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in places. Settlers complain of the state of the roads. There is a school and two post-offices in block. Pahiatua No. 2. —Area, 2,415 acres, divided into fourteen sections ranging from 100 to 259 acres, averaging about 172 acres each. Of fourteen required to reside, twelve are residing, one exempt temporarily, and one employed in the locality. There are five single men, six married men, and twenty children residing. Improvements : Eequired, £3,097 : effected, £4,081 ; surplus, £984. Stock: 31 horses, 46 cows, 261 other cattle, and 2,776 sheep. The grassed portion of the land is mostly fenced and well stocked with sheep, cattle, and horses, and is used for grazing and dairying purposes. Settlers are mostly steady, hard-working, struggling men, who work on their holdings, Government roads, and about the district. Some few make cheese and butter. Settlement is making steady and satisfactory progress. Access is partly by dray-roads, remainder horse-tracks, good in summer only. Pahiatua No. 3. —Area, 2,310 acres, ranging from 100 to 234 acres, averaging 210 acres each. Of eleven required to reside nine are residing ; the remaining two are residing temporarily on adjoining land. One of the latter is a defaulter as to improvements. One single man, eight married men, eight women, and thirty-three children residing. Improvements : Eequired, £2,957 ; effected, £4,401; surplus, £1,444. Stock : 34 horses, 98 cows, 146 other cattle, and 2,370 sheep. The land is partly grassed, fenced, and fairly well stocked with sheep, cattle, and horses, and is used for grazing and dairying purposes. The selectors, who are working-men, struggling to make homes, are engaged on their holdings, Government roads, and about the district. Some few supply local creamery. Settlement is making slow and sure progress. Eesidence, improvements, quality and kind of stock satisfactory. Access partly by dray-roads, remainder horse-tracks. School, post-office, and creamery in proximity, Pahiatua No. 4. —Area, 1,058 acres, divided into five sections, ranging from 100 to 280 acres, averaging about 211 acres to each selector. Of five required to reside two reside permanently. Of the three non-resident two reside occasionally. A little time is required to enable them to comply with all the requirements. One is engaged in business in Pongaroa, and is a defaulter as to residence and improvements. Improvements: Eequired, £1,288; effected, £864; deficiency, £424. The land is partly grassed and fenced, and is sparsely stocked with cattle and horses. The selectors are mostly industrious, struggling men, who work partly on their holdings, Government roads, and about the district. Owing to want of means progress is slow. Four out of five selectors are expected to fulfil requirements shortly. Access : Dray-roads, good in summer. Christchurch. —Area, 1,400 acres, divided into seven sections, averaging 200 acres each. All who are required to reside are residing. Improvements: Eequired, £1,810 10s. ; effected, £1,911; surplus, £100 10s. The land is partly grassed, fenced, and fairly well stocked with sheep, cattle, and horses, and is used for grazing purposes. The selectors are steady, industrious, struggling workingmen, engaged on roadwork about the district, and upon their holdings. Settlement is making steady progress. Access : Partly dray-roads, and partly horse-tracks ; good in summer only. Woodville No. 2. —Area, 1,330 acres, divided into seven sections, ranging from 100 to 230 acres, averaging about 190 acres to each selector. All have complied with residential and improvement conditions. Improvements: Eequired, £1,780 ; effected, £2,121; surplus, £341. The grassed portion of the land is fairly well fenced, and is stocked with cattle, sheep, and horses. Stock: 11 horses, 50 cows, 119 other cattle, and 312 sheep. The selectors are industrious and struggling, and most of them are experienced. They work on sections, roads, shearing, fencing, bushfelling, &c, about the district. Some few supply private creamery. Settlement has made fair progress. A post-office is established, and a sawmill and a private creamery in active operation. Access : Dray-roads; good in fine weather. Kaikoura. — Area, 400 acres, divided into two sections. Eesidence and improvement conditions are complied with ; two married men are residing with their wives and five children. Improvements : Eequired, £500; effected, £681; surplus, £181. Stock: 15 horses, 14 cows, 14 other cattle, and 160 sheep. The land is partly grassed, fenced, and is used for grazing. The selectors are steady, industrious, struggling working-men. Settlement is in good position—Alfredton-Weber Eoad. Access : Dray-road, part of which is metalled. The school-children attend the Bakaunui School. Rising Sun. —Area, 1,800 acres, divided into nine sections of 200 acres each. Eesidence and improvement conditions complied with. Improvements : Eequired, £360; effected, £2,082; surplus, £1,722. The grassed portion of the land is mostly fenced ; it is stocked with sheep, cattle, horses, and utilised for grazing purposes. The selectors are hard-working, struggling men, who work on their holdings, Government roads, and about the district as opportunity offers. Settlement is in fairly good position, and is making satisfactory progress. School and post-office now open in settlement. Access : Mostly bridle-tracks, good in summer only. Improved Farms. Mangatiti. —Situated in Makuri, Puketoi, Aohanga, and Mount Cerberus Districts. Area, 5,838 acres, divided into thirty-seven sections, ranging from 75 to 200 acres, averaging about 138 acres to each selector. Of thirty-two required to reside, nine single men, one widower, and eleven married men, with their wives and thirty-three children, are residing; as are also two married men whose families at present are in the South Island. Of the nine non-resident, three are married; the remainder are single men. Of the former, one resides occasionally, and two are supposed to reside at Pahiatua and Mangaweka respectively. Of the single men, one transfer pending, one exempt for a time, one supposed to be in South Africa, whilst three are expected to comply shortly. The cost of Government inrprovements is £2,872 2s. Id.; the value of selectors' improvements is £1,405 6s. 3d.: making a total of £4,277 14s. 4d. Stock :32 horses, 64 cows, 271 other cattle, 222 sheep, and 18 pigs. The improvements effected by selectors are as follows :

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