C.—l.

Lands for Selection. During the year 285,166 acres were taken up on various tenures, the number of selections being 1,118 under all headings. These figures include some 511 sections, comprising altogether an area of 61,071 acres, taken up under miscellaneous leases and licenses, so that the selections on permanent tenures numbered 607 sections, covering a total area of 224,095 acres. The following table gives the selections of Crown lands for the last five years : — Selections under all Tenures. Year ending Number. Acres. 31st March, 1930 .. .. .. .. 2,091 402,900 31st March, 1931 .. .. • - ..1,639 368,809 31st March, 1932 ..1,448 406,408 31st March, 1933 .. .. .. .. 1,354 280,518 31st March, 1934 .. .. .. .. 1,118 285,166 The total of 285,166 acres selected during the year includes lands taken up under both permanent and temporary tenures, and also town and suburban lands. The -permanent selections of rural lands only were as follow : —

The lands dealt with above comprise both areas offered for the first time and areas which become available for reoflering through various reasons. The figures for entirely new rural areas selected during the year are as follow : —

Receipts. The receipts for the year from all sources (excluding, of course, Discharged Soldiers Settlement Account receipts) totalled £1,020,198, an increase of £277,378 on last year's figures. The sum of £226,444 was derived from ordinary Crown lands, £499,982 from land held under the Land for Settlements Act (including Hutt Valley Settlement and Cheviot Estate), £134,249 from the national endowment, and £112,393 from the education endowment. The receipts for the last five years have been as follow : Year ending 31st March, 1930, £1,275,106 ; 1931, £1,005,700 ; 1932, £776,489 ; 1933, £742,820 ; and 1934, £1,020,198. Postponements, Remissions, and Arrears of Rent. Rents, the payment of which remained postponed at the 31st March, amounted to £222,164. Arrears of rent at the 31st March (including arfears in respect of the current half-yearly charge) totalled £1,090,350, while remissions for the year totalled £206,847. Rebates. For prompt payment of rent 15,024 Crown tenants were granted the usual rebate in terms of section 123 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 59 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925. These rebates amounted to a total of £27,708. National Endowment. Of the area in the national endowment, 6,527,467 acres were held under lease or license at the 31st March by 4,470 tenants, paying an annual rental of £142,419, while a very large area (partly, however, covered by existing leases) had been set aside as provisional State forests. For further particulars re the national endowment, see parliamentary paper C.-14. Educational Endowment. An area of approximately 817,354 acres of education endowments under the administration of the various Land Boards is leased to some 4,128 tenants, who pay a total annual rental of £130,163. Land reserved for various Purposes. Under the provisions of section 360 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 71 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925, various areas of Crown and settlement land were permanently reserved during

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C. of Land. | KSSXS! Total Area selected. _ Acres. Crown and national-endowment land .. .. 254 134,348 Settlement land .. .. • • • • ■ • 25 6,332 Education reserves, &c. .. . ■ •• •• 13 3,676 Grand totals .. .. •• 292 144,356

Number of New Rural Total Area selected for Class of Land. Sections selected. the First Time. Acres. Crown and national-endowment land .. .. 114 38,737 Settlement land .. . - •• 12 1,841 Education reserves, &c. . ■ • • • • 6 682 Grand totals .. . ■ •• •• 132 41,260