THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1898.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11201, 25 August 1898, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1898.

The annual report of the Department of Lands and Survey has at length come \o hand. Although the report deals with the transactions of, v .the department for the year ended on the 31st March last, it is dated June 4th, and was not laid before Parliament until the session had run half its course, leaving the operations of one of the most important State departments to be discussed when the press of business precludes that attention being given-to it that its importance warrants. But..it seems homeless to expect the present Governnient to supply Parliament with information relating to the control of important .public departments except in some round-about fashion, or when the session is well advanced. The tables, of which there, are a large number attached to. the report, convey a great deal of detailed information, but to the general reader they are, as is stated in the report, somewhat confusing. One result that is elucidated by the tables is that under the optional systems of land occupation, in accordance with Part 111 of " The. Land Act, 1893," the number of those who took up land under the "occupation with right to purchase " provisions preponderates. The number of selectors under this tenure was 380, and the area taken up 81,414 acres. The area taken up by 299 selectors, on the lease in perpetuity tenure 'was 76,593 acres, while the cash selectors were only 65,. and the area bought 6680 acres. The preference for the tenure which admits of the acquisition of the freehold, notwithstanding that the rental is 5 per cent, as against 4 per cent, under the lease in perpetuity system, is explained on the assumption that the greater facility afforded for borrowing money where there is a right of purchase is the chief contributing cause. It is probable that there is some force in the explanation, for the lease in perpetuity is practically as good as a freehold so long as there is no revaluation of the rental. The total number of new selectors under the various systems for the year was 2058, and the area taken tip 2,451,062 acres. A table giving a summary of the lands of all descriptions taken up during the past ten years tells against the oft-repeated boast of the Hon. John M'Kenzie, that a greater amount of land settlement has taken place ilnder the Fostering care of the present Government than under any of their predecessors— an assertion which we have frequently1 shown to be absolutely contrary to fact, fhe table shows an almost unbroken record of shrinkage both in the number of selectors and in the area occupied, •starting with 2529 selectors of all classes, and an area totalling 2,313,611 acres for the year 1888-89, on two solitary occasions only are these figures exceeded, xnd that was in the years 1889-90 and 1.895-96. Never during the remaining 3ight years were the 1888-89 nguros reached; on the other hand, there svas a marked. falling off, both in

J the actual number of selectors and iin the area taken up by them. There were 800 fewer selectors oi Crown lands last year than during 1895-96—Mr M'Kenzie's best year,—so that it would appear as if the turn of the tide has fairly commenced in the delusive process of State-fostered land settlement. When note is taken of the fact that there were no less 'than 658 surrenders and forfeitures during the year, it will bo seen that settlement is not quite so promising as the Minister for Lauds would have the country believe. The Minister, however, will not acknowledge, failure, and consequently we find the following piece of fiction \n the report: —" The practical test in this matter is the answer to the question, Whether more land is being brought under cultivation, and are the peopie spreading out into the virgin lands year by year? Anyone who takes the trouble j to visit the out-districts will at once ses that large areas are constantly being newly occupied, and that roads are being formed in parts of the country that a few years since were unknown." The practical test of the matter, we should imagine, is. the actual number oi settlers placed upon the land who have a reasonable prospect of becoming permanent settlers. It has been the claim of the Government that they have contributed more towards that desirable end than any previous Government, but now they are beginning to climb > down from the pedestal on which .they stood selfelevated. The largest number of forfeitures is found amongst the special settlements associations, which have proved a sham, a delusion, and a snare to those who were'induced by'specious regulations'to occupy Crown lands under that system. Failure here again is attributed to " the mistake originally. made by the associations in their choice of blocks in districts where access was difficult and the nature of the country top broken for farms averaging only 200 acres in size." Most of these associations were situated in the' Wellington and Taranaki districts, and it is satisfactory to learn that aconi siderable number of the forfeited and. : surrendered sections have been taken up, generally on one. of the optional systems. : The improved farm settblnents do not appear to lead to any better results than the special settlements associations. While the number of fresh selections during the year was only 78, the forfeitures and surrenders amounted to 164. The .total cost to the: State of these special farm settlements up to the end of last financial year was £46,252, in the shape of advances for bush-felling, house building, etc., while under the system only 526. selectors aro in occupation. It is attempted to justify this large 'expenditure by estimating the value of the improvements effected by the selectors at £64,988-; but as the sums advanced are included in that valuation, ■ after making reasonable allowance for special .valuations under Ministerial tutelage, the.margin of security against these considerable advances is very small-indeed. The village settlements,, it is satisfactory to note, have proved a most successful system for placing people ugpn the land, alth6ugh in the, Auckland, .district according to the,recently-issue"^:.report of Mr March, the superintendent of village settlements, many of the settlements are .not likely to prove successful. The reason for this is that " they were f ormod ! on wrong lines, several'Being'on poor i soil in isolated localities, where there iq very little outside employment, and, as only a small area is allotted to each villager, it follows that;he. is heavily handicapped, and finds.himself unable to keap up his payments." . The excess of selectors ■ over forfeitures and.' surrenders | during the year jras' ' 39, while the; total number of selectors in occupa- j tioii at the end of the year was ■ 1097. Under the Land for Settlements Acts 49 estates, . aggregating 154,623 i acres, have been acquired altogether*, i In connection with these estates, of . which a considerable area yet remains to be let, it is stated that if the whole were let the rentals would bring in a return of over 5 per cent. It is very gratifying, at any rate, to learn that the rentals leave a 1 surplus. over tfce interest j payable on the purchase money of these | acquired estates. The territorial revenue, , while it.- shows a shrinkage .of £1906 as compared with the previous year, reached the sum'of £263,296. The falling off in this class of revenue is attributed to the decrease.in suitable and accessible Crown lands now available, and from this cause, it is pointed out, the territorial revenue must. decrease from ;year to year. xThe gradual ex-, tinction "of payments .under : deferred. payments and perpetual leases will further contract the volume of- territorial revenue in years to.come..■•;•' -' There are voluminous appendices to the report, those of. the Survey department being especially ; biilky, as detailed information' of the survey work of the past year throughout the polony is given. Consideration of ih& survey section of. the report must be reserved for future consideration, as 'the- combined report covers too wide a scope to be reviewed within the compass of a single article. A careful' perusal of the report ought to convince the most ardent supporters of;" the Governmeut that in important points their vaunted land policy shows signs of breaking i down, and that forced settlement by i means of special State > fostering is| not the kind of settlement from which a thriving farming class will arise. And, judging from the general outcry from the State tenants against the valuations on leasehold lands, these pet scheme's of the Hon. John M'Kenzie ' do not foster a spirit of contentment amongst the, people who have to fhad a living and pay interest on land which in most cases has been* assessed beyond., its value in the open market.