I.—3a

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Streets and Slums. Mr. Coates complained that the high rents caused the owners to subdivide to escape them, and so caused too minute subdivision, resulting ultimately in slums. The division is not due to a desire to escape the rent, but to get money by selling the goodwill of portions of the leaseholds. This proves that the rents are too low. If fair rents were paid there would not be this trucking in their leaseholds hy the tenants. They could not subdivide and sell them for considerable suras, as many are doing. A. word of warning is necessary about this business. Unless this subdividing is controlled by the borough, slums will be brought into existence. It is in the highest degree absurd to blame the Natives for this. The office gets nothing out of this cutting-up of sections, but if it objected to it there would be the usual howl b\' interested individuals about " official tyranny," &o. The borough should prevent it going too far. Too small sections, like too narrow streets, are open to grave objections. Surveys. Perhaps the most remarkable request of the tenants, as urged by Mr. Coates, is that the Natives should pay for the surveys for these subdivisions. Pay for surveys to allow their tenants to put money in their pockets by speculation with and mutilating their land ! The number of small right-of-ways and miserable little plots created by the lessees in Greymouth will yet be a reproach to the town. Instead of the Trust benefiting by these, it may ultimately suffer in consequence of them. This demand is characteristic of the unreasonable attitude taken up by many of the lessees towards the owners. Rentals. The burden of Mr. Campbell's evidence and complaints was " the craving desire of the Trust for rents." His own personal trouble about which he spoke arises in this way :He is the lessee of part Section 302 c, Block 16, containing 166 perches. The Government capital value of it is £2,400 —improvements, £2,000; unimproved, £400. £2,000 improvements on 16"6 perches, the value of which is £400, shows that Mr. Campbell has not been discouraged to improve his leasehold. The office, as it was bound to do, asked 5 per cent, on this £400. He refused it, and on arbitration £15 was awarded. Now, these repeated assertions about excessive rents are completely answered by this return showing the rentals for the last thirty-six years. They are of more importance than a crowd of interested witnesses, and at once dispose of this imaginary grievance : — Annual Amounts collected from Greymouth from 1874 to 1909.--Thirty-six Years. 1874 ... 3,697 \ 1875 ... 3.0491 1577 "Average for 6 years, 1874 to 1879, inclusive... ... ... ... 3,517 1878 ... 3,976 1879 ... 3,457 1880 ... 2,711\ 1881 ... 3,405 1882 ... 3,144 1883 ... 2,310 [ 1884 ... 3,078 leverage for 10 years,lBBo to 1889, inclusive ... . 3,089 1885 ... LBB6 ... 2,988 18X7 ... 3,328 1888 ... 3,362 1889 ... 3,363 1890 ... 3,459\ 1891 ... 3,385 1892 ... 3,228 1893 ... 2,852 1894 ... 3,6321 Average for 10 years, 1890 to 1899, inolusive ... ... ■-- 3,479 1895 ... 4,577 f 1896 ... 3,811 1897 ... 3,175 1898 ... 3,436 ISO!) ... 3,244/ 1900 ... 3,450\ 1901 ... 3,413 1902 ... 3,377 1903 ... 3,614 1904 ... 3,962 I Average for 10 years, 1900 to 1909, inclusive ... ... ... 3,500 1905 ... 3,581 f 1906 ... 3,060 1907 ... 3,764 1908 ... 3,515 1909 ... 3,264,1 . Average for thirty-six years, ±,6,686.