11

0.-9

Apata Settlement, near Tauranga : Established October, 1919. Eight holdings ; average, 125 acres ; used for dairying and mixed farming. Progress has been slow, and success not yet assured, but holdings are being well developed, and prospects appear satisfactory. Puahuc Settlement, near Te Awamutu : Established December, 1919, Twenty sections; average, 162 acres ; dairying and mixed farming. Making good progress, and prospects satisfactory. Tahaia Settlement, near Otorohanga : Established February, 1920. Eleven holdings; average, 72 acres. Improvements satisfactory. Land requires draining and sweetening. Settlers dairying, with good, prospects of success. Rangitaiki Settlement, near Thornton, Rangitaiki : Established May, 1920. Six holdings ; average, 25 acres; small farming. Rich alluvial land, holders doing good work; prospects satisfactory. Reporoa Settlement, near Waiotapu, between Rotorua and Taupo : Portions offered at various dates since May, 1920, as drainage-w r orks progressed. Twenty-six sections are now held by soldiers. Lessees doing very good work, holdings well improved, and dairying being carried on with success. Prospects appear satisfactory. Otamarakau Settlement, near Te Puke, Bay of Plenty: Established August, 1920. Eight holdings, average 63 acres, and are used for dairying. Good progress being made, holdings being improved satisfactorily, and dairying carried on. Prospects of success good. Orongo Settlement, at the mouth of the Waihou River opposite, Thames, and practically forming part of the Hauraki Plains : The first portion was offered in September, 1920, and other portions have been offered since, as the drainage and cultivation works progressed sufficiently to enable the areas to be occupied. Twenty-seven sections, averaging in size 45 acres, are, now held. On the sections which have been held, longest very satisfactory progress has been made,'and the settlors are in a fair way to Tieing well established. A good, start is being made on the more recent selections. Kopuku and Kopuku No. 2 Settlements, near Mercer : Fourteen sections, averaging 115 acres each. Established December, 1920. Good swamp and undulating land, suited for dairying, which is being carried on with fair success. Satisfactory progress being made. Pukemapou Settlement, about fifteen miles south from Te Awamutu : Established February, 1921.. There are twelve sections, averaging 93 acres each, eight of which are occupied. Dairying is carried on, and very fair progress has been made. The Hikuai Settlement, near Tairua, on the east coast of the Hauraki Peninsula, was opened in October, 1921, fifteen sections, containing 2,013 acres, being offered for soldiers, and four sections, containing 5,115 acres, for civilians, two of the latter, comprising 4,392 acres, being unselected. The whole of the former, which consists mainly of alluvial flats and easy undulating country, are well adapted for dairying, and with the establishment of a factory, which is now in contemplation, excellent success should be assured. The buildings on the settlement, which were extensive and of good quality, are being used for the erection of the soldiers' dwellings and outbuildings. The small settlements, Ngahinapouri, Mangaotama, Kaipaki, and Whatawhata, comprising in all fifteen sections of dairying-land within easy distance of Hamilton, and the Tainui Settlement, near Tahuna, consisting of three sections of good grazing-land originally in bush, are all developing well, and their prospects arc good. Of the settlements established on undeveloped Crown land the principal are, — The Tuhua Block, near Taumarunui, established. September, 1918, comprising fifteen sections, averaging about 100 acres each, and six small holdings of about fO acres each ; originally bush land from which the milling-timber had been removed. The settlers have done good work, and are now dairying ; improvements generally satisfactory and prospects good. The Ongarue Block, situated north of the preceding, established August, 1920, and consisting of fifteen sections, averaging about 550 acres each. These comprise undulating to broken grazingcountry, a considerable portion in bush carrying milling-timber. A mill is being established for the working of tho timber, which will be of considerable assistance to the settlers. They are of a good type, and are making satisfactory progress in clearing, grassing, &c. The Moerangi Block, situated between Te Awamutu and Kawhia, originally established August, 1914, comprises forty sections, averaging nearly 700 acres each, of which fifteen are occupied by discharged soldiers. Mostly rough broken land of good grazing-quality, in bush. The past season has not been satisfactory for bush-burns, but very fair progress has been made. The Matamata North or Wairero Block is situated near the railway adjoining tho Matamata Settlement. This was offered in two blocks in October, 1918, and October, 1920, fourteen sections being held by soldiers and five by civilians; holdings average about 70 acres. It is of good level land, of quality similar to Matamata ; parts were in large gorse and ti-tree, involving considerable expenditure in clearing and grassing, but being situated close to a factory presents excellent facilities for dairying. Up to the present returns have, of course, been very limited, but excellent development-work has been done, and good returns should be secured, in the near future. On the Hauraki Plains there are fifty-one holdings, offered for discharged soldiers only in December, 1919, and July, 1920, the average size of the holdings being about 95 acres. Some of the sections are already giving good results from dairying, but there, are a number of peat sections which will require several years of development before adequate productive capacity can be reached. Most of tho settlers are doing good work in this direction, but time is essential to the success of their efforts, and only limited returns can be expected meanwhile. The, Manawahe Block is situated to the north of Lake Rotoma, and comprises twenty-one sections, averaging about 350 acres each, which were opened in May, 1920. This is undulating and hilly country, parts carrying bush, only a very limited portion of which is suitable for milling. Very fair progress has been made in grassing, fencing, and other improvements. The general remarks already given will apply to the scattered Crown leaseholds throughout the district, as well as to the separate farm properties purchased for individual soldiers, and held subject