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The following comparison of the past five years shows how the area, occupation, and revenue have steadily increased year by year, the business of the past year exceeding that of any previous one : —

Lands opened for Selection. —The lands which have been offered for selection during the year (exclusive of the acquired estates, which are treated under a separate heading) may be summarised as follows : Offered for sale by public auction—seventy sections in the Township of Darfield, seventytwo in the Township of Rakaia, and eleven (the last remaining ones) in the Township of Ashburton. The whole of the Darfield sections were sold satisfactorily, there being at present a considerable demand for sections in the township, which was locked up for a long time by the operation of the Midland Railway contract. The sections offered at South Rakaia consisted of inferior remnants, and very few were sold. All the Ashburton sections were quitted satisfactorily. Offered for Optional Selection under Part 111. of " The Land Act, 1892." —Three sections, totalling 254 acres 3 roods 2 perches, situated near Amberley, Westerfield, and Fairlie. Two sections were taken up, both on lease in perpetuity, and one section of 89 acres near Westerfield still remains. Miscellaneous Occupation Licenses. —The leases for various terms of a number of blocks of Crown land or reserves were offered with a good measure of success, most of the areas being taken up readily. These comprised twenty-six lots, consisting of 105 acres 3 roods 37 perches, in the Hanmer Springs Town and Village, offered for forty-two years' lease ; one reserve of 785J acres near Yaldhurst, fourteen years' lease; eleven lots, comprising 13 acres 2 roods 38 perches, being the unsold lands in the South Rakaia Township, for seveu years' lease ; nine lots, covering 20 acres 2 roods 29 perches, being the unsold lands in the Chertsey Township, for five years' lease ; two lots, including 1,480 acres 2 roods 8 perches, being an endowment reserve near Hinds, for fourteen years' lease; and four lots, totalling 119 acres 2 roods 36 perches, near Rangitata, and in Geraldine and Arowhenua Townships, for seven and fourteen years' leases. Small .Grazing-runs. —Under this tenure an area of 9,584 acres of Crown land, situated near Albury, South Canterbury, was offered in two runs, in conjunction with the adjoining acquired Chamberlain Settlement (Opawa Estate), which furnished the necessary areas of low-lying land for the convenient and profitable working of the Crown land, the latter consisting exclusively of high pastoral country. Pastoral Runs. —The existing leases of a number of pastoral runs will expire on the 28th February, 1904, and in terms of the Land Act had to be reoffered at auction at least a year before that date. Preliminary to this it was necessary to classify them, for which purpose Messrs. D. McMillan, A. C. Pringle, and myself were appointed Classification Commissioners. During a period of three weeks steady and almost incessant travelling, the Commissioners visited and inspected the whole of the runs to be offered, with one or two exceptions, concerning which the Commissioners had sufficient personal knowledge or other valuable information. A large amount of information was collated from reports of District Surveyors, Crown Lands Rangers, and officers of the Stock Department; and to the owners and managers of the different runs visited the Commissioners are indebted for much courteous treatment and information and assistance readily supplied. The sales of leases of the runs were held at Timaru on the 24th February, and Christchurch on the 27th February. The total number of Crown runs offered was twenty-five, comprising an aggregate area of 500,512 acres, scattered over different parts of the district, from the Hurunui to the Waitaki Rivers. The Department also offered, as agents for the Boards of Governors of Canterbury College and the Canterbury Agricultural College, the leases of six runs, comprising 129,228 acres, being portions of the endowment reserves belonging to those institutions. Of the Crown runs, seventeen were sold at the auctions, in nearly all cases at the upset rents, and eight, comprising 111,420 acres, remained unsold. Of the endowment runs, four offered on behalf of the Canterbury College were all sold at the upsets, and two on behalf of the Canterbury Agricultural College were passed in. Some of the unsold runs have since been opened for lease on application, and one of them taken up. Proposals for dealing with the remainder are now under consideration. Transactions during the Year, and Areas held at the Close of the Year. —The cash sales effected during the year by auction consist of a number of sections in the Townships of Darfield, South Rakaia, and Ashburton. Under section 117 of "The Land Act, 1892," fourteen small sections, totalling 144 acres 3 roods 16 perches, have been disposed of to the adjoining owners without competition ; and two sections, comprising 78 acres 1 rood 13 perches, were sold by application under Part 111. of "The Laud Act, 1892," the purchasers being required to effect improvements before obtaining their titles.

Transactions. Total. Year. Number. Area. Area. Revenue. 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 359 313 181 199 341 Acres. 188,097 288,911 255,431 42,840 447,727 Acres. 3,596,391 3,938,976 4,056,237 4,070,398 4,097,973 £ s. d. 93,200 0 0 93,668 6 11 105,511 6 11 109,271 7 7 121,604 13 8