C.—sa

2

The piece not hatched in Petone and bordered green [No. 7 on printed plan] is Mr. Sharpe's block, containing 18 acres, and is under offer at £315 per acre. The piece not hatched and bordered light chocolate [No. 8 on printed plan] is Messrs. Pyne and Boyle's block of nearly 12 acres, and is under offer at £250 per acre. The piece cross-hatched and covered over purple [No. 9 on printed plan] is Mr. Hannah's block of 25 acres, and is under offer at £250 per acre. Attached is a complete schedule showing list of properties held and under offer, with total acreage, price, and average price of whole thereon. The piece broad-hatched purple [No. 10 on printed plan] is the Hutt Park, consisting of 100 acres recreation reserve, the property of the local bodies. The piece broad-hatched green [No. 11 on printed plan|, containing about 140 acres, is the property of the Hutt River Board, and is a proposed industrial area. The piece broad-hatched black [No. 12 on printed plan], at the estuary of the Hutt River, is free from all floods, and it is also proposed to make an industrial area of that portion of the borough. The Wilford Settlement, shown with a purple cross [No. 13 on printed plan], is Government land, and only a small portion roaded, although it is shown on the plan as being roaded. The Hall-Jones Settlement, shown with a green cross [No. 14 on printed plan], is Government land also, and roaded, but only partly settled at present. For your information I would again say, in handing over these options, that I have no interest in any of them either directly or indirectly, nor have I any property in the vicinity that would benefit by the proposed opening up. Yours &c, W. T. Strand, Mayor. The Hon. the Minister of Lands, Wellington.

Options to Purchase.

Memorandum from District Valuer to Valuer-General. Wellington, 22nd February, 1924. Memorandum for the Valuer-General, Wellington. Re Hutt Valley Settlement. As instructed by you, I visited the lands over which the Mayor of Lower Hutt has obtained options to purchase in connection with the scheme for the opening up and development of the eastern portion of the Hutt Valley, which is described in his letter to the Hon. Sir Francis Bell of January last, and beg to report as follows on the present-day values of the said lands, and incidentally on the scheme generally : — I have been personally acquainted with the development of the Hutt district for over twenty years, and have therefore a first-hand knowledge of the land-values ruling during that period. In common with other localities, it has had its periods of progression and stagnation, but present prices ruling, which are lower than they were ten years ago, seem to indicate that in the future the progress of the district will be on sound lines. Present settlement largely follows the existing railway-line, and additional means of access will have to be provided either by way of branch railways or motor services to open up a large area towards the eastern and southern side of the borough, which is even to-day relatively sparsely settled. These localities contain the properties' over which options have been obtained by Mr. Strand, the Mayor of Lower Hutt. These properties have been for years a source of annoyance to the Crown and local authority through continuous applications for revaluations under section 36, and consequent offers at a lower figure under section 31 of the Valuation of Land Act. In the ordinary course of events at some early date it will be necessary to extend the existing railway system to the vicinity of the projected, reclamation at the Hutt River mouth. An extension beyond this point traversing the " optional " land (if held by the Crown for development purposes) will considerably widen the prospects of an early profitable return from a

Name of Owner, and Number on Printed Plan. Area. Price per Acre. Total. . Riddiford, E. L. :. Riddiford, E. L. .. :. Riddiford, Mrs. E. .. :. Nathan and Reeves.. '. Eglington's i. Mandel's .. . Sharpe's .. i. Pyne and Boyle K Hannah, R. A. R. P. 122 0 0 33 2 0 50 0 0 139 3 14 47 3 28 34 0 34 18 0 36 11 3 20 25 0 0 £ s. 250 0 250 0 400 0 225 0 260 0 254 6 315 10 250 0 250 0 d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 £ s. d. 30,500 0 0 8,375 0 0 20,00Q 0 0 31,463 8 9 12,460 10 0 8,700 0 0 5,750 0 0 2,968 15 0 6,250 0 0 482 2 12 126,467 13 9 Average price per acre, £262 8s.