C—l2c.

Run No. Ill: 18,500 Acres. Twelve thousand acres of this is barren, and the grassy part is purely summer country. Run No. 112; Strounschrubie: 17,000 Acres, of which 7,000 Acres is barren. I would recommend that these two runs, No. 11l and No. 112, be offered as one run. At a fair rental a good living could be made. There is some very good land on Run No. 112 that would grow hay and turnips well. It would be quite useless to offer No. 11l by itself, there being practically no winter country thereon. If mi No. II): Hi,ooo Acres, of which 10,900 Acres is barren. This run is known as l\>tts Country or Hakatere Station No. 2. There is a fair proportion of fairly good winter country on the Potts River, and also on the Rangitata River frontage. There are also sonic very g I Hats, and a fair quantity of land lit for growing turnips and hay. The River Potts on one side would form a good natural boundary, and there is a fence on the other side. This run, leased in one run, would make a very fair run, but it would not do to subdivide it. Run No. //-I: Hakatere Slat ion: Acres, of which 17,000 Acres is barren. This run has some fair winter lacings on tin , Ashburton River, and on the lower end there are a few good facings; but there is a tremendous area of cold high country, and in my opinion the run could not be profitably subdivided. There is certainly some fair land on the lower end that could well Ik: utilized for growing winter feed, but I would not recommend this run to be divided. Him Xo. 116, known as Dunbar's: 25,000 Acres. This run has some very fair winter country on the facings of the Cameron River, and also some small patches at the lower end. There is also some fair swamp land, and a prettily situated but partially abandoned homestead on the shores of Lake Heron. Some good ground for cultivation could lie got. 1 would recommend this being leased in one run. Rim Xo. 11l ; Lake Heron Station:. 37,500 Acre,*, with 13,800 Acres barren. This run all lies at a very high altitude. It is the watershed of the Ashburton and Rakaia Rivers. The chief winter country on this run is some very steep facings on the Rakaia River. From their configuration I should think that, although they would clear of snow very quickly, yet sometimes the stuck would be subject to heavy losses from avalanches. The only other piece of country on this run that I should consider in any way safe in heavy snow is the north-west faces of a round conical-shaped hill standing by itself on the shores of Lake Heron. This piece might keep 1,000 sheep through a medium snowstorm. There is good ground for cultivation, but at present I could not recommend this station being divided. Runs Xi>. IIS and Xo. 119, known an Double Hill Station. These runs are worked as one run at present, comprising 113,000 acres, 29,500 acres of this being barren country. The thirty-miles frontage on the Rakaia River of these runs is far and away the best country we have inspected, both as to aspect and superior grass. This frontage is absolutely safe in the worst of winters, and a large proportion of the soil is of such good quality that it would grow almost anything. Were it not for the danger of rabbits and noxious weeds, it would pay to abandon the back country altogether, and settle the front, as only about three fencing-lines could l>e got through the back country which would be at all safe to stand the winter snows and shifting shingle. Leasing it separately, four runs is the most that could be got. Another method might be adopted satisfactorily—viz., to let the frontage in small blocks, say, from 12 to 18 blocks, and to leave the back country divided into two blocks as it is at present, and make the back blocks a commonage for the front settlers. lam sure that conditions could easily be drafted that would make this system work without any trouble or friction, and a prosperous settlement could be created with hardly any expenditure to the State. It would be necessary to make the road, up to the settlement on the south side of the river, but this would not be very difficult or expensive. The enhanced value received as rent for the settlement would more than pay interest on the cost of the road. Run No. 178, known at Lake Coleridge Station: 12,200 Acres of fairly Good Land. This run is bounded on one side by Lake Coleridge, and on the other partly by the Rakaia Forks Road, which is a first-class road. There is some very good land on the river side of this run that would grow good hay and turnips. Judging from its situation and configuration, this, I think, with a little cultivation, may lie considered a very safe run in almost any winter. It could easily be subdivided. I should say it would carry about 5,000 sheep. 2,500 sheep on this land in this locality would give a comfortable living for any reasonable family. I would recommend it being subdivided into two runs. Run Xo. 179, known as Acheron: 18,000 Acres, of which 13,000 Acres are barren. This is high, rough, mountainous hill-tops, with a few acres of flats on the Harper River. It is entirely cut off by the Education reserve, nnd it is impossible to deal with it except in conjunction with the Education reserve. Run No. 233; Glynnwye Station: 192,000 Acres. This is quite a different class of country from any that we have hitherto inspected. We inspected all the country on the Hope River, including what is known as Jacob's country, to the boundaries at the head of the Hope waters. We also went up the Waiau River to the Steyning,

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