C—l

4

Table F.—Number of Inspections made by the Rangers for the Year ended 31st March, 1907.

The properties visited are slightly in excess of last year, being 9,852-, as against 9,311 shown in the last report. The area inspected—viz., 2,454,433 acres—is, however, slightly less than that reported upon last year. The improvements required to be made upon the total inspected area was £979,736, whilst the improvements actually made are valued at £2,006,791. The defaulters are in excess of last year, and are classified as follows : For non-fulfilment of improvement conditions, 697 ; for nonresidence, 702 ; for other reasons, 19 : total, 1,418. The work of our Crown Rangers is not only very onerous, but is at best a thankless task. Generally speaking, however, it is carried out in every part of New Zealand in a most praiseworthy manner, and the settlers as a whole realise it is necessary that inspections should be made for their own benefit, and also for the moral support it gives to the bona fide and hardworking settler against such as hold the land without seeking to'carry out the improvement conditions. Opeeations op " The Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1903." The area opened for selection during 1906-7 under the provisions of this Act amounted to 196,842 acres, and the number of selectors who availed themselves of its provisions was 504; the area selected (being made up of land previously opened added to that opened this year and shown above) was 246,359 acres, the amount remitted for the year on new selections being £8,345. The total number of selectors now holding areas under the provisions of the Act is 1,372, holding 642,080 acres, the annual rent remitted on the whole being £22,378. Improved-farm Settlements. Great interest still centres in these settlements, but the only district which has increased its numbers since last year's return is Taranaki, which heads the list with 43,023 acres set apart, and with an actual area occupied of 33,634 acres by 707 persons, who have felled the forest upon 12,809 acres, have grassed 13,760 acres, and own 7,654 head of cattle. Wellington, which comes next, has decreased both its area held and also its settlers resident, as this year 32,572 acres only are returned as set apart, of which 27,127 acres are occupied by 684 persons. But in the next item there is a great advance, as the forest-area felled is 17,070 acres and the area grassed 17,691 acres, while the cattle owned and upon the sections number 20,398—a most satisfactory result. Auckland has 6,719 acres occupied (out of 12,104 set apart) by 179 persons, who have felled 1,695 acres forest and grassed 2,302 acres. These 179 settlers own 1,258 head of cattle. Hawke's Bay has 1,916 acres occupied out of 2,025 acres set apart. The settlers number seventy, who have felled and grassed 1,915 acres and own 442 head of cattle. In the South Island, only Southland contributes its quota to these settlements, with 5,067 acres set apart, and 5,000 acres occupied by 169 persons, who have felled 3,260 acres of forest and grassed 3,155 acres. The settlers own 806 head of cattle. Very little extension of this class of settlement can be looked for, owing to the scarcity of suitable land. It is hoped, however, that a sufficient area near the North Island Main Trunk line may be purchased under " The Maori Land Settlement Act, 1905," to enable workers who wish to settle to have a further chance of so doing when the railwaj 7 is approaching completion.

«y tn O <D . j. 't* no S * £ aQ, co o -r g n fValue of I iprovements Number of Defaulters Distriot. A rea Required. Actually made. o u a ° « 5 fc, ft Q fc, g o as ££ CO _ u a "DO r° -Q «) ri(53 03 O GJ & Total. Auckland ... Hawke's Bay Taranaki ... Wellington Nelson Marlborough Westland ... Canterbury 2,070 747 374 1,828 164 391 432 1,849 1,163 834 A. B. P. 449,430 3 16 402,604 2 1 165,183 1 32 292,149 2 9 72,708 2 7 102,286 0 0 24,185 0 0 562,278 0 1 283,633 0 0 99,974 1 1 £ P. d. 118,626 9 11 132,526 7 7 65,737 0 0 135,068 2 7 10,977 12 7 58,083 16 6 5,307 15 11 253,741 6 8 161,754 2 3 37,913 2 4 £ s. a. 272,617 2 10 374,498 12 11 115,375 6 6 307,246 11 6 30,098 12 6 101,194 0 0 35,926 0 0 469,897 2 6 228,379 0 5 71,558 5 10 281 43 74 21 20 11 89 31 77 50 329 71 21 81 37 14 27 13 81 28 13 "3 610 127 95 105 57 25 116 44 158 81 Otago Southland ... 3 Total ... 9,8521 2,454,433 0 27j 979,735 16 4 2,006,790 15 0 697 702 19 1,418