C.—l.

Rebates of Rent. Under " The Crown Tenants' Rent Rebate Act, 1900," now embodied in " The Land Act, 1908," rebates amounting to £8,295 13s. 2d. have been granted to tenants. Under section 55 of " The Land for Settlements Act, 1908," rebates to the amount of £19,881 16s. 4d. have been granted to 3,631 tenants. The tenants'of the Cheviot Estate have also been similarly dealt with to the number of 191, the amount remitted being £705 6s. sd. The total rebates of all kinds amounted to £28,882 15s. lid. Payment of "Thirds" and "Fourths" to Local Bodies. ■ Local bodies have benefited to the amount of £35,340 16s. 6d., as provided for by section 145 et seq. of " The Land Act, 1908," and in districts where local government is not in operation a sum of £1,563 18s. Id. has been expended by the Roads Branch of the Public Works Department. It must be remembered that the various Land Boards, before passing the several amounts due from time to time to county authorities and Road Boards, have to be furnished with complete schedules showing in what manner it is proposed to expend the sums which have accrued, and the Land Boards have to be satisfied that the local body proposes to expend the moneys to the best advantage of the settlers. Timber and Flax Royalties. Local bodies have also benefited to the amount of £20,515 18s. 2d. by the share of royalties payable under section 319 of " The Land Act, 1908." Here it may not be out of place to remark that many local bodies in the North have been under the impression that they were to get halves from revenue accrued from timber-sales under " The State Forests Act, 1908." This is not so, as clearly laid down in section 319 of " The Land Act, 1908," which distinctly states that only halves from royalties paid into the Consolidated Fund go to local bodies. No revenue from State forests is paid into the Consolidated Fund, but it is all paid direct into the State Forests Account, and the revenue so paid into that fund is the sole source of income (up to now) from which is paid all the cost of reafforestation represented by the State nurseries and plantations. Medical Assistance to Settlers in Sparsely Settled Districts. Subsidies under the above heading have been paid to the settlers' medical centres in the several localities set-forth below, amounting in all to £1,086 ss. " .. ._ . A Q m ° K U ", tof Amount paid 1908-9. Name of Medical Society. Subsidy. 1 £ £ s. d. Clevedon .. ... . . .. 25 20 16 8 Kaitaia .. .. .. :. ..50 50 0 0 Kawakawa .. '.'... ... .. .. 50 50 0 0 Kawhia.. .. -.. .. .. ..50 50 0 0 Little River ..50 50 0 0 Ohura 100 100 0 0 Owaka 150 150 0 0 Preservation Inlet .. .. :. 50 50 0 0 Raetihi .. ' 100 100 0 0 Raglan.. .. .. .. V. ..50 50 0 0 Morrinsville 30 30 0 0 Taumarunui .. .. .. V. ..50 50 0 0 Tinui .. .. .. .. • • 50 50 0 0 Tolaga Bay .. .. .. .. 75 93 15 0 Waiau ..25 25 0 0 Wanaka .. [ '. ..100 100 0 0 Weber .. ..50 16 13 4 Whangaroa .. .. .. .. ..50 50 0 0 1,105 1,086 5 0 It is, however, a question whether subsidies of this nature, originally given by the Lands Department to assist settlement in the backblocks, should not now be dealt with and provided for by the Health Department rather than by the Lands Department, which naturally cannot control or supervise in any complete way the services rendered. - Land for Settlements Estates. The table E, appended below, shows the position and prospects of each settlement. The past year has been a very favourable one, and capital progress has been made by the settlers. Six additional estates have been acquired and opened for selection —viz., three, in the North Island and three in the South Island. The last two estates balloted for just at the close of the financial year were Kauroo Hill in Otago and Carrington in the Wellington Land District.

5