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1892. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY (ANNUAL EBPOET ON).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Secretary for Crown Lands and Subveyor-General to the Hon. the Minister of Lands. Sir, — Department of Lands and Surveys, Wellington, 30th June, 1892. I have the honour to transmit herewith the annual reports on the operations of the Lands and Survey Department for the period ending the 31st March, 1892, and, in so doing, desire to call your attention to some changes that have taken place which have been for some time contemplated but could only be satisfactorily accomplished by the closer connection of the two branches of the department, which took place shortly after the close of the year ending the 31st March, 1892. The change alluded to consists in the alteration of the " survey year " to accord with the " land year," thus allowing all departmental returns to be made up to the 31st March. The survey returns consequently cover a period of only nine months, instead of twelve months as heretofore, though the full twelve months will be represented in next and succeeding returns. I have, &c, S. Percy Smith, The Hon. J. McKenzie, Secretary for Crown Lands and Surveyor-General. Minister of Lands.

LANDS. No change in the land laws having occurred, the lands of the colony have been administered during the period just elapsed under " The Land Act, 1885," and the amending Acts of ISB7 and 1888, and the regulations made in pursuance of the powers contained therein. New regulations were published in the New Zealand Gazette of 24th December, 1891, and the 14th April, 1892, page 597, both dealing with special-settlement associations. The principal alterations in the first of these regulations consists in the substitution of a perpetual-lease tenure for the deferred-pay-ment, or perpetual-lease tenure prior to that time in force, and the increase of the mean area which may be taken up by a selector within a special-settlement -block to 200 acres ; the maximum area of 320 acres being retained. The regulations of the 14th April, 1892, were confined to one special settlement in the Bay of Plenty, where the swampy nature of the land did not admit of so small an area as 200 acres being profitably worked, and hence the limit was fixed at 500 acres, the tenure being perpetual lease. Through causes which will be detailed presently the results flowing from these changes in the regulations do not appear in this year's returns, with the exception of one case, though, it may be added, the preliminary work in arranging these special settlements has formed a prominent feature in the year's transactions. In order to allow of a comprehensive view of the departmental work, the following summary of the transactions for the year is supplied, full details of which will be found in the several tables attached to this report:—

i—C. 1.

No. of Purchasers. Area. Cash and Scrip received on Past and Current Transactions. A. B. P. 44 3 33 228 1 12 40,227 3 6 40,467 1 36 181 3 5 1,922 1 8 428 3 31 282,547 0 27 892 3 10 2,213 0 24 90 1 4 1,010 0 0 159,464 3 7 844,952 0 14 £ s. d. Town lands Suburban lands Eural „ Deferred payment „ village settlement Special-settlement associations, perpetual lease .. Village settlement, cash Perpetual lease Village settlement perpetual lease Village homestead special settlement Agricultural lease Homestead Small grazing-runs Pastoral runs 101 99 292 223 23 13 89 824 59 140 2 8 80 126 1 ) 44,349 9 2* 49,913 18 5 2,657 15 10 9,446 12 9 1,629 3 4 40,099 9 6 340 8 10 1,902 1 0 232 17 7 17,070 7 0 132,605 17 0 * Including £1,954 3s. 8d. scrip.