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Transfers. The number of transfers completed during the year is 11 I greater than the previous year. About half of these are, however, education-endowment leases. The subjoined list gives details under the various tenures :— Tenure. Number. A p Lease in perpetuity (ordinary) .. .. ..68 13,950 0 1 Lease in perpetuity lands for settlement .. .. !'•• 2,536 1 1 Occupation with right of purchase .. .. .. 35 8,202 2 8 Perpetual lease .. .. 26 1,636 033 Renewable lease (ordinary) .. .. .. .. 4 1,095 1 4 Renewable lease (land for settlement) .. . . 1 207 1 15 Pastoral license .. .. .. .. ..17 328,034 0 0 Small grazing-runs .. .. .. .. .. 3 14,018 2 0 Mining districts land occupation .. .. .. 2 80 0 36 Occupation lease (mining) .. .. .. ..15 1,212 327 Coal leases 1 19 0 38 Certificate of occupation .. . . .. .. 1 313 020 Sawmill areas .. .. 3 2,080 0 0 Education reserves .. .. .. .52 20,146 0 11 Totals .. .. .. ..247 393,531 2 34 Lands OPENED during THE Ykak. The demand for land is still exceedingly keen, and as sood as a block is placed on the market large numbers of applications are received. The Eollowing table shows the number of applicants who applied for land at fmir large ballots held during the year, which tnighi be of interest and which goes to show that much has yet to be done to satisfy the demand for hind in Southland : — Number Number Block. of of Bed ions. Applicants. ttmton .. .. .. '.I 104 Forest Hill .. .. .. .. .. ..10 193 Longwood .. .. ■ ■ ■ ■ .■ .. 5 23 Spar Bush . . . . . . . . . . .. 10 156 Totals .. .. .. .. ..34 476 The Terepa Estate, containing 5,505 acres (an education reserve), and which was purchased l>\ the late School Commissioners prior to their abolition, was also offered in seven sections during the year, and 3,357 acres representing five sections of it were selected prior to 31st March. Lands proposed to be opened fob Selection during the n During the year 1 hope to be in a position to place about 25.000 acres in the market, and have no hesitation in saying that the majority of the sections will be selected the day they are opened for application. The surveys of an ana of 5,685 acres in Campbelltown and [nvercargill Hundreds, and 1,626 acres in Aparima Hundred, have been completed and some of the sections already advertised. Surveys of 6,000 acres in the Longwood district and Jacob's River Hundred are almost completed, and will be dealt with as soon as possible. Further blocks in Campbelltown Hundred, Aparima Hundred, and Longwood and Mokoreta dial ricts will also be available for settlement. The majority of the lands under survey are worked-out bush areas and well suited for settlement, and this area should assist to cope with the demand. General Remarks. Crown tenants, with few exceptions, continue to fulfil the conditions of their respective leases in a satisfactory manner. The past season lias been a remarkably cold and wet one. This has hail a very retarding influence on all vegetable growth, tire result being thai crops of all kinds were a month to six weeks later than usual. Grass has been exceedingly plentiful, bul the prevalence of so much rain has proved disastrous to the seed crops. White crops have done well on the whole, but the wet spring delayed the sowing of all root crops, and consequently the results are not as good as last year. Dairying still flourishes, and record prices have ruled for factory-outputs. Five new factories have been erected during the year, making a total of fifty-four cheese-factories and four butter and condensing factories in Southland, with an intake ranging from 800 to 12,000 gallons of milk per day. One of the results of the good prices ruling for dairy-produce has been the laying-down of new grass on a very liberal scale, which will largely increase the feeding-value. Systematic farming and the improvement of their dairy herds are matters of vital importance to the dairy-farmers, as it is only by strict attention to these thai they can increase the earning-powers of their holdings. Taken as a whole, the settlers have experienced a good year, as prices for stock and produce generally have ruled above the average.