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the amount of £97 Is. 6d. Two exchanges from perpetual lease to lease in perpetuity were made, area 207 acres. Four leases were forfeited, area 1,567 acres. Six leases surrendered, 5,302 acres; three of the surrenders being made in order to obtain reduction of rent. Village Settlements (all Tenures). —During the year, in conjunction with other work, and as circumstances permitted, Ranger Campbell has made a thorough inspection of all the village settlements in this land district, forty in number, and the results of his inspections are given below. The village settlements are held as follows : Deferred payment, ten selectors, 205 acres 2 roods 13 perches, £10 10s. annual rental ; perpetual lease, 101 selectors, 1,394 acres 2 roods 36 perches, £181 2s. lOd. annual rental ; occupation with right of purchase, four selectors, 4 acres and 24 perches, £2 13s. 2d. annual rental; lease in perpetuity, 263 selectors, 4,052 acres and 12 perches, £371 18s. Bd. annual rental; village-homestead special settlements, fifty-three selectors, 568 acres 1 rood 24 perches, £135 18s. annual rental: total, 431 selectors, 6,224 acres 3 roods 29 perches, £702 2s. Bd. annual rental. Seventeen selections on lease in perpetuity, of a total area of 313 acres, were made during the year. Two deferred-payment licenses, comprising 34 acres, and three perpetual leases, containing 44 acres, were made freehold during the year. One exchange from perpetual lease to lease in perpetuity was made, area Hi acres. One perpetual lease, 13 acres, and five leases in perpetuity, 111-J- acres, were forfeited ; and one lease in perpetuity, of 19J acres, was surrendered. The total number of selectors in arrear out of 431 was twenty-one, holding 390 acres, and the amount of arrears, £21 15s. Id. The year's transactions show an increase of six selectors, and an increase in area held of ninety-one acres, as compared with last year. The settlers generally appear to be a hard-working industrious class, and to have coped well with the difficulties of their position. The total value of improvements effected is £25,284; the value required being £7,286. The Ranger reports as follows: "I find that this class of settlement is not so popular in the Southland District as formerly, owing no doubt to not having the proper class of land for settlement. lam glad to say that the settlers under the village and village homesteads are prosperous; they have made good and substantial improvements in the way of buildings, fencing and clearing, and grass-sowing. The holdings are small, consequently they have almost entirely to depend on outside labour and poultry and pigs. The majority of them are prosperous and industrious, and few, if any, make complaint. Their progress, industry, prospect, and condition in the way of labour are good. They all seem contented, and give no trouble. I have every reason to believe that their success is assured." Small Grazing-runs. —With the exception of one small grazing-run of 1,150 acres in the Glenham Settlement taken up, there has been no movement in this tenure. There are eighteen lessees of ordinary small grazing-runs, holding 61,293 acres. There have been no forfeitures or surrenders ; and only one lessee is in arrear, for the amount of £8 4s. 7d., as against seven last year, owing £167 7s. 7d. Pastoral Runs, Ordinary. —During the year under review 117,328 acres in seven runs was offered for sale, and 299,903 acres, comprising eighteen runs, was taken up; but of these, thirteen licenses, covering 117,671 acres, were offered in the previous financial year, the rentals commencing this year. Fifteen licenses, covering 144,367 acres, expired; two licenses for 14,100 acres were forfeited; and one license for 7,811 acres was surrendered. One of the forfeited runs and the surrendered run were again taken up during the year. The number of licenses now held under this tenure is ninety-two, over a net area of 1,416,532 acres. None of the licensees are in arrear with rent. Endowment Lands. —A total area of 51,564 acres of endowment lands, held by seventy-three lessees, is administered by the Southland Land Board. Of this area, 33,828 acres belongs to the Bluff Harbour Board, and is divided into five pastoral runs, three small grazing-runs, and one small area held on yearly license ; total, nine lessees, Bluff Harbour Board Endowment. The balance of 17,736 acres belongs to the Otago School Commissioners, and is divided into seven deferred-payment licenses, thirty perpetual leases, twenty-six leases in perpetuity, and one occupation-with-right-of-purchase license; total, sixty-four lessees, Otago School Commissioners' Endowment. Of the seventy-three lessees, twenty-two are in arrear to the amount of £222 18s. 3d., but lam taking steps to have this amount reduced at an early date. There were three exchanges from perpetual lease to lease in perpetuity ; area, 931 acres. Miscellaneous Leases. —ln this Class two coal leases, for an area of 44 acres, were taken up; three flax-cutting licenses, over a total area of 5,520 acres; and thirty-five ordinary, over 2,250 acres; also five under the Land for Settlements Acts, totalling 1,689 acres. The total number of miscellaneous leases of all classes held is 319, over 45,365 acres. Total rental, £916 lis. 4d. No arrears of rent. " The Mining Districts Land Occupation Act, 1894." —Under this tenure thirteen applications, for a total area of 746 acres of unsurveyed land, were received. Ten of them, covering 681 acres, were approved by the Land Board ; and the remaining three have not yet been reported upon by the Warden. Four leases, of an area of 350 acres, were forfeited or surrendered. The total number of selectors is forty-four, and the area held 1,616 acres. Land for Settlements. In this district there are five settlements purchased under the Land for Settlements Acts, containing a total area of 34,373 acres, of which 26,820 acres is leased by ninety-four selectors, and the total rental payable thereon is £3,838 Bs. 3d.; the amount in arrears being £566 12s. lid. This amount is a large proportion of the total rental payable, the Land Board having dealt