LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8220, 25 August 1906, Page 7

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT.

The annual report of tha Lands | Department was laid before Parliaspent by the Minister for Landß (Hon. K. M'Nab) on Wednesday. The return shows that during the year 641,133 acres were opened for selection under various tenures, being distributed a follows: N. laland S. Island Acres. Acres. Optional system 112,923 19,560 Cash by Auction 425 734 Lease by auction 2,285 8,907 Village allotment 1 772 305 Pastoral runs 13,142 191,729 Small grazing runs 1J,824 7,000 B.G runs (land for settlements) 43,312 31,931 Lease in perpetuity only 0,212 104,837 L.I.P. (land for settlements) 25,233 51,002 Total aores The report considers that it is a suitable opportunity to review the whole position, which must be faced, viz.—(a) What lands has the Government of New Zealand left for settlement purposes? and (b; what is necessary toj keep up the supply to satisfy the ever-inoreaaiog demand for Crown lands, a faot which every opening of suoh lands most strongly exemplifies? (a) The position of the Crown lands left for settlement may, I think, be best set forth by the following:— On hand. Ist April, 1905 2,610,000 Opened during year 1905 6 (of all kinds) 641,135 Total on hand and opened 3,251,133 Deduct lands selected during ■ year 787^927 Leaving available for application, Ist April, 1906, 2,463,206 Add to this Crown land available but not yet surveyed or opened for selection say, 1,025,894 Leave 3 a total of all lands available for settlement of 3,489,100 This total includes lands of every description, including the balances of all estates purobased but not selected and pastoral lands fit only for selection in large areas as runs. It may be mentioned that, by the recent decision of Cabinet, 1,000,000 acres of ordinary Grown lands are to tftvbe set aside as an endowment for | ' ther purposes of education, and 500,000 aores as an endowment for hoßpital and charitable aid purposes, and this area of 1,500,000 aores will have to be dealt with by special legislation and under special conditions so that the area remaining open under ordinary settlement conditions will be very peroeptibly diminished. The position to be faced is that referred to in (b): What it necessary to he done to keep up the supply to meet the ever-increasing demand for settlement lands? The aagww is apparent to wr one— Yii,, only by two, or perhaps three methods: (1) By a vigorous prosecution of the acquisition of improved lands under the Land for Settlements Aots: (2) by the acquisition by purchase of lands held by the Maori owners, and which are i not in profitable use; and (3) by the Maori owners themselves opening these lands for settlement by Europeans. What is being done in the way of purchase of native landsis more especially set forth in a separate paragraph under the heading of the Maori Land Settlement Aot, 1905. New selectors numbered 2,227 (slightly less than last year) who had selected a total area of 787,927 aores (also slightly less than the previous year) with an average of 353 acres to each selection, against a an average of 424 aores for each seleotion last year, whilst the revenue received way some £40,000 more than last year, having reached a total of £550,248. A total of 10,171 persons (or, with their families, probably forty thousand souls) have selected lands in six years, and are adding to the wealth of New Zealand by the manly way in which they have faced the difficulties aud trials inseparable from a settler's life, borne in most cases cheerfully and hopefully by man and wife in their strenuous endeavours to oreate a home for themselves and their children. The Crown tenants on the books of the department have reached the very respectable number of 23,323 persons, probably numbering with their families some 92,000 souls, and holding a total area of 17,754,813 aores. The revenue received from all sources amounted to £550,248, or some £40,000 in excess of last year. In addition to £7,034 remissions of rent under the liush and swamp Crown Lands Settlement Aot for the past year, a further rebate of rent was made to Crown tenants on 1 ordinary Crown landß during ihe year of £6,468, thus giving them a total remission for the year of £13,502 —a very substantial help, which all classes uf settlers must appreciate. In addition to this, settlars on the land-for-settlements estates have had rebate of rent allowed them amounting to £13,523, whilst the Cheviot settlers have participated to the amount of £685.