C—l.

Miscellaneous -leases and licenses compare favourably as to area with the transactions of the previous twelve months. The receipts under the Cheviot Estate are, as usual, well maintained, and the operations under the Land for Settlements Act, though not so extensive as in the preceding year, are represented by satisfactory figures. The results for the past two years will be more readily understood by reference to Table C.

Table C.—Comparison of Operations during Year, under Principal Headings, with those for previous Year.

An important feature in this comparison is the great discrepancy in the pastoral and small-grazing-run systems, counterbalanced to a certain extent by the reduced number of forfeitures and surrenders. It will, however, 1 think, be admitted that under the altered circumstances and conditions transactions which comprise 2,008 selectors and cover an area of 709,571 acres may fairly be accepted as highly satisfactory. Following a long standing practice, to facilitate the comparison of the land business effected over a series of years, reference is requested to Table D.

Table D.—Summary of Lands selected.

This shows that the total number of selectors is only 235 lower than the average for the previous thirteen years; that the gross area is very much less for reasons already stated; that the total revenue collected is a record; -and that, notwithstanding the continuous reduction in the ranks of the Crown tenants, due to the acquisition of the freehold under various systems, the number of lessees now on the books of the Department exceed those of any previous year.

V

Tenure. 1903-1! j Number of Selectors. 1903-1904. .904. Area. Number of Selectors. I 1904-1905. Area. Cash sales* Occupation with right of purchase Lease in perpetuity! Pastoral and small grazing runs Mining and occupation leases Miscellaneous leases 445 403 1,049 187 99 630 Acres. 22,489 146,953 215,466 1,101,367 4,985 133,686 373 331 789 132 43 596 Acres. 18,992 138,206 175,812 494,922 2,132 130,151 New transactions Forfeitures and surrenders 2,813 466 1,624,946 415,701 2,264 256 960,215 250,644 Net increase 2,347 1,209,245 2,008 709,571 * Inclusive of subdivisions of town and suburban lands, t „ subdivision of land for settlements.

Year. Number of Selectors or Purchasers. Area taken up during Year. Territorial Revenue. Total Revenue collected. Number of Leasehold Tenants on the Books. 1891-92 ... 1892-93 ... 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 ... 1896-97 1897-98 1898-99 1899-1900 ... 1900-1 1901-2 1902-3 1903-4 1904-5 * ... j ... I 2,519 3,071 2,876 2,547 2,865 2,173 2,058 2,542 2,310 2,312 2,159 2,247 2,813 2,264 Acres. 1,453,082 1,663,339 1,393,918 1,015,577 2,662,344 1,600,695 2,451,062 1,357,466 1,573,823 1,667,744 1,094,086 1,589,667 1,624,946 960,215 £ 320,483 274,399 282,067 338,166 291,673 272,954 263,296 273,799 262,228 270,203 249,619 252,278 247,842 260,021 £ 324,470 310,523 347,343 375,879 345,331 360,993 359,086 385,145 382,943 431,338 427,138 448,380 497,211 509,975 12,735 14,261 15,081 15,326 15,683 15,527 16,365 16,572 17,191 18,050 18,521 19,594 21,101 22,186