C—l

Of the present village settlers, fifty-six have each acquired, in addition to village holdings, sections on deferred-payment and perpetual-lease conditions amounting to 2,757 acres. Most of these are abandoned village sections, a few of them only being unallotted sections within the settlement. Sixteen late village settlers have acquired 2,329 acres under ordinary settlement conditions, some of the sections taken up being abandoned on unallotted village sections. Fortytwo persons other than village settlers have acquired forfeited and unallotted village sections, amounting to 2,001 acres. The total area now occupied as a direct result of the village-settlement system, in addition to village homesteads still held, is 7,087 acres. It is therefore evident that there is now in occupation a larger area of land than there would have been if all the village settlers had remained on their holdings. The amount of advances this year, as anticipated in my last annual report, is much less than in any previous years. This looks as if the settlers are in a better position, or more selfsupporting ; but the real reason is that they are compelled to leave their homes and sometimes go great distances to obtain employment to enable them to support their families, or to obtain money to buy stock; consequently, the improvements for which advances are made are not so great as in previous years. Still, in the various settlements there is work done of value to the settlers, representing a great deal of time and labour, and may be claimed as general improvements, but for which no advances are made. At the same time the cultivations on some sections are not so good as could be desired. This to some extent may be owing to the sections being mostly bush, which requires (in the absence of capital) a great deal of time, manual labour, and perseverance to obtain remunerative returns. I notice that the settlers who can manage to work a great part of their time on their sections are doing, and will do, better than those setters who are almost continually working away from home. The former may not earn so much money in wages, but they are improving their sections, and their produce helps to support them when they obtain occasional employment; but it takes all the money the latter may earn to support themselves and families, whilst their sections are not being improved, and yield them little or nothing. Taking the settlements as a whole, I consider the increase of stock, the general improvements, the amount of land added to their holdings, and progress made by the settlers as very satisfactory. I have, &c, The Commissioner of Crown Lands. H. P. Kavanagh, Village Steward.

Number of Horses, Cows, Calves, Pigs, Fowls, Sheep, and Bullocks, with Chains of Fencing in Various Village Settlements; also, Number of Women and Children, Acres in Grass, and Approximate Area in Gardens, Orchards, &c.

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Name of Settlement. o m o M CO > O 3 fc to > O ft i <u > ' 13 ■ Q "o ab m S a a •ag CO o O P .9 w W CO O 03 o<5 4 : si S'g o I Herekino Waimamaku Takahue ... Fern Flat Kohukohu Motukaraka Punakitere Hukerenui Pataua Omaha ... Waitakerei and Swanson Karaka ... Komokorau and Firewood Creek ... Te Aroha Whananaki Motatau ... 40 18 18 10 6 9 28 60 13 12 2 2 42 28 LI 9 9 58 65 74 27 (i 12 35 194 4o; 141 53 10 24 12 1 21 56 59 4 11 4 358 240 44 60 20 90 155 292 21 219 180 14 39 22 16 14 51 61 75 39 28 136 72 64 56 165 316 422 608 200 407 60 69 24 7 1 2 4 26 18 25 8 16 14 3 2 1 79 37 26 17 9 71 69 93 28 36 56 13 263 120 185 134 56 332 191 171 93 170 15 13 9 10 i 1 10 14 12* 7 5 10 3 'ie' 270 12 10 12 ±1 24: 2!) 1.8 71 87 19 31 2 16 35 12 188 173 262 77 29 24 51 20 124 415 380 121 2 7 21 8 5 30 70 28 18 83 111 93 26 5 16 206 680 2,056 127 300 532 727 320 2,393 479 3,615 59