C—l.

TABLE D.—Summary of the Settlements established upon Estates acquired and dealt with up to the 31st March, 1906— continued.

Cognate Subjects. Very briefly, it is advisable to report upon a few other matters over which the Lands Department exercise either a whole or partial control, and as separate and special reports will be laid before Parliament upon each of these, it will suffice to enumerate them and give a short synopsis of the subjects dealt with in each. The first and foremost of these, and one in which intense interest is taken is Forestry. This will be dealt with in a separate paper to be laid before Parliament, and will be divided into two portions, viz.,—(a) State and Crown forests under yourself, as Commissioner of State Forests, and with delegated powers to the several Commissioners of Crown Lands, as Conservators of State Forests, who, again, have Timber Experts and Rangers under them. This paper will give the present position of all State forests, their use whether as climatic or for the purpose of affording needful supplies of milling timber, and also the timbers they contain, and a general description of each reserve classified in their respective land districts. And (b) State forest plantation reserves and nurseries; these last being the only areas which are under the control of Mr. H. J. Matthews, the Chief Forester. This portion is written by Mr. Matthews himself, and is the report of the operations of his Branch, which deals entirely with the reforesting operations which are being carried on under his supervision. The five nurseries and plantations in Otago are carried on entirely by free labour, and not with prison labour. In Canterbury, at Hanmer Plains, the work is being carried on both by free and prison labour, with the view of reforesting that district on an extensive scale. In Marlborough, the nursery at Starborough and the plantations at Dumgree are carried on with free and prison labour. Turning to the North Island, the extensive plantations around Rotorua and Waiotapu are carried on chiefly with Maori labour at the nurseries, and with extensive prison labour on the plantations, the last and most northerly being north of Whangarei, where the nursery established at Ruatangata Railway-station is raising trees for the reforesting of the Puhipuhi State Forest, which was burnt many years ago. This plantation, now being planted, will enclose at first about 2,000 acres, to be afterwards extended as the trees are ready.

11

Land District and Name of Settlement. Selec- Besi- Principal Purposes for which Progress during I „ „ , „ ... tors, dences.! Holdings are utilised. Year. | Present Position. Prospects. Otago— Pomahaka Downs Teaneraki Tahawai Maerewhenua .. Puketapu Ardgowan Makareao Makareao Extension Momona Tokarahi Janefield 24 23 8 73 11 66 31 3 15 15 8 56 9 53 18 3 Mixed farming Dairying Mixed farming Mixed farming and dairying Fair Very good Good Very fair Very fair Unsatisfactory .. Good Satisfactory Good Excellent Good Not bright Fair. Very good. Fair!' Excellent. Good. Elderslie Barnego Earnseleugh Windsor Park No. 1 Windsor Park No. 2 Duncan St. Helens Greenfield 14 79 21 34 22 13 37 13 44 19 24 19 8 25 Dairying Mixed farming Market-gardening and dairying Mixed farming Mixed farming and dairying Fruit-growing Mixed farming and dairying Poor".. Satisfactory .. Fair Good.. Fair Good.. Sound Not satisfactory.. Good Fair Sound Fair Very good. Good. Very bright Good. Satisfactory Very good. 10 i 7 Very fair 7 3 40 4 3 32 Poor Good.. Very good Unsatisfactory .. Fairly good Satisfactory Not bright Good. Very good. 519 375 Southland — Merrivale Dairying and stock-raising Very good Good 47 41 Very good. Otahu Beaumont Ringway Glenham 6 8 7 26 4 5 6 25 Farming and grazing Mixed farming and grazing Dairying, farming, and grazing Ditto Fair Satisfactory Unsatisfactory .. Pair. Poor. Doubtful. Edendale 121 97 Very good Very good Excellent. 215 178 Totals 3,464 2,738