C.—l.

The lands dealt with above comprise both areas offered for the first time and areas which became available for reoffering through various reasons. The figures for entirely new rural areas selected during the year are as follows : —

Receipts. The receipts for the year from all sources totalled £1,577,230, an increase of £174,634 on last year's figures. The receipts for the last five years have been as follows : Year ending 31st March, 1934, £1,020,198 : 1935, £1,259,790 ; 1936, £1,276,510 ; 1937, £1,402,596 ; 1938, £1,577,230. Postponements, Remissions, and Arrears op Rent. Rents the payment of which remained postponed at the 31st March amounted to £42,908. Arrears of rent at the 31st March (including arrears in respect of the current half-yearly charge) totalled £972,968, while remissions for the year totalled £105,935. Rebates. For prompt payment of rent 16,055 Crown tenants were granted the usual rebates in terms of section 123 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 59 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925. These rebates amounted to a total of £42,539. National Endowment. Of the area in the national endowment, 6,328,362 acres were held under lease or license at the 31st March by 4,272 tenants paying an annual rental of £135,619, while a very large area (partly, however, covered by existing leases) had been set aside as provisional State forests. For further particulars re the national endowment see parliamentary paper C.-14. Educational Endowments. An area of approximately 797,179 acres of education endowments under the administration of the various Land Boards is leased to some 4,170 tenants, who pay a total annual rental of £126,121. Land reserved por various Purposes. Under the provisions of section 360 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 71 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925, various areas of Crown and settlement land were permanently reserved during the year. The reservations made totalled fifty-four, covering an area of approximately 1,209 acres. A summary of work carried out under the heading is given below : — Purpose of Reserve. umber of Area. r Reservations. A. b. p. Aerodrome . . . . . . .. 6 227 3 8 Cemetery .. .. . . .. . . 22 0 18 Gravel .. .. .. .. .. 4 6 111-4 Hall-site .. .. .. .. .. 1 0 0 20 Municipal .. .. .. .. 4 59 3 8• 57 Plantation .. . . .. . . 2 20 1 25 Public Buildings of the General Government .. .. 5 3 0 34 •32 Public health and recreation .. .. 1 67 1 20 Public-pound site .. .. .. .. 1 5 0 37 Recreation .. .. .. .. ..14 277 0 30-44 Resting-place for travelling stock .. .. .. 2 6 2 14-01 River-conservation .. .. .. ..1 630 Roadman's cottage site . . . . . . 1 7 3 22 School site .. . . . . . . 8 20 1 33 • 1 Water-conservation . . .. . . 1 292 3 2 Water-supply .. .. . . . . 1 205 0 0 54 1,209 0 2-74 The above does not include areas that have been vested in the Crown as public reserves in town subdivisions pursuant to the provisions of section 16 of the Land Act, 1924.

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, J , Number of New Rural Total Area selected 8 ot Jjant1, Sections selected. for the First Time. Acres. Crown and national-endowment land .. .. 80 8,472 Settlement land .. .. .. .. .. 10 136 Educational reserves, &c. .. .. .. .. 5 641 Grand totals .. .. .. .. 95 9,249