THE LANDS DEPARTMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11191, 13 August 1898, Page 3

THE LANDS DEPARTMENT.

THE ANNUAL REPORT. (From Oon Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 11. The annual report of. this department is, as usual, a bulky volume, with maps and illustrations. The estimated territorial revenue vvas , £250,000, and the actual receipts £263,296, ' which, with the amounts collected for rents, , etc., on endowments, estates, and other items, I brings the total up to £359,086. Through, the . decrease in. suitable Crown lands now avail- ' able for offer to the public, and the gradual j extinction of payments under the deferred! payment and perpetual lease, a considerable j 1 shrinkage in the revenue is anticipated. . ] ' During last year tbere were 2058 new set- j .-■ tiers, who took up 2,4-51,062 acres of land. ; ■ The cash received on past and current trans- : ■; actions amounts to £330,370. In the' lands j ' thrown open for free selection '' under tlie j , optional . system, the occupation with right • of purchase preponderates this year over se- '. lections under the lease in perpetuity system, ' whereas previously the number of selectors have been nearly the same. Under deferred payments' there were 296 selections, covering an area of 41,633 acres, completed and made freehold during the year, and 205 cases of perpetual lease, of an area of 71,293 acres,. i were also made freehold. The payments in the latter case amounted to £51,731. Both of these.terms will probably run out within a few years, o.wing largely to the facility of ' obtaining , loans under a freehold system, ; towards which the Advances to Settlers Act has assisted somewhat. The number of dei ferred payment selectors still on the books of the department •on 31st March was 14-33, holding 202,761 acres; perpetual ease, 2078 selectors, holding 543,534 acres. These ' figures exclude village holdings under the optional system. The following, selections have been made: — ■ No. Area. ,- Cash' --. '■• .-• •■• G0 6,680 acres ■ Occupation (with right of purchase) •- •• -.380 81,414 ,;■ 'Perpetual lease .' '•• ■• > .299 76' 953 " '. * This shows a preference for that system whicb allows the acquisition of the freehold.. Notwithstanding that the rent in such cases (unftil the tenth year, after which the free--1 holds may be acquired) is 5 per cent., as against the 4 per cent, under the lease in ! perpetuity system.. The main reason pro-- ; bablyis that money may be more "freely raised oh a tenure where there is a right of purSelections under all headings, for 1897 were 2173, as against 2058 for 1898. People are spreading out into tho virgin lands year by year. This' is particularly ..the," case, towards the central' parts '.bf the North Island, wherei the extension of settlements has been phe-. nomenah-within the last few,-years... The amount of land thrown open forselection for : ourchase is less than that for the previous year by about' 500,000 acres, the decrease being principally in pastoral lands. Most of-the land was surveyed prior to being opened. | The following are the areas: — I • Acres. | For optional selection .. ..' ... 178,760 • Lease in perpetuity only '.. •• 54,418 ; Village allotments .. .... .. -1.200 Cash lands (auction) .. .». .. .16,41-5. : Other .leases-of Crovra and reserves.. 49,455 i i Small-grazing runs .. .. "'..'- 135,063' Pastoral runs .. .. •• •• 887,770. J Total •> ..--..- ■: ..1,323,123 ■I The area granted to the Midland Railway ! Oompany at the date of - last report was,; : 191,155 acres, and ho change has taken place since. Until the reservation connected with this railway is remove^, no permanent settle- ; ment goes on within its limits. ' , _ The forfeitures during the past season are, greater than for the preceding one, the figures for 1897 being 493 and those for 1898 533. ■ The total area forfeited iva5'234,986 acres, of j which 146,606 acres were comprised in 13 pastoral runs. The largest number of forfeitures were in the special settlement, associa- ' . tion, or-ordinary Crown Lands, 138 sections (covering aii area of 27,190 acres) having been so dealt with. Nearly all these are in Wellington and Taranaki. Under this bead the Surveyor-general reports: "In many of the forfeited and surrendered cases the land has '' been again offered for selection, with-'the result that the adjacent selectors have .been able to add to their farms; whilst new. settlers have come iiv and taken up the land in larger blocks/ A large proportion of the country - where these settlements exist is only suitable for holdings in; larger areas than the special settlement ■ regulations allowed of. The mistake originally made by the, associations was tlieir choice of blocks in districts where access. was difficult and the nature of the country too' broken, for. farms averaging .only 200 acres in. size... In some measure; this was due to the want of suitable lands." The total , revenue credited to' State for- . ests, etc., last year was £10,995, and the ex- j penditui-e £5978. -' '.' .1 The rents on the Cheviot estates are returning a percentage on the balance -i (£262,429) clue the Cheviot account amountj ing to 5A per cent. The continued drought ! that has been experienced affected both the crops and the pastures, and was much felt by j. somo of the settlers. i Cheviot Estate.—The following figures show : the state of the Cheviot account on the.3lst March last, in continuation of last year's statement : —Balance from previous year, £265,429; road construction, surveys, etc., £3274; land-, ing service, administration, ancl contingencies, £1267; one year's interest to the 18th April, I 1898, £8566;— total, £278,836. Prom free--1 holds; etc., "disposed of, £860; rents paid and i accrued -to the 30th June, 1898, £14,502; ! rents paid in advance ancl interest; £231; i shipping and port charges, £806; balance to next-, year, £262,429;—t0ta1, £278,836. It will be seen from the above that the rents aro returning a percentage on the balance (£262,429) amounting to s£< per cent. The settlers in arrear on the 31st March numbered 12, owing £235 16s 8d; whilst the forfeitures were two, comprising 34 acres, at an annual | rental of £13 4s.' 1 Position of "Village Homestead Setlle- ; ments.—ln March last the number of settlei ments was 165; number of sottlers, 1567; jnumber of souls on the land, 4894; area hold, ! (acres). 55,454; capital .value of the land, i £97,646; amount advanced for cottages, etc., ! £25,932; amount . repaid, £2462; present : annual rent and interest, £4904; rent andj ' interest paid during the year, £4877; total] : payments made for rent and interest, i £31,873;- arrears of rent and interest, £2045; ] valuo of improvements on the land, £115,834. j State Forests.—An area of 1,175,622 acres is reserved.in New Zealand for State.forests. scenic purposes, plantations, etc. During the past year £3000 has been expended in grass seed for settlers to renew their burnt I pastures in the bush districts. . [ Land for Settlements Acts.—The total num- ] i bor of estates acquired under the above acts , to the 31st March last was 49, of an aggre- | gate area .of .154,623 acres. Of these, two : estates —Rangiatea (4104 acres) ancl Pawaho \ (51 acres 3 roods 15 poles), besides a small 20-acre block near Otnihi—had not at that j j dato yet been offered for selection. The ! largest areas remaining unselectod aro in j Okauia, Otahu, and Beaumont. With reference to those, the commissioners anticipate that they will be selected during the coming

spring and summer. In addition to tho above ] selections, parts of the estates offered in previous years have been taken up, the total number of selectors being 34-7. The forfeitures this last year numbered 37, and the arrears amounted to £1363 3s, which is largely owing to the severe drought of the past sea- ; son. The improvements effected on the i estates amounted to £94,789, whilst there wero 2252 people living on the estates and occupying 653 houses.