8.-6

IV

State Coal-mines Account, £24,990; total expenditure. £2.086,176; leaving a balance on the 31st of March last of t'312,366. £ Fjoan money to be received after 31st March — Under Finance Act, 1909 .... .... .... 260,000 Under Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act, 1909 .... .... .... .... 100,000 £360,000 The amount available to start current year, inclusive of the balance at the end of financial year, is .... .... .... .... .... t'662,366 LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS. For acquiring estates, and expenses incidental thereto, there was expended during 1909-10 the sum of £279,238. In the previous year the amount was £372,245. Particulars of expenditure and areas acquired in each provincial district since the system of purchasing land for settlements was commenced are shown hereunder :— Improvements, p, j, Incidental ExLttnd District. Number. -Area. penses. Roads, Preliminaries &c. Acres. £ £ Auckland. . .. .. .. .. 27 277,110 449,053 82,103 Hawke'eßay .. .. .. .. 26 193,414 1.205,631 76,450 Taranaki.." .. .. .. .. 4- 4,609 79,363 6,073 Wellington .. .. .. .. 26 60,824 473,629 60,797 Maryborough .. .. .. .. 9 114,979 354,463 44,905 Nelson 2 24,347 29,975 1,895 Westland.. 2 5,121 8,343 2,900 Canterbury .. .. .. .. 64 297,081 1,624,908 78,350 Otago '.. .. .. .. .. 30 203,686 967,458 83,549 Southland .. .. .. .. 7 56,917 213,387 19,315 197 1,238,091 5,406,210 456,337 I There are still considerable areas under offer, but the prices asked make it difficult to purchase any great area. During the year fourteen estates were purchased, ten of which have been settled. The number of applicants for farms containing an area sufficient to keep a man fully employed all the year round was far in excess of the number of sections offered. It would therefore appear that there is an unsatisfied demand for suitable lands in fair-sized holdings, which every effort must be made to meet. LAND AND INCOME TAX. Land-tax. The collection for the year was £642,270, being £17,270 in excess of the estimate of £625,000. It showed an increase of £37,370 over the collection of the previous year. In this connection 1 would point out to honourable members that we cannot look forward to recurring increases in the immediate future from this branch of the revenue. The legislation of 1907 is beginning to have effect, inasmuch as many of the large land-owners are now engaged in subdividing and disposing of their surplus land.