of a Crown leasehold were, in December, 1894, as soon as possible after the regulations had been gazetted, supplied to all the Postmasters in the colony, with a copy of the regulations under the Act, and with the following instructions from the Post Office :— " For the convenience of the settlers throughout the colony who may desire to obtain " advances under ' The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894,' it has been arranged to " supply every post-office in the colony, for issue to intending applicants, with the forms which " have been printed for the purpose of the applications. " The following are the forms : — " Application for a loan under ' The Government Advances to Settlers Act, 1894.' " Envelopes addressed to the Superintendent, in which the applications are to be trans- " mitted to him. , " Notice to Commissioner of Crown Lands of applications made for advances on lease- " hold interests in classes of lands, (2), (3), and (4). " Envelopes addressed to the Commissioner, in which the notices are to be trans- " mitted to him. " The forms themselves explain the use for which they are intended ; but, of course, the " Postmasters of whom intending applicants may inquire are to afford respecting such use all " the information that can be afforded, and to allow the applicant to peruse the regulations " under which the advances are made, and a copy of which will be supplied for the purpose." It will be observed that in the form of application for a loan a direction is given that, if the relative security is a leasehold interest under one of the Crown leases which form securities for advances under the Act, the applicant is required, before posting the application to the Superin--I—B. 13a.