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Arrears of Rent. The outstanding rents at the close of the year amounted to only £386 6s. sd. owing by nineteen tenants. This result is highly satisfactory, and it is anticipated that the arrears will be paid, as in the majority of cases good reason has been given for non-payment. Freehold Titles issued. The subjoined table shows the number of provisional titles issued during the year by the Receiver of Land Revenue :— Tenure. No. A / ea in Acres. Cash ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 24 611 Perpetual lease ... ... ... ... ... 2 162 Occupation with right of purchase ... ... ... 19 3,146 Lease in perpetuity ... ... ... ... ... 13 5,472 Perpetual lease, village ... ... ... ... ... 3 38 Lease in perpetuity, village ... ... ... ... 21 278 Occupation with right of purchase (improved-farm settlement) 2 160 Totals ... ... ... ... 84 9,867 Compared with last year's figures, this table shows a decrease of twenty-four purchasers and 5,390 acres, and this was responsible for the slight decrease in revenue as mentioned in my opening paragraph. Transfers. During the year 212 transfers were approved by the Land Board and registered. The following table gives particulars of transfers under the various tenures :— Tenure. No. A Area ; „ A. it. Jr. Lease in perpetuity (ordinary and village homestead) 57 9,233 024 (land for settlement) ... ... 21 4,217 2 4 Occupation with right of purchase ... ... 29 5,383 130 Perpetual lease ... ... ... ... 3 850 3 2*9 Mining-district land-occupation leases ... ... 3 112 3 33 Renewable lease (ordinary and village homestead) ... 12 1,784 326 (land for settlement) ... ... 1 269 0 0 Small grazing-runs ... ... ... ... 3 12,536 0 21 Pastoral licenses ... ... ... ... 5 56,380 0 0 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... .... 23 1,644 235 Sawmill areas ... ... ... ... 1 200 0 0 . Certificates of occupation ... ... ... 2 156 3 5 Education endowments ... ... ... ... 52 21,009 135 Grand total ... .... ... 212 113,779 0 2 Lands opened for Selection. During the year an area of 23,883 acres was placed on the market, and the greater part of the same selected. The land opened was mostly worked-out bush areas, and in nearly every case the competition at the ballot was keen, as will be seen by a glance at the following table, which shows that 433 applications were received for eighty-three sections: — Number of Number of • Blook- Sections. Applicants. Longwood ... ■■■ •■■ ■■• •■• ...11 23 Campbelltown ... ... ... ■•• ■•• ■•• 8 2 Maori Hill ... ... ... ••■ ■■■ ••• 10 38 Jacob's River ... ... ... ... •■• ... 6 20 Longwood ... ■•• •■■ •■■ ••• ■■■ 7 63 Mokoreta ... ■.- ■■■ •■■ ■■■ ■■• 2 .49 Invercargill ... ••■ ■•■ ■•• . ••■ ... 17 58 Aparima ■•■ ••■ ■•• •■- •■■ ••• 4 27 Invercargill ... ... ••• ■■■ ■•• ••■ 1 24 Alton ... ... ... ■•• •■• ■•• ■■• 3 95 Aparima ... ••• •■■ ••• •■■ ■■• 7 6 Invercargill ... ... •■• ■•• -•• ••• 7 28 83 433 Maori Hill Settlement was purchased under the Land for Settlements Act, and opened for selection during the year. The whole of the sections offered except one have been disposed of, and in view of the outside competition and the present tightness of the money-market the result of the sale is very satisfactory. Lands to be opened for Selection. I hope to be in a position to place about 18,500 acres of new lands in the market during the current year, and in the meantime the surveys of the blocks are being pushed on as expeditiously ag possible. The lands referred to, with the exception of about 1,000 acres at Waikaka, are mostly