38

C—l

MARLBOROUGH. The table below gives a summary of the land transactions within this land district for the year ended 31st March, 1908. The area dealt with is 81,954 acres, selected by sixty persons ; and the amount received during the year is £32,955 ss. hi., or £30 10s. 3d. less than last year ; but, as the rent in arrear is this year £90 16s. 10d. more that it was at this time last year, the gross rent we should have collected shows an increase of £60 6s. 7d.

Table showing Transactions and Revenue.

Owing to the limited area of suitable Crown lands within this district, tin- progress oi settlement has been very slow, but the demand for good land is as keen as ever. The total number of selectors now stands at 1,074, or thirty-four more thin last year: tins chiefly on some sections taken up in the Rai Valley ; selections under Section 115 of " The Land Act, 1892 " generally in the northern portion of the district ; and some miscellaneous licenses. The reasons why section 115 is so greatly used in this district are, chiefly, because in tin- early days ol the settlement all the river-flats and much of tne lower slopes of the hills were either purchased or held under lease for a long time, leaving only the poorer lands behind, inaccessible without going to the expense of acquiring expensive road-rights through the freeholds—rights which generally would exceed the total value of tin- lands to be benefited. This .ofm of s< ttlement, although valuable in enabling the settlers to extend small sections and make th ir holdings large enough to make a living from, greatly increases the ( ~,st of the surveys. The settlers in th,- northern division of the district have very much to contend with, because the soil is frequently poor, is much, subject to reversion to fern and rubbish, and appears to be singularly suitable to the growth of all kinds of noxious weeds ; it is also frequently broken and roekv land. Fortunately, it has a much, greater rainfall than the district south of the Wairau River; hut even this part has suffered a good deal by the drought, and consequently there has been a meat deal of damage done by bush-fires, causing loss of fencing, grass, and stock. G MASS-SEED. The Government has assisted'the sett.eiß in tl is part of the district very materially by supplying lie m with grass-seed, to be paid for within four years. Twenty-two settlers have had assistance given to them in This way, at a total cost of £1,717. About 1,650 acres of Crown land, which had the bush burnt off it, has been sown at a cost, up to date, of £1,550 3s. Od. This will be recovered by loading its cost on to the land as it is selected. The tires causing the loss of grass, stock, and fencing, although considerable, have dime an immense amount of good in clearing off many badly burnt clearings, which, under normal conditions, would have taken a great deal of labour and years to have got into the same state as they now present, and when the soreness of the loss is healed the fire will be appreciated as probably one of the best things that could have happened to the settlers. The area of bush felled during the year has been roughly estimated at 900 acres, but there has also been burnt a considerable area of standing bush. The flax-dressing industry, although just now in rather a depressed condition, has been of considerable assistance to the settlers during the year, and in some cases has formed a welcome addition to the receipts.

Nature and Tenure of Lands selected. Number of Selectors. Area. Cash received on Past and Current Transactions. Suburban lands Rural lands sold for cash Occupation with right of purchase made freehold Perpetual leases Occupation with right of purchase Lease in perpetuity Village settlements — Perpetual lease ... ... * ••• Lease in perpetuity Special-settlement associations — Perpetual lease ... Occupation leases, Mining Districts Land Occupation Act Small grazing-runs ... Pastoral runs Miscellaneous leases and licenses Miscellaneous Land for Settlements Acts— Lease in perpetuity ... ... ■-, Small grazing-runs Miscellaneous leases 1 5 A. B. P. 16 8 0 189 2 33 £ s. d. 418 15 0 475 1 1 490 17 6 30 10 8 535 13 8 8,878 3 5 4 10 1,017 0 0 3,229 1 15 12 6 15 15 6 "s 713 0 0 14 14 11 46 7 9 ... 2 17 74,750 0 0 1,955 2 11 2,905 3 5 3,918 12 2 2,470 18 8 163 4 1 12 78 2 3 11,065 15 11 6,874 9 8 650 4 5 i 50 0 Totals (iO 81,954 3 22 32,955 5 4