LAND TRANSFER AND DEEDS REGISTRATION. ANNUAL REPORT OF DEPARTMENT, 1923-24.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1924 Session I, H-03

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1924. NEW ZEALAND.

LAND TRANSFER AND DEEDS REGISTRATION. ANNUAL REPORT OF DEPARTMENT, 1923-24.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Head Office, Stamp Duties Department, Wellington, Ist August, 1924. The Right Hon. the Minister op Stamp Duties, Wellington. I have the honour to submit the usual report on the working of the Land Transfer and Deeds Registration Department for the year ended the 31st March, 1924. The report of the Registrar-General of Land is also included. The returns appended show— A. —The business transacted under the Land Transfer Act. B.—The fees received thereunder, including the fees received on account of Crown grants. o.—The mortgages and discharges of mortgages, and the amount remaining secured by mortgage under the said Act on the 31st March, 1924. D.—The arrears existing at the various Land Transfer Offices at the close of business on the same date. E.—The number of deeds received for registration and the number remaining unrecorded on the 31st March last; also the fees received in the Deeds Registration Offices. D. G. Clark, Secretary for Land and Deeds. REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL OF LAND. The Secretary for Land and Deeds. As is usual, I have visited the offices of all the District Land Registrars and Registrars of Deeds, and conferred with the Registrars upon the work of their offices and of the Department. The current registration work is being kept well up to date in all the offices, but there is in some of them a very large amount of work that in my opinion should be done to render the offices as efficient as they ought to be. This consists of the preparation or completion of indexes to titles and plans, and more particularly to the renewal of index and other plans that have become obliterated by constant use during many years. This work is being carried on in some offices by the ordinary staff whenever time can be spared from the current registration work, but in one office in particular, where most requires to be done, the staff is quite insufficient at present to undertake it. The following shows the increase in volume of business since the year 1884 : Total registration on fees—lBB4, 44,558 ; 1894, 30,334; 1904, 50,709 ; 1914, 73,569 ; 1924, 94,386. The number of register-books has doubled in the last seventeen years, and the number of documents filed has doubled in the last thirteen or fourteen years. This increase of business and records makes increased accommodation a continual, necessity. At the present time two of the offices are in urgent need of room to expand in. Allied to the question of sufficiency of accommodation is that of the security of the records. The rooms in which they are housed are supposed to be fireproof. Perhaps they are as regards fire from without, but it is open to grave doubt whether there is not sufficient inflammable material in the shape of wooden desks, book-racks, and other furniture, and sufficient ventilation in the room, to cause the destruction of a large part of the; records in the event of a fire starting in the rooms, and that is by no means an impossibility. If it is only a remote contingency it is one that should be jealously guarded against, for oven the partial destruction of the land-registration records of ono district would be a calamity that would affect a greater number of people than would the destruction of perhaps any other property. I think the wooden fittings should be replaced, as soon as the circumstances admit, with steel or other non-inflammable fittings. A Bill has been drafted, at the instance of the Hon. the Attorney-General, and circulated, intended to make provision for bringing all land alienated from the Crown under the provisions of the Land Transfer Act. Some amendments of the present Land Transfer Act are desired by Registrars to facilitate the working of their offices. C. E. Nalder, Wellington, 12th April, 1924. Registrar-General of Land.

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A.—Statement of Business transacted under the Land Transfer Act during the Year ended the 31st March, 1924.

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AppJ iatioi Certificates in Lieu of Crown Grants. Tr; insfers. Mortgages. District. 9 1 to Area. Town Value - and Suburban. 9 a Area. Value. = to Area. § - to To™ i Conand 1 sideration. Suburban. Area. Area. rO Area. 9 S3 to Area. Country. Town and | Country. Suburban. 1 Country. Consideration.] Town Con . and sideration. Suburban. Country. Consideration. Auckland Taranaki Wellington Hawke's Bay Poverty BayNelson Marlborough Canterbury Otago Southland Westland 98 17 38 9 10 10 78 14 6 Acres. 94 57 28 2 £ 243,645 20,083 77,627 5,594 12,446 15,495 84,140 23,520 70 8 21 1 2 7 4 2 Acres. 7,980 1,127 6,046 250 33 2,486 3,973 1,807 1,954 £ 292,742 34,078 140,385 2,216 1,100 53,022 152,011 22,514 51,324 I 492 84 82 22 15 28 7 12 152 55 5 Acres. 296 19 3 16 Acres. 39,581 9,312 8,436 105 3,190 2,299 1,231 447 11,098 7,197 138 8,091 1,008 5,795 1,011 451 404 152 4,551 2,472 900 153 Acres. 3,889 267 3,478 529 237 158 ; 106 1,085 633 270 45 £ 6,045,145 705,280 4,516,640 707,190 252,677 I 209,059 74,100 3,050,561 1,532,027 423,724 65,120 3,128 703 1,071 331 194 271 135 1,236 651 505 80 Acres. 454,813 117,255 335,493 98,425 81,087 51,336 75,210 185,566 243,262 114,974 39,450 £ 5,311,844 1,335,096 2,831,657 911,858 684,820 224,581 355,607 2,833,369 944,850 764,834 91,207 7,528 816 5,386 854 379 362 146 3,820 1,961 790 112 Acres. 3,211 248 1,644 485 218 162 133 848 483 223 27 „ ■ £ 4,864,757 3,284 488,535 1,057 4,592,740 1,688 518,139 494 1,200,819 292 177,768 . 296 113,476 ! 179 2,269,842 1,673 907,539 634 359.382 708 48,667 • 78 Acres. 781,353 240,965 519,693 189,093 237,536 86,176 161,103 432,192 326,163 257,286 18,098 £ 4,482,220 1,170,364 2,953,555 1,178,515 754,011 215,707 327,059 3,514,701 603,053 674,288 56,990 5 25 24 5 4 4 2,119 9 1 53,645 Totals, 1923-24 288 241 1536,195 159 25,656 749,392 954 10,697 17,581,523 8,305 2,470 83,034 24,988 1,796,871 16,289,723 22,154 7,682 15,541,664 10,383 3,249,658 15,930,46; Totals, 1922-23 266 130 1395,241 141 34,515 420,614 788 318 71,331 22,830 7.955 |14,348,552 8,191 |2,499, 123 15.-631,601 18,361 7,404 9,544,791 i 9,077 ,172,054 11,809,043 1 ' Discharges. CO ■*=> CJ.F- • Sal to CD CD _ --i 6 OS H OS to £.2 ASS §-a-S to ID ■§■§ rj Sh to CO • io IB S — — OS to a a o to OS £ to So 1.2-1 to £ pi o o a!" to eo to il to CD to I'aJto-a to ess -"a ■a 1 * 3 3 s a to "co ■M J3 OS to 6 a CD i o District. B to TotaJ Amount of Discharges. to to o jS CD a Auckland Taranaki Wellington Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay Nelson Marlborough Canterbury Southland Otago Westland 7,089 1,497 4,915 923 509 482 201 3,895 1,153 1,977 109 £ 5,241,095 1,291,483 4,396,732 1,234,505 567,611 289,291 230,592 3,335,213 771,867 1,033,768 43,862 9 2 421 47 268 48 32 20 4 303 30 31 13 5,099 556 2,793 497 309 227 122 2,099 442 875 104 60 14 3 4 1 1 19 2 5 1 2 4 6 "3 533 366 570 168 139 37 9 196 104 142 94 493 12 158 22 14 60 27 39 13 87 36 1,148 117 409 110 76 105 50 370 74 77 44 378 137 223 76 79 1 15 4 9 8 47 38 71 23 18 15 1 8 1 17 263 40 202 55 16 12 10 180 31 52 8 267 42 54 50 25 17 9 21 7 26 9 13,108 2,021 7,472 1,925 949 578 418 8,835 2,243 3,140 268 I 1,144 203 590 74 24 14 1 212 63 82 I 19 | 258 164 252 89 72 68 27 583 142 140 27 1,220 262 1,050 275 89 146 69 918 315 537 62 14 1 1 57 1 37 4 9 2,464 698 2,501 716 363 254 111 2,517 436 673 266 £ s. d. 23,609 13 3 3,917 3 6 14,498 12 5 3,060 4 3 1,511 4 9 1,422 17 0 767 11 10 12,620 8 6 3,097 17 6 5,533 9 0 620 0 0 £ s. d. 876 4 5 106 11 1 529 4 3 194 2 1 4 12 4 29 3 8 112 1 3 492 1 4 106 18 6 95 17 10 7 1 11 1 1 4 6 2 1 3 17 1 3 Totals, 1923-24 22,750 18,436,019 11 1,217 13,123 I no 29 2,358 961 2,580 930 239 869 ! I 527 J40,957 2,426 1,822 4,943 38 104 10,999 70,659 2 0^ 2,553 18 8 Totals, 1922-23 i 147 2,080 996 | i ; 2,560 1,083 210 633 , 1 473 33,114 794 16,602 12,007,277 22 1,418 13,257 3S 1,560 5,312 30 58 9,212 62,670 0 0 2,984 0 0

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B.—Return of Fees received under the Land Transfer Act for the Twelve Months ended 31st March, 1924.

C. —Return showing the Total Amount of Money secured by Mortgage under the Land Transfer Act on the 31st March, 1924.

Return showing Number and Amount of Mortgages under Land Transfer and Deeds Registry released in each District from Ist April, 1925, to 31st March, 1924. _. . XT , Amount. District. Number. n Auckland .., ... ... ... ... 9,813 6,827,989 Taranaki ... ... ... ... ... 1,697 1,445,348 Wellington ... ... ... ... ... 5,627 5,114,766 Hawke's Bay ... ... ... ... 1,269 1,629,188 Poverty Bay ... ... ... ... ... 523 580,116 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 721 474,135 Marlborough... ... ... ... ... 285 329,531 Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... 4,181 3,551,425 Otago ... ... ... ... ... 2,607 1,376,941 Southland ... ... ... ... ... 1,305 870,140 Westland ... ... ... ... ... 119 46,933 Totals ... ... ... 28,147 £22,246,512

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District. General Feos. Assurance Pees. Auckland Taranaki Wellington ... Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay Nelson Marlborough Canterbury ... Otago ... Southland ... ... ... Westland £ s. d. 23,609 13 8 3,917 3 6 14,498 12 5 3,060 4 3 1,511 4 9 1,422 17 0 767 11 10 12,620 8 6 5,533 9 0 3,097 17 6 620 0 0 £ s. d. 876 4 5 106 11 1 529 4 3 194 2 1 4 12 4 29 3 8 112 1 3 492 1 4 95 17 10 106 18 6 7 1 11 -Totals 70,659 2 0 2,553 18 8 Corresponding period, 1922-23 62,576 19 6 2,984 19 10

District. Amount remaining Amount socurod by secured by Mort- Mortgage during gage on the the Year ended 31st March, 1923. 31st March, 1924. a l i ■»«■ i. Amount remaining Amount of Mort- , , « T . ° ., « , ■ socured by Mortthe same Period. gls( . | Iaroh) 1924Auckland... Taranaki... Wellington Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay Nelson ... Marlborough Canterbury Otago Southland Westland £ £ 53,474,153 9,346,977 18,187,019 1,658,899 51,025,063 7,546,295 19,552,126 1,696,654 9,983,146 1,954,830 3,611,867 393,475 3,729,820 440,535 37,019,469 5,784,543 11,313,897 1,510,592 11,456,867 1,033,670 759,154 105,657 £ 9,346,977 1,658,899 7,546,295 1,696,654 1,954,830 393,475 440,535 5,784,543 1,510,592 1,033,670 105,657 £ 5,241,095 1,291,483 4,396,732 1,234,505 567,611 289,291 230,592 3,335,213 1,033,768 771,867 43,862 £ 57,580,035 18,554,435 54,175,256 20,014,275 11,370,365 3,716,051 3,939,763 39,468,799 11,790,721 11,718,670 820,949 Totals 220,112,581 31,472,127 18,436,019 233,148,689

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D.—Return showing Arrears in the Land Transfer Department on the 31st March, 1924

Other Instruments unrecorded. Transfers. Mortgages. Miscellaneous. Auckland ... ... ... ... 15 13 9 Taranaki ... ... ... ... 7 4 11 Wellington ... ... ... ... 6 10 13 Hawke's Bay ... ... ... ... 19 17 36 Poverty Bay ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 Nelson ... ... ... ... 1 Marlborough ... Canterbury ... ... ... ... 51 51 64 Otago ... ... ... ... 7 9 7 Southland ... ... ... ... 15 18 17 Westland ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Totals ... ... ... 121 122 169

E.—Return showing the Number of Deeds remaining unregistered on the 31st March, 1923; the Number received for Registration and the Number registered during the Twelve Months ended the 31st March, 1924; also the Number remaining on that Date, and the Amount of Fees collected during the same Period.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (505 copies), £0 LOfl.

By Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington.—l924.

Price 3d.]

District. Applications awaiting Compliance with Requisitions. Applications detained for Examination in the Survey Office. Applications (other than those already mentioned) received during the Month and not yet passed. Unregistered Instruments awaiting Compliance with Requisitions. Unregistered Instruments detained in the Surrey Offioe. Certificates of Title due but not issued. Applications reoeived previous to Current Month not yet passed. Luckland taranaki Vellington ... lawke's Bay... 'overty Bay ... Telson . . larlborough ... Janterbury ... )tago louthland Vestland 149 8 7 3 1 3 3 7 2 69 1 18 "i 5 6 1 84 28 167 28 17 16 2 140 16 11 22 200 9 156 25 i 29 39 16 177 36 29 8 3 30 22 35 3 i "l "8 "2 "l Totals ... 183 90 10 531 420 398

District. Unrecorded on 31st March, 1923. Received for Registration during the Year ended 31st March, 1924. Recorded during the same Period. Unrecorded on 31st March, 1924. Fees. Auckland ... Taranaki Wellington ... Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay Nelson Marlborough Canterbury ... Otago Southland ... Westland ... 717 19 227 46 10 75 5 34 115 6 13,003 920 3,069 1,604 63 1,197 458 1,661 3,067 661 83 12,373 926 3,285 1,533 72 1,195 463 1,670 3,148 664 82 1,314 13 4 117 1 77 £ s. d. 11,916 3 3 829 16 6 2,768 10 6 1,567 13 6 60 3 0 1,071 9 0 429 3 0 1,522 19 0 2,811 13 0 652 12 0 76 3 6 21 31 3 1 Totals 1,254 25,786 25,411 1,582 23,706 6 3