C.—l.

Burfoot. —The road-works done in this settlement will be found detailed in Appendix lII. Roads. The settlement has not been a great success ; it might succeed better were the areas enlarged. It is fairly near Urenui, and adjoins a settled district. Greenlands. 603 acres in six sections, of which three are held, the remainder being vacant. One section was taken up during the year by a son of one of the holders; in fact, the settlement is represented by the father and two sons, the number on the land being seven. The live-stock is thirty-three cattle and three horses. The area felled and grassed is 226 acres, the improvements at selectors' own cost being £63. This settlement is at present difficult of access, being remote from the main line of communication, and in advance of ordinary settlement. Mangapoua.—7o2 acres, in seven sections, of which three are held, two by single men. There are three persons on the land, and the live-stock consists of 127 sheep and three horses. One selector has felled about 9 acres of bush, the Government having felled and grassed 68 acres. The total value of improvements at selectors' own cost is £5O 10s. One settler was assisted with £lO in the erection of his house. The settlers remaining have only just commenced to pay rent, and their compliance up to a few months ago has been indifferent. Huiroa.—66B acres 1 rood 21 perches, in nine sections, of which seven are held under the regulations, and one has been forfeited, and one has been reallotted under the ordinary tenure. The number of persons on the land is forty-one, the live-stock consisting of 139 cattle and fourteen horses. The area felled and grassed is 358 acres, and the improvements effected at the selectors' own cost are valued at £528. The settlement being situated on Douglas and Makuri Roads, surrounded by lands that were already taken up and occupied, may be considered to be independent of Government aid. It is only about fifteen miles from Stratford Railway-station, and is provided with a school, store, and post-office. Mangaere.—Thirteen sections, comprising 482 acres 2 roods 13 perches, situate about twentyone miles from Stratford. The settlement has the advantage of being surrounded by previously settled and improved lands. The area felled and grassed by Government is 399 acres, and in addition the settlers have felled about 70 acres at their own cost, the total value of improvements effected being £1,015 12s. There are eleven sections held by ten persons, one forfeited section having been taken up under the optional conditions, and one made into a village site. The number of persons on the land is fifty-three, the live-stock being 249 cattle and twenty-eight horses. The settlement has a school, dairy factory, store, smithy, post-office, and is making good progress. Whangamomona.—-10,543 acres in 111 sections, of which seventy-nine are held by fifty-six persons, thirty of these being single men. The total number on the settlement is 176, and the livestock consists of 1,318 cattle, 660 sheep, and eighty horses. The area felled and grassed is 3,406 acres, the area felled last season and ready for grassing being 148 acres, and the improvements at the selectors' own cost are valued at £3,849 15s. Forty-four of the selectors felled bush at their own expense, the fact of a dairy factory having been erected and opened during the year being a great incentive for the felling and grassing of as much of their land as possible. Creameries are to be established on some of the by-roads in connection with the factory, and settlers are rapidly providing themselves with cows. In a short time this should enable them to be self-supporting. As outlined in my last report, the Land Board visited this settlement and heard applications for additional holdings, the result being that twenty-three settlers took up vacant sections adjoining them, and three others were allowed to exchange their sections for more suitable ones. There were five forfeitures and six surrenders during the year. This settlement is traversed by the Ohura Road from forty-one to fifty-three miles from Stratford Railway-station, and the fact of large blocks on each side of this road having been taken up by persons with capital should materially assist the progress of the settlement, which is already provided with two stores, a boarding-house, two schools, and two post-offices. A coach service is the present means of communication. Taumatatahi.—43o acres 2 roods, in four sections, all of which are occupied. There are twentyseven persons on the land, and the live-stock consists of sixty-five cattle, twenty-four sheep, and ten horses. 159 acres has been felled and grassed, and 17 acres was felled last season. The improvements at the selectors' own cost are valued at £497. This settlement is situate on the Waitotara Valley Road, some thirty-two miles from Waitotara, and, being in the vicinity of previously occupied holdings, is progressing very well. There is a half-time school in connection with the settlement. Nihoniho.—l,4o6 acres, in sixteen sections, of which three are occupied, two by single men and one by a married man with a family of nine. The total number of persons on the land is thirteen, the live-stock consisting of 154 cattle, twelve sheep, and sixteen horses. In order to increase their grazing-area the settlers have been allowed the use of grass on the adjoining forfeited sections upon payment of an adequate rental. The area felled at Government expense is 147 acres. The settlers have found their own grass-seed, and made other improvements to the value of £278, which may be said to be a satisfactory compliance on the part of the resident settlers. The land in this settlement is first-class, but being remote at present from the ordinary channels of communication, and the surrounding lands being held by Natives, the selectors cannot possibly derive the full benefit from their holdings. John Stbauchon, Commissioner of Crown Lands.

WANGANUI. Horopito.—There are now only two settlers resident on this farm. The area of bushfelling done during the year amounts to 28T acres; 4£ acres was sown in grass-seed, and 14 acres of the remainder is to be sown by seed supplied by the Government; the balance is being sown privately. There is now dray-road communication with Raetihi, 37£ chains along the frontage of the farm

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