LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11808, 10 August 1900, Page 3

LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT.

THE ANNUAL REPORT

(Frok Our Owk CoBKEsroxDENT.)

WELLINGTON, August 9.

Tile annual report of the Department of Lands and Survey is a huge document of no less than 287 pages, and includes a number of maps and interesting illustrations of New Zealand scenery. The approximate cost of printing 2400 copies is given as £304.

The- Surveyor-general states that the operation of the department during the year ending March 31, 1900, do not present any remarkable features, though there has been steady general progress in settlement. The work of settlement depends directly upon the amount of land available, but in this respect the colony has no large supply of "raw material " in the shape of agricultural land left. What remains is scattered in small areas, difficult of access, and requiring much capital to bring it into use. Of pastoral land, the ° area is greater than agricultural lands Pastoral land can be held in areas of 2000 acres and upwards. Many parts of the North Island—especially the southern parts of Auckland and northern warts of Taranaki and Wellington—are alone suitable for this class of holding. It seems, therefore, probable that t{ie preponderance Oi pastoral pursuits now obtaining in the North Is'and over the Middle Island will increase, one reason for which is that the pastoral lands can be held in smaller areas. During the year a. total of 1,573,823 acres was taken up by 2310 purchasers ,br selectors, the cash received on past and current transactions .being £3*6,713. The total selections on purchases for the past period are 199----less than for the year 1899, though the area taken up is larger, duo to the greater number of pastoral leases dealt with. Tfris variation of the totals is, however, nothing abnormal,' and is characteristic of the land returns for many years past. The. lease in perpetuity tenure still takes the leading position^ as to the number of selectors, which is owing 'to the fact that this system was obligatory in many cases. Where, however, the choice of. tenure is left to the selectors, which always occurs' when lands are thrown open for socalled free selection, it will be seen that the occupation with right of purchase, which allows the tenant to obtain the freehold, is more favoured than the other system. This has been the case for the last few years. The following figures illustrate this: —Selected for cash, 95 selectors, 16,510 acres; occupation with right of purchase, 395 selectors, 117,771 acres; lease in perpetuity, 348 selectors, 111,108 acres. The amount of land opened for selection during the year was larger than, for the previous period, but this is due to a larger quantity oi pastoral land having been ottered, most of which was disposed of for optional selection. Two hundred and seventeen thousand four hundred and thirty-eight acres were oifercd', and the area selected ■during the year roughly was 228,000, showing that the demand keeps pace with the land offered. Indeed — and it is almost needless to report it—had the Crown more lands of a suitable character, ail the land 3 the department could have thrown open would be selected. This class of optional selection is the backbone of settlement, and the more laud thrown opan on this system the soundei and more permanent is the settlement of the country.

Forfeitures and Surrenders.—The forfeitures are 29i) in number, covering au area of 97,916 acres, with an annual rental of £3665. The figures for 1899 were 408, covering an area of 255,007 acres> at a rental of £0828. The surrenders for the last year amounted to 269, covering an area of 87,305 acres, with an annual rental of £0661, a number which is somewhat, more than tiie previous period. The effects of forfeiture are often so serious that sympathy with the defaulters and the desire to give them one iriore chance is naturally to be expected, whilst at the same time the law allows of only one course, and, if properly administered, lays the boards open to the very undeserved charge of harshness.

Improved Farms. —The success attending tliis ciass of sectlfcment so fur is very varied. In the Auckland district they do not appear to be flourishing, whilst in Tarauaki, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington a large proportion of the settlements show every prospect of becoming sell-supporting, especially •where dairy factories have been established. In Otagb and Southland it is much the same, it can scarcely be said" at', present that some of the settlements have advanced beyond the experimental stage.

Village Settlements. —The meed of success attending on this class of settlement is very considerable, and as it has been in force for many years, it may be pronounced a success, as the statistics prove. Whilst this is quite true as a. general statement, some settlements which have been injudiciously chosen as to locality and quality of soil, haye in a great measure iaiieu.

Forest Reserves.—The importance of reserving areas of forest for timber purposes is growing yearly. It is to be. feared that within a short period timber of marketable kinds will become scarce. The Commissioner of Crown Lands at Auckland supplies some iigures which tend to emphasise this, and, indeed, to cause some apprehension as to the future of the kauri timoer industry in the north. An approximation of the amount of untouched kauri on Crown lands is 757,000,000 feet; on Native . lands and lands purchased or leased-from the Natives, 550,000,000 feet. To which should be added an uncertain, but not very large, amount on other private lands. The output of kauri for the last three years amounted to about 210,000,000 ft, 126,000,000 ft of which were exported. These figures speak for themselves. So far as can be ascertained, the output of timber within the colony is increasing rapidly each year', the approximate quantity sold by the Crown, but not yet operated upon by mill owners, is 59,000,000 superficial feet. The quantity held by each company on March' 31 (purchased from the Crown) is as follows: —JiaUri Timber Company 42,000,000 superficial feet; Mitchelson and Co. 24,870,000 ft, Leyland and O'Brien 13,100,000 ft, Maunders and Bradley 11,000,000 feet. - . '

' Thermal Springs Sanatoria, etc. —The thermal springs the property of the colony are very numerous, and from year to year are attracting an ever-increasing- stream of visitors. It is perhaps scarcely appreciated by the public generally what this. stream of tourists that every year visits the colony to see our scenery and natural wonders means to the people of the colony. Estimates made by people who have opportunities of gauging its volume make the sum annually spent in New Zealand by these people over £100,000 in hard cash, besides the indirect contributions to the customs revenue. The thermal springs of the country contribute in no small degree to the attractions, either as natural wonders or as health-giving, waters, that allure this tourist stream to our shores. We we in the very early stages of .this traffic. Future proportions no one can foresee, but it is not at all rash to predict that ere the first half of the twentieth century shall have passed our annual visitors will equal in number the preEent population of New Zealand. In this early stage of development it devolves on the Government to undertake the charge of many establishments in connection with the springs and scenic attractions of the country, hence there are several establishments which are carried on by the Government. Roads and Bridges.—From year to year the number of items on the appropriations for roads and bridges increases. Last year they numbered 1744, as against 1376 the previous year. The sum voted last year was £54-9,725 against which contracts might be^entered into, and £424,445 was the sum that could be expended, exclusive of the expenditure under the Land for Settlements Acts, which amounted to an additional £12,410. A portion of the vctes for roads, etc., under the control of the Minister of Mines, amounting to £11,462, has also been expended under tiie direction of officers of this department. The actual expenditure under the above votes and acts was £292,587, out of which the local bodies expended £51,014 under agreements with the Government, the specifications and plans having first been approved by officers of the department. THE POMAHAKA FAILURE. The department excuses itself in regard to this settlement in the following terms: — " Several holdings had to bo declared forfeited during the year owing to the lessees having failed to meet their financial obliga- " tions, a result of having started with insufficient capital or on borrowed money, and possibly, too, with deficient knowledge of farm work. Consequently there is at present a less number of selectors in occupation than at March 31, 1899. The number is now 22, holding 5419 acres 3 roods 5 perches, at an annual rental of £804, including one temporary license over a reserve of 10 acres at