C.—l

11

Number of New Selectors and Area taken up from 1st April, 1897, to 31st March, 1898, and Total Amount of Money received during the Year.

It will be noticed from the above table that the total results do not differ very materially from those of the previous year, though there are differences in particular items. In the lands thrown open for free selection under the optional system of Part 111. of "The Land Act, 1892," the " occupation with right of purchase " preponderates this year over selections under the " lease in perpetuity" system; whereas previously the number of selectors have been nearly the same. Under the obsolete systems of deferred payment and perpetual lease (which, however, are kept alive to a limited extent by section 114 of the Act) the transactions are, with the exception of two new selections under the clause quoted, confined to the completion of payments under previous Acts. Thus, under deferred payments there were 296 selections, covering an area of 41,683 acres 1 rood 11 perches, completed and made freehold during the year, and 205 cases of. perpetual lease of an area of 71,293 acres 2 roods 1 perch also made freehold, the payments in the latter case amounting to £51,371 9s. 9d. Both of these tenures will probably run out within a few years, owing largely to the facility of obtaining loans under a freehold system, towards which the Advances to Settlers Act has assisted somewhat. The number of deferred payment selectors still on the books of the department at 31st March last was 1,433, holding 202,761 acres ; perpetual lease, 2,078 selectors, holding 543,534 acres. These figures exclude village holdings. Under the optional system the following selections have been made: — No. Area. Cash ... ... ... ... ... 65 ... 6,680 acres. Occupation with right of purchase ... ... 380 ... 81 ,414 „ Lease in perpetuity ... ... ... ... 299 ... 76,953 „ This shows a preference for that system which allows of the acquisition of the freehold, notwithstanding that the rent in such cases (until the tenth year, after which the freehold may be acquired) is 5 per cent., as against 4 per cent, under the lease in perpetuity system. The main reason probably is, amongst others, that money may be more freely raised on a tenure where there is a right of purchase,

Nature and Tenure of Lands selected. Number of Purchasers or Selectors. Area. Cash received on Past and Current Transactions. Selectors. a^b^'p. Town lands sold for cash .. 104 72 3 29) Suburban lands sold for cash 39 96 3 9 Rural lands sold for cash .. 121 22,229 0 13j Deferred payments Perpetual lease (includes perpetual leases made freehold, £51,371 9s. 9d.) Occupation with right of purchase Lease in perpetuity Agricultural lease Village settlement, cash „ deferred payment.. . perpetual lease (inoludes village perpetual leases made freehold, £108 19s. 4d.) , occupation with right of purchase .. lease in perpetuity Village-homestead special settlement Special-settlement associations Improved-farm special settlements (lease in perpetuity and occupation with right of purchase) Occupation leases, Mining Act Small grazing-runs Pastoral runs Miscellaneous leases and licenses Cheviot Estate — Cash lands Lease in perpetuity Village-homestead special settlements (lease in perpetuity) Grazing-farms .. .. Pastoral runs Miscellaneous Land for Settlements Acts— Lease in perpetuity Lease in perpetuity, village settlement Special-settlement associations (lease in perpetuity) .. Small grazing-runs Miscellaneous 264 " 2 380 299 5 2 2 87 7 5 77 A. B. F. 22,398 3 11 651* 1 0 81,414 0 10 76,953 0 4 257 3 15 1 1 33 1 3 24 1,386 1 35 24 2 38 442 0 0 9,006 2 25 £ s. d. 17,367 5 0 24,150 1 6 71,966 14 0 12,152 2 8 16,912 12 3 115 6 6 17 17 6 527 17 4 1,059 13 10 11 10 4 1,258 12 4 2,171 18 4 8,253 15 2 711 2 4 23 52 138 327 1,284 3 20 141,033 1 14 1,990,414 0 16 75,017 0 36 227 16 3 21,667 12 5 78,011 19 0 30,759 9 4 8 6 2 125 3 20 105 2 12 16 3 3 838 12 0 6,455 19 9 825 3 11 15 811 0 9 6,355 1 7 358 15 6 436 15 3 io 262' 2 21 294 5 40,879 2 18 39 3 14 26,334 14 3 340 7 9 167 4 10 385 12 8 529 2 11 4 44 7,613' 3 23 919 0 22 Totals 2,058 2,451,062 0 23 330,370 16 6