CROWN LAND SETTLEMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 600, 6 September 1913, Page 5

CROWN LAND SETTLEMENT

THE YEAR'S OPERATIONS

YEAR'S REVENUE £912,028, The Under-Secretary for Lands, in the course of bis report for the past year, points out that as more tban seven month a of the financial year had passed when the Laad Laws Amendment Act of last year became law few transactions under the amending Act are recorded in the report. The estimated amount to be received for the sale of lands and paid into the Land for Settlements Account this year will reduce the moneys credited to territoial revenue by £79,000. Seventy nine transactions were completed before the close of the year, regarding freeholds no ordinary Crown land witli an area of 11,633 acres; in addition, six tenants changed to deferred payment conditions, the area affected being 154 acres. The area of Crown lands opened for selection during the year aggregated under all tenures 373,503 acres, the totals for the various districts being —Auckland 74,304, Hawke's Bay 40,177, Taranaki 24,018, Wellington 9979. Nelson 3341. Marlborough 11,736, Westland 5360, Canterbury 117,058, Otago 276,347, Southland 23,883. HOW THE LAND WAS SETTLED. Of the total. 114,124 acres were opened on the optional system, 166,945 on renewable lease, 43,604 as small grazing runs, r.nd only 9345 as pastoral runs. The ar<=a opened this year shows a falling off from last years total, but this is accounted for to a large extent by the withdrawal of pastoral runs totalling 217,743 acres, the disposal of which is being held over pending proposed legislation with a view to improving the tenure. So far as settlement lands are concerned this falling off occurred during the first nine months of the year, 23 for that period the area offered was 107,992 acres, whilst the figures for the last quarter alone were 215,154 acres. This increase in the area opened during the- last three months of the year was mainly due to extra assistance having been provided for the necessary survey work and to the carrying out ot instructions in July last that lands suitable for settlement should be surveyed and made available as early as possible. GROSS REVENUE FOR YEAR. The gross revenue received during the year totalled £912,02S as compared with £893,058 the previous year. Of the total Auckland district contributed £156,947, Hawke's Bay £121,153, Taranaki £48,252, Wellington £111,098, Nelson £34,101, Marlborough £36,895, Westland £21,886, Canterbury £202,256. Otago £126,545 Southland £52.890. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT HOLDINGS. The total number of holdings occupied under the provisions of the Land for Settlements Act now number 5379, aggregating 1,366,518, acres, from which accrues an annual rental of £329,890. The number of sheep depastured on the lands is estimated at 1,010.000, horses 19,100. cattle and other acock 85,700. jjThe total value of improvements at the date of last inspection was 2,371,366.