9

C—]

Operations for Coming Yeah. Particulars have been sent forward for gazetting for sale or lease a large number of sections in various townships along the .Main Trunk Railway line and elsewhere, and in Manunui Village Settlement; also about 21,535 acres in South Waimarino (Morinui) Block on the optional system. All of these lands, together with about 4,020 acres of the Awarua Jiloek east of Utiku, will be in the market at early dates. In addition to this about t,OOO acres in the Mount Cerberus and Puketoi Districts will be added to the holdings of settlers who have not sufficient land to support them, and probably an entirely new block of. say. L 5,000 acres in the South Waimarino may lie ready during the year, making a total of about 46,000 acres. S.\ WMiLLiNG Licenses. As a result of negotiations with millers, sawmill licenses have been or are about to be granted over large areas, mostly in the vicinity of Piriaka, Owhango, Raurimu, and Oliakune. These anas include a number of sections in the North Waimarino Improved-farm Settlement allotted in October, !!)()!), over which ample power has been reserved to deal with the timber in the best interests of the Crown and of the settlers. The area referred to over which licenses can now or may shortly issue is about 4,919 acres, and the timber royalty accruing therefrom will be about £22,000. The disposal of most of this timber is practically outside the usual sphere of the timber regulations, the combined objects being the promotion of improved-farm settlement in partial milling- country, at the same time largely preventing waste of valuable timber, as well as giving the settlers a share of the royalty, and providing in many instances employment for (hem at the sawmills, three of which are in full operation and several others in course of construction. [MPROVED-F ARM-SETTLEMENT Lands. The North Waimarino Settlement has made good progress during the year, and the settlers as a rule seem satisfied with their progress and prospects. The value of improvements effected by the settlers t heinsclves, without assistance from the Government, is £1,050, while the Government has paid for improvements to the value of £2,213. The selectors number seventy-eight, and those actually in residence are forty-two, who with their wives and children bring the total population of the settlement up to 295 souls. In this connection it has to l>c borne in mind that a number of the sections are more or less covered with milling-timber, and on account of the danger from fire it is not advisable to allow the settlers to enter into occupation of these until the whole or portion of the area lias been milled. There are also twenty-four such sections at present unallotted for various reasons, most of them being held back on account of the millingtimber. The area felled is 1,837 acres, and the area grassed, inclusive of some grassing done by the Government before settlement, is 354 acres. The number of cattle and horses on the land is 1 (iO. Forty chains of dray-road has been formed by the Government, and 976 chains of bridletracks: and, with the exception of sections on the Tunanui Road, the settlers have reasonably fail' access. Ranobrs' Reports and Inspections. The Rangers in the west coast district made 752 inspections during the year over an area of 158,887 acres. These figures show a decrease in inspections from last year's statistics, but an increase of 11,926 acres in area inspected. The amount of improvements required to be done by the tenants was £55,124, whereas the Rangers' valuations show that improvements to the value of £135,305 have actually been made, this being improvements to the value of j£BO,lSl in excess of requirements. In the east coast division the Rangers made !)71 inspections over an area of 174,352 acres. This year's figures show an increase in both inspections and area over those of the previous year. In this district also the tenants have shown a keen desire to improve their properties, and have put on improvements to the value of £77,414 in excess of requirements, the value of improvements actually made being £121,343 and the requirements £43,929. Although these figures disclose a prosperous slate of affairs with the tenants, when one reflects upon the hardships they have come through, and (particularly in the earlier holdings) the years of unremitting toil they have experienced in breaking in their farms and bringing them to profit, it will be admitted that their prosperity is only their well-merited reward. The Crown Lands Ranger for the eastern portion of the district reports that in his division of the district settlement still continues to make steady progress, and the selectors generally seem prosperous and contented. The season just past has been the driest experienced for years, and many of the tenants have been inconvenienced by small streams drying up. On the whole, however, it has been a good year for feed, and in most parts grass is plentiful. The majority of the holdings in this portion of the land district have been settled for a number of years, and improvements largely in excess of requirements have been done. Still, the settlers arc making further improvements—erecting new houses, wool-sheds, stables, &c. —and, where there is no bush to fall, logging and stumping operations are going on so as to bring the holdings into full carrying-capacity and profit. Dairying still continues to flourish, and is one of the chief sources of income, especially on lands from Eketahuna to Woodville. In the Pongaroa district it is falling off, however, and is being replaced by sheep and cattle raising. Every year sees the roads throughout the district coming nearer to perfection, and most of the settlers now have either summer dray-roads or metalled road-access, 6 ft. tracks being only in the remotest places. The Crown Lands Ranger for the northern portion of the west coast district reports that land settlement has progressed most satisfactorily during the year, the good prices ruling for 2—C. 1.