I

1901. NEW ZEALAND.

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

The Undee-Secretary for Ceown Lands and Assistant Subyeyoe-General to the Hon. the Minister of Lands. Sib, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, 27th July, 1901. I have the honour to submit herewith the annual report on the operations of the Department of Lands and Survey for the twelve months which ended on the 31st March, 1901. I have, &c, A. Bareon, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands, The Hon. T. Y. Duncan, Assistant Surveyor-General. Minister of Lands.

LANDS. The transactions for the past year have been fully equal to those of 1899-1900, the actual lands dealt with being 1,667,744 acres, as against 1,573,823 acres of the previous year ; and the cash collected is £431,338, as against £382,943 for the year 1899-1900. The new selections are 2,312 for the past year, and 2,310 for the year before. The largest transactions in actual settlement have been in the Auckland District, where 472 settlers took up on leasehold tenure 182,236 acres, chiefly from the forest lands between Te Kuiti and Kawhia. Wellington comes next with 149 leasehold settlers on 40,143 acres, Taranaki with 145 settlers on 66,121 acres, Otago with 109 settlers on 25,327 acres. The other districts follow at considerable distances, and make up the total of 1,162 leasehold settlers on 406,932 acres during the year. Sales of rural land for cash were made to 165 selectors of 58,245 acres. During the year 195 holders of the old perpetual leases converted their leaseholds of 67,941 acres into freehold, and 177 holders of deferred-payment licenses made their final payments on 23,824 acres, and also became freeholders. Four settlers under the homestead system were also granted freehold titles, the area being 303 acres 2 roods. i—C. 1.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY (ANNUAL REPOET ON).