C.—9

8

General. , The past year has been a good one from the point of view of farmers. Weather and market conditions have been fair, and there have been no undue influences to offset the general good effect which fair seasons and prices bring about. Soldier settlers generally have shared in the benefits which these conditions promote, and an increased number of them have now reached that desirable point when they may look forward to a more enjoyable prospect and an increased measure of merited reward. Nevertheless it must be admitted that there is a small proportion of settlers who for various reasons cannot be classed in this category, and such cases will require careful nursing for a time. In many cases in the past the Department has been obliged to postpone or remit interest charges in order to assist occupiers to bring their properties up to that stage of development where the productive capacity will be sufficient to support the settler. Assistance in this way, combined with a prudent system of advances on mortgage, has in most cases been effective in achieving successful results. LANDS PROCLAIMED. The lands set apart for selection by discharged soldiers during the year totalled 3,091 acres, making a grand total of 1,437,628 acres proclaimed since the inception of the scheme. This large area is made up as follows : — Class of Land. Area (Acres). Ordinary Crown land .. .. . . . . . . . . 602,531 Land-for-settlements land .. .. .. .. .. 400,490 National-endowment land .. .. .. .. 431,251 Cheviot Estate land . . . . . . . . . . .. 3,356 1,437,628 Proclamations have been issued revoking the setting-apart of 220,316 acres of Crown land and 95,723 acres of land-for-settlements land. APPLICATIONS FOR LAND. Applications for land under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915, to the number of ninety were received during the year. The following table gives the number of applications and the area allotted for each year from the inception of the soldier-settlement scheme :—

J. B. Thompson, Under-Secretary.

. .. Allotments made. Year ending Applications ,eceive • Number. j Area (Acres). ' I 31st March, 1916 . . . . . . 272 2 629 1917 .. 522 319 143,524 1918 . .. 513 313 103,362 1919 1,379 348 117,018 1920 .. .. .. 5,041 932 403,891 1921 .. .. .. 5,396 1,087 414,867 1922 878 403 97,972 1923 .. .. 284 146 25,113 1924 .. .. .. 216 79 16,910 1925 .. 123 47 9,014 1926 .. 109 86 20,500 1927 .. 78 66 17,412 1928 .. .. 96 60 "15,695 1929 .. .. .. .. 90 77 13,275 Totals for fourteen years, .. .. 14,997 3,965 1,399,182