TARANAKI LAND DISTRICT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 216, 18 October 1909, Page 2

TARANAKI LAND DISTRICT.

In his annual report, as presented to Parliament, the Commissioner of Crown Lands for tliis province, Mr. Francis Simpson, states that t'iie new transactions show an increase in number of selectors, but less area, than last year, the principal sales being town lands i 'o: cash, the selector*, under leasehold tenure being occupation licenses with right ioi purchase and renewable lease. "It i< ihijctuhlc." emphasises the Cominis-1 sioner, " Uuu win-never the option is I given, the occupation-with-right-of-pur--1 chase tenure is tiie one generally chosen.' The hist of the deferred payment holdings was converted to fee simple during the year, but the conversions from occupation with right of purchase to freehold were not numerous considering the number of holdings eligible for that purpose. Tlie revenue showed an increase of <U2f)I)S, principally from cash sakw and rents of leases in perpetuity, op to the present date nine lease-in-pcrpe-tuity tenants had given notice oi their intention to acquire the freehold of ther leases, but the majority of yiese cannot be dealt with until a question of law has been settled by the Supreme Court, Of 1J ,:}(>;[ acres of rural lands ollered under options conditions', scattered over the whole of the district, only one section of 521 acres' remains unselecU'd. -Mention is made in the report of the prosperous condition of the dis trict, ami to the fact that the majority of settlers had made improvements in excess of the requirements, the scarcity of labor being held responsible for even a greater area of bush being felled. The pusiiing on of the Stratford-Ongarue railway and the metalling of four miles of tlie Ohura road will, it is ass'erted, add materially towards making things easier for tlie settlers in the country affected thereby. In other parts of the district also the steady progress of road formation is being maintained, thus tending to open up the country and bring the j pioneer .settlers into closer touch with the more settled parts } consummations devoutly lo be wished. During the coming year the following blocks will be l'eaily for oiler under tlie ordinary I conditions of lh L . Land Act: 1370 acres in the Totoro Survey District, near Bne | Mukau Xiiver; 1(X)0 acres in the Piopio- | tea Wt'st and Usingi Survey District. It is confidently expected that surveys will |be finished to eiiable the additional | blocks enumerated below to be' ottered | during the year: 201)0 acres in Tangitu Suney Di.stiiet; 5500 acres in Omara Survey District; 5000 acre* in ilahoe I Survey District; in all a, total of 18,240 acres. In addition to the above blocks the Commissioner anticipates that an I area of Jo,oolf acres of forfeited sec- ' tiuira will be re-otfered. With reference to the .national endowment land there arc at present 5708 acres in Mahoe and Pouatu .Survey districts and 5031 in Totoro Survey District ready for otter-, iug, and the survey of 4000 acres in i Uangi and Piopiotea .Survey Districts jy nearly completed; whilst it is hoped to liavo another 2000 acres in Tangitu j Survey District ready to be opened foT lease during the year, making a total | area under this head of 10,82!) acres. Hie province is congratulated on the class of tenants who took up land during the year, the number of forfeitures hein<* half that of the previous twelve months. Forfeited sections, in any case, arc verv quickly re-occupied.