C.—9

6

The Department continues to hold abandoned farms for sale at very reasonable prices, and in the case of those properties which have been allowed to deteriorate or for other causes do not appear to attract settlers, is willing to offer substantial concessions to suitable applicants who can be expected to work the farms in a proper manner. In some cases loans under the development provisions of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1929, can be made to civilian selectors for improvement purposes. Discharged soldiers can also be provided for in this respect and advances for the purchase of stock can be made out of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Account. Residential properties on hand and available for disposal at the 31st March, 1930, numbered 149, valued at £100,713. General. —A perusal of the year's operations as disclosed by the Revenue Account shows that the gross loss of £301,861 12s. 6d. is composed chiefly of capital losses resulting from the sale of abandoned properties and by further reductions of mortgages and remissions of interest granted by the Dominion Revaluation Board. These total £279,918 Is. 6d. Difficulty is still experienced in disposing of abandoned farms and houses in some localities, and, as at the end of the year, the above-mentioned properties were on hand for disposal further losses can be anticipated, as the values shown represent considerable reductions on book figures. Reports from the various districts are generally in optimistic vein, and notwithstanding the fall in prices this Las to a considerable extent been offset by increased production resulting from favourable climatic conditions combined with improved methods of pasture-treatment and herd-testing. LANDS PROCLAIMED. The lands set apart for selection by discharged soldiers during the year totalled 2,462 acres, making a grand total of 1,440,090 acres proclaimed since the inception of the scheme. This large area is made up as follows : — Class of Land. f Ordinary Crown land .. .. .. .. .. 604,790 Land-for-settlements land .. .. .. .. .. 400,511 National-endowment land .. .. .. .. .. 431,433 Cheviot Estate land .. .. . . . . .. 3,356 1,440,090 Proclamations have been issued revoking the setting-apart of 223,397 acres of Crown land and 96,986 acres of land for settlements land. APPLICATIONS FOR LAND. Applications for land under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915, to the number of sixty-three were received during the year. The following table gives the number of applications and the area allotted for each year from the inception of the soldier-settlement scheme : —

, .. . Allotments made. ,, ,. Applications Year ending „• j ; receive . Number. \ Area (Acres), 31st March, 1916 .. .. .. .. 272 2 629 1917 .. .. .. .. 522 319 143,524 1918 .. .. .. .. 513 313 103,362 1919 .. .. .. .. 1,379 348 117,018 1920 .. .. .. .. 5,041 932 403,891 1921 .. .. .. .. 5,396 1,087 414,867 1922 .. .. .. .. 878 403 97,972 1923 .. .. .. .. 284 146 25,113 1924 .. .. .. .. 216 79 16,910 1925 .. .. .. .. 123 47 9,014 1926 .. .. .. .. 109 86 20,500 1927 .. .. .. .. 78 66 17,412 1928 .. .. .. .. 96 60 15,695 1929 .. .. .. .. 90 77 13,275 1930 .. .. .. .. 63 53 16,665 Totals for fifteen years .. .. j 15,060 4,018 ! 1,415,847 J. B. Thompson, Under-Secretary.