C.—l

VII

area of 53,646 acres of rural land; nine small grazing-runs, totalling 20,394 acres; and forty-five miscellaneous licenses for 5,891 acres. (See also special paragraph on page xvi.) In the report for the year 1901-2 it was explained that the falling-off in the number of selections and revenue under some of the systems of land tenure was due to the fact that suitable land had become scarce. It will be readily understood that this argument has even greater force as regards the operations of the last financial year, and it will be accepted as a gratifying and reassuring evidence that in the face of the drawbacks of remoteness and inaccessibility of the lands thrown open the people are as eager and determined as ever to acquire holdings for settlement and utilisation. The result of condensing and grouping the above transactions for the year is shown in the following table, which brings out the principal points for convenient and ready reference : —

Table C.—Comparison of Operations during Year, under Principal Headings, with those for previous Year.

Interest has always been manifested not only as to the areas in which the Crown estate is passing into the hands of selectors, but also as to the particular tenure under which they are taken up, hence the following remarks are submitted. Following the usual custom, and excluding town and suburban lands, pastoral and grazing runs, and miscellaneous leases, it is found that the average of the areas selected is 230 acres, whilst the figures for the preceding year are 228 acres. A considerable proportion of the settlement lands are opened under the optional system of the Land Act; the average holding taken up during the year amounts to 315 acres, whilst that for the year 1901—2 was 239 acres. Another interesting and instructive comparison results from a study of the total transactions during the past twelve years, as set forth in

Table D.—Summary of Lands selected.

1901-1902. 191 12-1903. Tenure. Number of Selectors. Area. Number of Selectors. Area. Cash sales* Deferred payment ... Perpetual lease Occupation with right of purchase Lease in perpetuity! Pastoral and small grazing runs Mining and occupation leases Miscellaneous leases 510 1 1 448 573 92 72 462 Acres. 27,300 52 10 128,894 118,669 685,952 2,535 130,674 393 Acres. 17,203 403 706 174 55 516 118,557 173,669 1,164,705 2,469 113,064 New transactions Forfeitures and surrenders 2,159 288 1,094,086 145,923 2,247 410 1,589,667 293,572 Net increase 1,871 948,163 1,837 1,296,095 * Inclusive of subdivisions t „ subdivision i of town and )f land for si suburban lands, ittlements.

Year. Number of Selectors or Purchasers. Area taken up during Year. Territorial Revenue. Total Revenue collected. Number of Leasehold Tenants on the Books. 1891-92 ... 1892-93 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 ... 1896-97 1897-98 1898-99 1899-1900 ... 1900-1901 ... 1901-1902 ... 1902-1903 ... 2,519 3,071 2,876 2,547 2,865 2,173 2,058 2,542 2,31.0 2,312 2,159 2,247 Acres. 1,453,082 1,663,339 1,393,918 1,015,577 2,662,344 1,600,695 2,451,062 1,357,466 1,573,823 1,667,744 1,094,086 1,589,667 £ 320,483 274,399 282,067 338,166 291,673 272,954 263,296 273,799 262,228 270,203 249,619 252,278 £ 324,470 310,523 347,343 375,879 345,331 360,993 359,086 385,145 382,943 431,338 427,138 448,380 12,735 14,261 15,081 15,326 15,683 15,527 16,365 16,572 17,191 18,050 18,521 19,594