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Lands to he opened during the Yeah. The settlements to be offered during the ensuing year will include the Drayton Settlement, near Templeton, comprising 987 acres, to be divided into twenty sections; the Allanholme Settlement, near Waihao Forks, comprising an area of 1,911 acres, to lje divided into eight agricultural farms; and the Douglas Settlement, of about .'S,b'oo acres, near Waihao Downs, to be divided into twenty-three agricultural holdings, with v few small allotments for agricultural labourers. The Sherwood Downs Estate, near Fairlie, comprising about 11,500 acres of freehold and 45,000 acres of Crown leasehold, has also been acquired, and will probably be offered in March next. Tenure of Settlements. There are now established in this district sixty settlements and a few homestead sites, &c. These comprise a total occupied area of ."{21,241 acres 2 roods 5 perches, occupied in 1,414 holdings. The total resident population of these lands is 5,435 souls. The aggregate value of improvements required by the terms of the lease is £320,960 .'ss. 4d., and the total value effected is £573,850 7s. lid. The stock depastured on the settlements include 2%,!)22 sheep, 6,867 head of cattle 5,5-17 horses, and 3,411 pigs. The annual rental of the occupied lands is t, v '!),!)!) I L3s. 10d., and the total receipts since the inception of the system in 1894 amount to £727,000 Bs. -Id. Condition of Established Settlements. A review of the reports received from the Crown Lands Rangers on all the land-for-settlements estates throughout the district at the close of the year serves to still further emphasize what has been stated in previous reports concerning the uncpualifk'd success which lias, with very few exceptions, attended this system of land-settlement, and which has not only benefited the individual settlers, but has contributed in a striking degree to the advancement and prosperity of the district as a whole The past season has, in many localities, been a trying one for the farming community, but returns generally have proved to be better than there appeared to l>e reason to anticipate, and in the older-established settlements the position of the tenants is too well assured to be materially affected by a single unfavourable season. On some of the newer settlements the drought will have tendered the struggle of the new tenants harder ; for while a settler in an assured position and with all necessary improvements effected can stand a temporary reverse, on the other hand, a new settler, who must necessarilj , lay out a considerable amount of capital in buildings and other improvements, stands all the more in need of good returns for the opening years of his occupation. As regards the fulfilment of conditions, the position disclosed by the Hangers' reports can only be regarded as eminently satisfactory. The proportion of actual defaulters in respect of any of the requirements is very small, and in most of these eases the default is only partial, consisting in the majority of cases of failure to effect the full value of improvements required for the sixth year of occupation. In most of these instances, however, the improvements effected are sufficient for the working of the land, and exjxjrience shows that as circumstances permit additional improvements are effected either in the form of enlarged or improved homesteads or of sheds, subdivision fencing, draining, &c. It is indeed very satisfactory to observe on many of the holdings the addition to settlers' homesteads of comforts and conveniences which are frequently lacking even in city dwellings. In the North Canterbury District the Annan and Lyndon Settlements, in the neighbourhood of Waiau, are in a very flourishing condition, although, owing to their distance from a market, there is but little cropping done. In reporting on the Culverden Settlement the Ranger refers to the very large amount of work that Iris l>een done by the settlers during the short period of their occupation, although, for the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph, some of them have failed to effect the full value required by the terms of their leases. The Horsley Down Settlement, near Hawarden, and Ashley Gorge Settlement, near Oxford, are in a well-established and satisfactory condition. In the nine old-established suburban settlements in the vicinity of Christchurch there is a most satisfactory absence of any kind of default ; the holdings ax- well improved and kept in good order-. and there is a very noticeable increase in the values of the land. The two other suburban settlements—namely, the Buddo Settlement, near Belfast, and the Hornby Settlement, near Hornby —have been too recently established to show very marked development, but there appears to be every reason to anticipate that they will prove of advantage in providing homes for workers employed in the vicinity. The Ladbrooks Settlement, near Lincoln, is also in the early stages of its career, but good progress has been made. An impression appears to prevail, however, that the sections, which average about 20 acres, and were intended for dairy farms, are somewhat small in size for successful working. The Morice and Kinloch Settlements, near Little River, are improving their position, though the former suffered from the partial failure of the cocksfoot harvest. The Fyvie and Mead Settlements, on the northern side of the Rakaia River, consist of the class of land which is liable to Ik , somewhat seriously affected by a dry season, and in the former settlement, which has only been established a short time, the settlers have felt the position acutely. The settlements throughout the Ashburton County (with the exception of the Ruapuna No. 2 Settlement) are in a thoroughly well-established and flourishing condition, and will be benefited by the recent growth of the dairy industry within the county. The Ruapuna No. 2 Settlement has been in existence little more than six months, and has been affected by the dry season, but otherwise a good start has been made.