C.—9

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Precis of Correspondence from Commissioners of Crown Lands — continued.

Name. 'ar: ;icu: Lars as to eneral lorn iions, [mprovemem :s, am ienewa] .eases. 'age lommissioner of Crown Lands, Nelson lommissioner of Crown Lands, Marlborough 'ommissioner of Crown Lands, Canterbury cropped for three years; then leave two-thirds of land which has been cropped, before expiration of lease, in good permanent English grasses. In the event of the outgoing tenant not taking up the lease and there being no other purchaser, he must either accept a new lease at a rent to be fixed by arbitration, or surrender his claim for valuation. To leave on land all straw and manure grown or made during last year of lease. Power to resume land for school-site. Cost of preparation and registration of lease, £2 10s. Town lands : All walls, buildings, erections, drains, &"., to be looked after. Not to sublet or assign without c nsent. To clear land of all gorse and noxious weeds. Not to remove or use gravel from land. To keep in good repair all fences and footpaths. Not to erect more than one dwellinghouse or subdivide the allotments into lanes or streets without consent. Valuations by arbitration of all buildings and improvements before expiration of lease. If lease not sold at expiration of lease value of all buildings and improvements shall revert to lessors without payment of compensation. Power to resume land for school-site. Cost of preparation and registration of lease, £2 10s. Leases granted are generally for terms of from fourteen to twenty-one years, and contain provisions for payment to tenants of compensation for improvements as provided by " The Public Bodies Leasehold Act, 1886 " States that in the majority of cases there are no formal leases executed by the School Commissioners of Marlborough. The payment of the rent half yearly in advance and a written promise that t 1 e value of improvements that have been made with the sanction of the Commissioners, shall be added as a loading when the section is again submitted to public competition, are the only covenants existing. In a few cases where the le-ise of a section has been renewed for a term of years the tenant has been required to execute certain improvements during the currency of the extended term Forwards a printed copy of terms and conditions of education reserves leases. The leases have as a rule been let by tender, subject to valuation for buildings erected by the outgoing tenant. The Board renews the 1 ases to good tenants under section 244 of "The Land Act, 1892." Where tenants have proved unsatisfactory the farms are submitted to public tender, but before doing so the possibility of further subdivision is considered, and, w>>ere deemed advisable, residence is made compulsory The following are the conditions in the lease, viz. : Term of lease, fourteen years. Rent payable hilt-yearly in advance. To keep land clear and free from all noxious weeds. All fences, ditches, drains, gates, &c, to be kept in good order. Not to sublet or assign. All buildings to be kept in good order and repair. All buildings to be insured to the value of £50 and upwards. Must not cut the English grasses for hay or seed more than once during the period any portion may be down in grass. Not to burn any straw grown upon or sell any from the land except its equivalent in value of manure be returned to the land. The lessee must not take more than three crops from the same land in succession, then to be sown with good permanent English grasses. At all times duing the lease the land must be so farmed that not less than one-third of the farm be maintained in permanent pasture. To sow and lay down at least one-half of the acreage of the farm with good permanent English grasses three years before the expiry of the lease, and maintain the same as permanent pasture for the resi lue of the term. At least three months before the expiry of the term of lease all buildings to be valued by arbitration. Incoming tenant to pay to outgoing tenant value of buildings. The Board renews the leases to good tenants under section 244 of " The Land Act, 1892." Forwards a statement of the procedure in connection with leases issued by the Westland School Commis-ioners, viz.: The Commissioners have hitherto had no special form for leases of land for pastoral purposes. The chief provision is usually for the protection of the improvements effected during the currency of the lease by the tenant. The Commissioners do not incur any liability, but an incoming tenant has to pay the assessed value of the improvements referred to. Leases in recent years have been for a term of ten years, and the usual provision for the rights of entry, &c, has been inserted Forwards explanatory letter from the Secretary of the School Commissioners re conditions, &c, also a copy of a pastoral lease, and the form used for ordinary leases. The following are the conditions in the leases, viz. : Agricultural: Term of lease, twenty-one years. Rent payable half-yearly in advance. All rates and taxes to be paid. To keep the boundary and subdivision fences and gates in good repair. To keep all drains and ditches in good order, and cleanse same once every year. To eradicate all weeds. To trim all hedges once a year. All buildings and fixtures erected on the land during the currency of lease (other than fencing) must be approved of prior to erection, otherwise no valuation will be allowed. Power to resume land for metals, minerals, coal, &c, and to erect buildings and machinery, and for school-sites and roads. Lessee within one year to commence to fence all lands (if not already fenced), the whole to be fenced seven years before expiration of lease. To cultivate land within one year from commencement of lease, as far as practicable to be brought under cultivation five years before expiration of lease. Not to take more than three crops in succession, one of such crops to be green, and then to remain in pasture for four years, and a crop of grass-seed shall be deemed a white crop. In the event of the outgoing tenent not taking up the lease and there being no other purchaser he must either accept a new lease at a rent to be determined by arbitration or surrender his claim for valuation. Cost of preparation of lease, 10s. 6d. Pastoral: Conditions as to pastoral lands similar to those for agricultural sections, except that the land is leased subject to the provisions of "The Mining Act, 1891," and " The Coal-mines Act, 1891," and all timber (except that required for the tenants' own use) is reserved, also that the tenant is to cultivate for station purposes only one green crop, one white crop, the 1 md then to be laid down in grass and clover, and remain in grass for three years, then same cultivation may be repeated. Power to resume land for school-site. The lands in the Southland Land District are under the control of the Otago School Commissioners, aud the conditions are the same as those given for Otago. 14 15 15 'ommissioner of Crown Lands, Westland 16 'ommissioner of Crown Lands, Otago 16 'ommissioner of Crown Lands, Southland 22