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CANTERBURY. (N. C. Kensington, Commissioner of Crown Lands.) Taken all round, the year has been a fairly prosperous one for the man on the land. Though the season was a wet one, cereal crops yielded well in most cases; clover and pea crops, however, suffered considerably from the excessive moisture. Weather conditions were favourable to the growth of rough feed, and this partly compensated for the loss of root crops. Increased prices for wool and lambs were instrumental in bringing the settlers' returns well above the average. Those engaged in dairying have enjoyed an increased return for the past season, and production has been well maintained. In common with civilians, the soldier settlers are taking full advantage of the opportunity to adjust their liabilities, provided by the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act, 1936, and in many cases voluntary adjustments are being arrived at. OTAGO. (F. 11. Waters, Commissioner of Crown Lands.) In common with the average settler, the soldier settler has had a good year. There have been local difficulties in some parts of the district on account of broken weather during harvesting, floods on low-lying areas, and in some cases the loss of crops ; but these difficulties affect only a limited number. This Department has largely been interested not only as lessor, but also as the grantee of bills of sale over stock and as mortgagee; and as the mortgages and bills of sale have now passed to the State Advances Corporation for administration, many of the difficulties with which this Department has been faced have now been eliminated. In passing over this responsibility it can safely be said that the soldier settler is in a good average financial position and that the prices realized for the past year have been greatly to his benefit. SOUTHLAND. (T. Cagnby, Commissioner of Crown Lands.) Consequent on favourable prices ruling for farm produce, a general improvement is noticeable in the position of soldier settlers. A number are, however, handicapped by the limited areas of their holdings and also injuries or other after-effects from war service. The discharged-soldiers-settlement accounts hitherto administered by this Department were transferred to the New Zealand State Advances Corporation on the 28th February.

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