C—l

100

During the past year 217 acres of bush have been felled and burnt, which makes the total area now felled 550 acres ; and 253 acres were sown with grass and clovers, &c, making a total of grassed lands of 333 acres; but last summer, of this area about 240 acres of the grass was practically destroyed by fire, and is being resown. The loss of this grass has been a great drawback to the progress of the settlers. The following are the total fmprovements made, and their estimated value at 31st March last : Felling, burning, and grassing, £916 ; cottage dwellings, £160; other buildings, £34 ; gardens, orchards, and crops, £40; fencing, £86; total, £1,236. The advances for building, &c, authorised amount to £200, and the advances made to £112. The settlers have twenty-seven horses, sixty-three head of horned cattle, twelve sheep, sixteen pigs, and 102 poultry. The settlers number ten, and all are married and have their families living with them. The present population of the settlement is sixty-one, of which twenty-five are adults and thirty-six children. During the year one of the original settlers abandoned his holding, which was immediately applied for by, and allotted to, an eligible married man. The welfare of these settlers, at the present time and for the next few years, requires, I think, serious consideration. There are no employers of labour in the vicinity, and no public works on which they could be employed long enough to earn sufficient for the support of themselves and families, and the fires having destroyed so much of their grass has reduced the grazing-capacity of their land for the present by about three-fourths. Paemako is situated on the line of the main road between Te Kuiti and Awakino, and is about twenty miles from the former. The land is nearly all open fern and light manuka country, consequently there is no bushfelling at which to employ the settlers, of which there are now eleven on the land, and there is still a vacant lot, which has been applied for by a man with a wife and family. The 100 acres of grass sown last year lam sorry to say has not done well, owing, I think, to severe frosts just after the seed had sprouted, and, for grass, a very uncongenial spring; and later, to the want of sufficient stock to keep down the fern and consolidate the surface. This year a further area of about 150 acres has been sown, of which 125 acres has been hand-cleared, burnt, sown, and harrowed, and the remainder sown on the ashes. The total improvements and their estimated value at 31st March are as follows : Burning, clearing, and grassing, £189; cottage dwellings, £190; other buildings, £15; gardens, orchards, and crops, £30; fencing, £213: total, £637. The number of acres in garden and orchard is 6, in crop 21. All the potato-crop was spoilt with frost. The present population is twenty-one adults, twenty-three children ; total, forty-four. The settlershaye the following stock : thirty-one horses, seventy-two horned cattle, twelve pigs, and ninety-two poultry. The remarks as to the welfare of the settlers at Te Eauamoa apply equally to these people, who without other work than on their own holdings cannot possibly succeed, and here there is no bushfelling on the land at which they can earn money. I think it would be a good thing if they could be employed to plough and harrow some of the land. C. W. Huesthousb, Eoad Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. The Waikopiro and Akiteo are the only settlements we have. In the former there are fifteen settlers, holding 1,771 acres. The block is nearly all forest country, and was taken up in 1894. Up to the 31st March last the improvements on the land had been effected to the value of £2,106, and there are fourteen houses in the settlement, valued at £500. At Whetukura Village, just adjoining, there is a store and post-office, while a school is being built. The settlement has made fair progress, 758 acres having been cleared and put down in grass, and 46 acres felled ready for burning; 574 chains of fencing have been erected; and the stock at present is 102 cows, seventeen horses, 434 sheep, and twelve, pigs. Government has advanced £1,141 os. lid. for improvements on the land, and £129 14s. 4d. for houses. Settlement has been at a disadvantage owing to bad road-communication and the want of a bridge over the Manawatu Eiver. The bridge, I hope, will soon be erected, and the road-communication to the back sections improved. When this is done it should be a prosperous settlement. At Akiteo there are only two sections, of acres, they being a portion of a large settlement situated in the Wellington Land District, but, as these two sections are over the boundary, they are administered by this office. Both selectors are residing, and have made improvements valued at £200. The Government has advanced £59 to them, £10 of it being for houses and £49 for bushfelling and other works. E. C. Gold-Smith, Commissioner of Crown Lands.

TARANAKI. Ngaire. —l7o acres 1 rood 30 perches, in sixteen sections, one of which is vacant. 149 acres have been grassed, 12-J- acres felled in 1897 and ready to be grassed. There are sixty-eight persons on the land, ninety-one cattle, and eighteen horses. Eight persons have been assisted in enlarging * their houses and improving them. The improvements, at selectors' own cost, are valued at £553. Poti. —loß acres, in eight sections, ail occupied. 92 acres grassed, 14-J acres felled and ready for grassing. There are forty-one persons on the land, and they have thirty-five cattle and eleven horses. Three settlers were assisted with erection of and additions to their houses during the year. The improvements, at selectors' own cost, are valued at £347.-Ma-ata. —3o acres, in three sections, two of which are occupied. 23 acres have been grassed, the remaining 7 acres in bush being on the unoccupied section. Two persons on the land, also five cattle, and one horse belonging to one occupier. The other one is getting his house built, and, when finished, will take his wife and family of five to live on the section. It was only allotted to him on the 26th January last. The improvements, at selectors' own cost, are valued at £29. The three settlements above mentioned are now well established and practically beyond the need of Government assistance; most of the settlers have paid up their rent which fell fell due on