SETTLING THE LAND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2216, 31 July 1914, Page 4

SETTLING THE LAND

RECORD OF THE YEAR — EFFECT OF RECENT LAWS In his animal report, presented to Parliament yesterdaj by. the' Right Hon. W. F.. Massey, the. Under-Secre-tary for Lands (Mr; James Mackenzie) •writes first of all of tile'privileges con-, ; ferred by the legislation put on .the Statute Book by the present Government on certain tenants' of tho- Crown, enabling them to acquire the freehold iof their lands. '■ Following were the purchases of the freehold under the provisions of the Land Laws Amendment Acts, 1912 and 1913, up to March 31, 1914. (Roods aiid perches are omitted "in the area figures, and' shillings and ■ pence' in the money figures):— No. of i Pur- • Amount. Tenure. chasers.' Area. Rec'ved. Ordinary Crown Acres. £ ■-. ■ lands— • : v . Deferred . pay- ; nient 9 .1,088 1,172 Perpetual lease 3 121 ■ 184 Lease in per- \ petuity, ... 517 89,792 88,519 Totals ...... 529 ■ 90,002 89,619 Lands for Settle- " ments— . Deferred payment 10 .34 1,461 Lea-se in perpetuity .... 42 4,576 15,380 Renewable lease 47 15,146 11,902 Totals 19,757 28,744 . Grand totals 628 110,760 118,264 In addition (says Mr. Mackenzie) many tenants are acquiring the freehold by means of the deferred-payment system, and at the close of the year 221 tenants, holding 32,467 acres, were paying for the freehold under this _ system by yearly instalments amounting -to £2940. It is expected that .these privileges' and concessions will be largely taken advantage of by the tenaute during 'tho current year.

Pastoral Runs. 7 The pastoral run'tenure was consider-' ably improved by the provisions 'of Part 111 of the Act mentioned. Tenants holding land under this tenure now have, in cases where the runs are subdivided for closer settlement, a fight 'to select one of-the' subdivisions; If a Tun is not subdivided before reletting, the licensee is entitled to a new lease of the whole run. A new departure in regard-to these runs is the provision relating to residence. The Land Board now has the power under Section 54 of the .'Act, in offering runs for selection,' to impose residence conditions Whenever it. is deemed advisable. Pastoral tenants have every inducement given them, to expend their capital in improving and bettering■ the' land they hold to bring it up full carrying capacity. ■ : , Lands Selected. . The area, opened for selection during the year under all tenures was 474,586 acres, being an increase, of about 137,000 acres over the area offered during the preceding twelve months., This area includes sixteen settlement estates subdivided; and offered for selection on the renewable lease tenure. Every effort is being made by the Department to render available' for selection the. remaining .Crown lands. During the year an area of 500,396' acres of Crown land was selected under all tenures by 2051 persons. Under renewable, lease , the total selections were 539,,. covering an .area of 213;400acres;- of .which 148,273 acres : was' set-' tlement laud, made up principally ,of ,tho sixteen land-for-settlement. estates opefied. for. .selection., ' v ; '~ , National Endowment. The area within the National Endowment .at tho close of ;thoJ: year was 5j607,000 acres, of which' 6,525,034 acres .was held under lease or license, producing .an annual rental of £99,600. Tho gross amount, received during the' ■ year '.from the-rentals' of the leases and : from^tojafties'' 'in respeict: : of' iiiiiher, and coal: wa5^£10.3,271, to ! bo distri-, buted in accordance \uth'.the statutory' provisions governing the' endowment.'' ■ : Rents. V In,:the rebates ,: granted for -, the' prompt payment; of rent,: 20,947 ■'ten-ants-participated;-the total amount boing £43,039. ;At tho close .of the year the rental' remaining \ postponed - amounted to £10,585, owing by '199 tenants. ■

Land Revenue,' During- the year the revenue received was £1,066,496. The amount collected in each land district was as follows:— .V ■ £ Auckland 193,348 Hawke's Bay. 153,230 Taranaki :'61,272 Wellington 160,435 Nelson 38,323 Marlborough ......... 44,774 Westland ' 19,881 Canterbury 206,055 Otago 130,110 Southland ............. 59,068

Total £1,066,496 " Analysing'the revenue under tho various sources, the following figures aro of interest:— ' £ Cash sales and purchase of freeholds 200,608 'Deferred-payment instalments ■ 11,094 Perpetual-lease rents 2,155 Ocoupation-witli-right-of-pur-chase rents ' 99,698 Lease-in-perpetuity rents .... 234,014 Renewablo-lease■,Tents 121,640 Small-grazing-run rents . 84,352 Pastoral-run rents ' 79,827 Educational and - other endowments 106,634 iOther leases and licenses and . miscellaneous receipts '. 126,474 " Total £1,066,496 It will be observed that. £200,608 was :received from "cash sales and. from conversions of leaseholds into freeholds, also £11,094 from instalments on account of freeholds being .acquired under the deferred-payment system. Estates settled. Sixteen estates, comprising 151,610 acres, were mado available for selection during the .year, iii 214 farms or holdings. There was a k'oen demand for all the estates, with the exception of those within tho Southland district. The number of applications received amounted to 3990. v In-Wellington District. It is anticipated that an area of about 59,669 acres will be available for settlement this year in the Wellington district. Since the beginning of the present financial year the Gorge Block, 2794 acres, and the Kaipaore Block, 1505 acres, have been offered and disposed of. Steps are now being taken to place in -the. market the Raurangi Bldck, 11i313 acres; Hurupi Block, 3555 acres; Tupapanui Block,' 450 acres; areas reverting to the Crown in Hikawera and Tablelands Settlements, 1433 acres; Rising Sun and Puketoi Survey Districts, 1652 acres; a small grazing run in Momahaki Silrvey District, 2397 acres; an 4 other lots in various districts, comprising about 4570 acres. The survey of an area of over 30,000 acres, tho unsold and remaining portion of the Waimarino Block, is now well advanced, and the Department,; hopes to be in a position'to offer it also on optional system before tbe close of the current year r

Particulars aro being prepared for - the sale by - auction of nine; lots of milling timber re-, cently appraised within easy distance of the Trunk Railway, near Horopito and Pokako stations. These lots comprise a total quantity of about 89,366,500 superficial fe6t, and tho proposed upset royalty will aggregate about £47,100. With the increasing demand for milling timber now apparent there is every probability of these lots and others which will be appraised being taken up by millers during tho present year.