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them considerable hardship and inconvenience; but they appear hopeful that the next season will be a better one, and thus enable them to retrieve their position. The grain-crop was all but a failure, and the root-crops have not come away since the rain as well as in other places." Duncan. —Established December, 1902. Area, 633 acres 2 roods 3 perches ; holdings, 7, over an area of 631 acres 3 roods 30 perches ; annual rental, £238 Is. 2d., including one miscel'aneous lease (coal) at £10 per annum and royalty. Receipts, £177 65., total to date £673 os. 7d. ; rebates, £6 16s. 6d., to five selectors : arrears, £9 155., owing by one lessee with 166 acres. Total population, 14 ; houses, 4; sheen, nil; cattle. 46; horses. 12. Area in new grass, 20 acres; in white crop, 70 acres; in green crop, 13 acres ;in native grass, &c, 205 acres. Value of improvements, £1,061 10s. The Ranger states as follows : " Duncan Settlement was in rather a bad state, the effect of careless farming before it was taken over. The artificial pastures had run out, and weeds of various kinds had taken possession. To bring the land back to a healthy state will necessitate a hard struggle for a few years. Although this year has been decidedly against high yields, it has proved of great advantage in assisting to kill, weeds. There is a dairy factory on the settlement, and the settlers are supplying milk to it. When they can get their holdings into good grass they will probably be able to do fairly well, but in the meantime they have a battle to fight in which patience and determination will enable them to succeed. The crops this season were somewhat light. Settlement conditions have been well complied with." St. Helen's. —Established June, 1903. Holdings, 3 over the whole area, at £224 Us. per annum. Receipts, £203 10s. 6d., total to date £914 14s. 6d. ; rebates, £20 18s. 5d., to three selectors ; arrears, nil. Population, 7 ; houses, 3 ; sheep, 300 ; cattle, 42 ; horses, 15 ; pigs, 9. Area in white crop, 58 acres ;in green crop, 25 acres. Value of improvements, £732. With regard to this settlement the Ranger reports, " The three settlers on this estate are going on quietly and well. They have suffered in common with others from the drought, but are hopeful that the coming season will have brighter prospects in store for them. The land is good and the rent reasonable, and with ordinary seasons they must succeed." Greenfield. —Established April, 1905. Acquired area, 22,071 acres 1 rood 30 perches, there being in occupation 39 farm allotments, one small grazing-run, and one miscellaneous license over an aggregate area of 21,785 acres 1 rood 3 perches, at an annual rental of £4,244 lis. Bd. Receipts, £3,682 os. lid., total to date £7,996 2s. 4d. ; rebates, £377 19s. 10d., to thirty-seven selectors; arrears, £72 Bs. 6d., owing by one selector holding 818 acres. Total population, 115; houses, 39; sheep, 14,015; cattle, 189 ; horses, 180. Area in new grass, 654 acres; in white crop, 1,936 acres :in green crop, 1,400 acres ; in native grass, &c, 3,885 acres. Value of improvements, £9,527 Bs. 6d. The Ranger reports as follows : " The Greenfield settlers did not get a very favourable start as far as weather-con-ditions are concerned. The first year was very wet and cold, and the past year warm and unusually dry. Dry seasons in their locality are exceptional, and it is not likely there will be an early recurrence of so dry a season as the past. Excellent progress has been made throughout the whole settlement. Many new houses have been erected, and a number of the selectors who were single at the time of selection have since married. The grain-crops gene:al!y were inferior, but the root-crops in many cases will be good. A large amount of subdivisional fencing has been put up, and a large area placed under cultivation. Extra high lambing percentages have been the rule, and many of the tenants have realised over 100 per cent. Wool sold well, and this added to the exceptional increase in lambs has more than made up for the shortage in grain-crops. The settlement has made excellent progress during the year. The settlers are all very hopeful, and their prospects are very bright. They have good roads and a regular steam service on the Clutha River to Balclutha Railway-station." Steward. —Established April, 1906. Acquired area, 21,935 acres 2 roods 7 perches, there being 21,729 acres 1 rood 28 perches in occupation by forty-eight selectors, at an annual rental of £5,021 12s. 6d. This includes five small grazing-run le:-: r ees, with 5,871 acres 1 rood 6 perches, at an annual rental of £983 2s. 4d. Receipts for the year, £4,773 os. 3d. ; rebates, £240 2s. Id., to forty-four selectors ; arrears, nil. Total population, 131 ; nouses, 39 ; sheep, 12,155 ; cattle, 283 ; horses, 140 : pigs, 59. Area in new grass, nil; in white crop, 1,651 acres ; in green crop, 937 acres ;in native grass, &c, 10,600 acres. Value of improvements, £11,378. Ranger's report is as follows : " This settlement has made very good progress since its establishment twelve months ago, notwithstanding the fact that it has had to encounter one of the most severe droughts ever recorded in the history of north Otago. Any crop that was put in did not come to much, as might have been expected under the circumstances; but the grass held its own wonderfully well, most of the holdings being understocked. The turnips in some cases are fairly good. There are already about 130 souls residing on the land, and the number will be increased when some of the settlers take up their permanent residence and bring all their families on to the land. Some very substantial buildings have been erected, costing in some cases upwards of £700." Plunket (late Corriedale) .—Established February, 1907. Acquired area, 6,136 acres ; area in occupation, 6,126 acres and 9 perches, by eighteen selectors, at £2,075 ss. 4d. yearly. Receipts, £1,082 9s. 6d. Totara. —Established March, 1907. Acquired area, 3,168 acres 2 roods 6 perches; area taken up at 31st March, 3,031 acres and 23 perches, by twenty-five selectors, at annual rental of £2,513 15s. The remaining allotment, of 94 acres 2 roods 4 perches, has since been occupied at £89 16s. yearly. Receipts, £1,257 12s. Bd. The last two settlements having been disposed of so recently, it is too early yet to supply further details. The general condition and prospects of the several settlements in this district under the Land for Settlements Act are, as may be gathered from the reports and returns, satisfactory and encouraging, while the operations of the past year may be said to have been upon the whole fairly successful. The following is a summary of the details given in the foregoing report : Number of settlements, 22 ; total area acquired, 120,898 acres ; total number of holdings, 611 ; area occupied, 118,032 acres ; annual