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doing are satisfactory. This is a bond fide offer of ours to you: do you let it to them, and carry out the arrangements in accordance with our agreement to lease—that is, so that our interests and the interests of those leasing the land will be protected. Now, we consider that you can make satisfactory arrangements respecting the price for the land—that is, the rent per acre. We now ask you to make us an advance of £500 on that land. Aporo Tamarere, And seven others. We also agree that that land should be surveyed. Here follow the boundaries.

No. 4. Mr. J. A. Wilson, Land Purchase Officer, to the Hon. the Native Minister. Sib, — Land Purchase Office, Gisborne, 10th June, 1875. I have the honor to report, as Land Purchase Officer for the East Coast and Bay of Plenty districts, that during the financial year now about to close an unusual amount of business has been done, and that the following transactions have taken place. 1. Former Negotiations Completed. —l would refer to negotiations of the previous year that have been completed in this. Motu and Waikohu Matawai blocks come under this head. The former is a lease of 68,482 acres; term, fifty years. The latter is a lease for 43,479 acres ; term, twenty-five years. These blocks have finally passed the Native Lands Court, and have been awarded to the Natives with whom I had dealt. The Natives, two only excepted, have ratified the preliminary agreements under which they received advances in previous years. The deed for Motu is at Wellington, and that for Waikohu Matawai will be there before the end of this month. The rent for these blocks, as shown in my returns, will, I think, be considered moderats. The average rent on the nearer block is £3 9s. 9d. per 1,000 acres per annum. The average rent on Motu, which is more remote, is £2 17s. Id. per 1,000 acres per annum. 2. Purchases of Country Lands made this Year. —During the period under report I have made extensive purchases of lands at reasonable rates, in the district extending from Poverty Bay to Tokomaru, and the watershed of Upper Waiapu. Although these purchases are in many blocks, yet they may be classified according to price in the manner following:— Price. Estimated Acreage. s. d. 44,000 .. .. .. .. ..10 104,000, partly surveyed .. .. .. .. 2 0 7,660, surveyed .. .. .. .. 2 10 4,000 .. .. .. .. .. unfixed. 159,660 On these lands I have advanced moneys, in various sums, to the extent of £2,166, being about 3|d. per acre. These lands are of the same character and quality as the numerous sheep runs that fringe the coast line from Poverty Bay to Tokomaru—hilly but good, and well adapted to sheep; some of this country is open, some covered with scrub, and some with light bush. There is, however, but little valuable timber on the ground, which is to be regretted, as the whole is suited to settlement in its agricultural and pastoral forms. The surveys, so far as they have progressed, show that the area of this fine country has not been over estimated, the natural outlets to which are at Gisborne and Tologa Bay. Leases of Country Lands made-this Year. —l have also to report that, in addition to the above-mentioned 160,000 acres of purchased lands, I have leased 133,000 acres for forty years, surveys in progress, and 98,000 acres for thirty years, surveys in progress, making a total of 231,000 acres leased this year. The annual rent on these lands is uniform, amounting as nearly as possible to £1,500, which is rather less than £6 10s. per 1,000 acres per annum. In all cases, the advances are to be recouped out of the rent, the payment for which will not commence until the Government shall have received a title through the Court. The character and quality of the leased lands is hardly as even as that of the purchased; some of the leased land is well situated and very superior, and some is more remote and rugged. The leased and purchased lands adjoin each other, so as in one case to form a block of 247,000 acres, extending from within six miles of Gisborne to the Ngatiporou boundary in Upper Waiapu, and from the upper branches of Waipaoa or Turanga River to the back line of Mr. Arthur's run, on the coast at Tokomaru. The natural outlets to these lands are at Tokomaru, Tologa, Gisborne, and Wairoa. In every agreement to lease, there is a covenant by which the Natives bind themselves not to sell the freehold during the term of lease to any person other than the Government. Advances on these leases to the extent of £1,808 have been rendered necessary by the keen competition of certain influential Europeans in this district, who, regardless of the prior claims and moneys advanced by the Government, and of warnings received to that effect, have made advances also, and have