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a—l 2

STATEMENT OF KAURI-GUM LICENSES ISSUED Under the Kauri-gum Industry Amendment Act, 1910.

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AND DEALT WITH Under Section 20 op the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1912. The only applications received and dealt with under the above section have been for exchanges from existing leases under the Kauri-gum Industry- Acts, in terms of section 13 of the regulations. H. M. Skeet, Auckland, 18th June, 1914. Commissioner of Crown Lands.

AREAS REMOVED FROM KAURI-GUM RESERVATION Up to 31st March, 1914. Total area released : 48,849 acres. Area subdivided and opened for settlement : 31,034 acres. Area at present under survey for settlement: 2,724 acres. Number of sections and total area selected at 31st March, 1914 : 156 sections; 30,424 acres. Number of sections and total area remaining unselected on 31st March, 1914: 1 section; 610 acres. In addition to last item there are—Six sections, 916 acres, withheld as reserves for various purposes; seven sections, 1,830 acres, subdivided but not yet dealt with; 12,345 acres withheld for survey, roading, &c. : total, 15,091 acres. CORRESPONDENCE. Sir,— Royal Commission on Gum Lands, sitting at Houhora, Ist April, 1914. At a meeting of the Royal Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor to inspect and classify the kauri-gum reserves of the Auckland District, held at this centre to-day, it was decided to have forwarded to you for analysis a sample of kauri-syvamp peat soil, in order to ascertain, for the information of the Commission when compiling their report, whether the sample contains any by-products of economic value as suggested in Parliamentary Paper C-16 (1909), being the report of Mr. Graham Gow, Trade Commissioner, on the kauri-gum industry. The particular portion of that report bearing on the matter will be found on page 7 of the paper in question, and has reference to some experiments conducted by Mr. Rosse Trevor, chemist,, of Aukland, in regard to extracting certain valuable products from such kauri-swamp peats. It may be interesting to note that it has come under the notice of the Commission since setting nut on its investigation that very considerable quantities of such peaty soil are bagged and regularly shipped from all gum centres, and apparently an industry for the export of it is.

CORRESPONDENCE. Sir, — Royal Commission on Gum Lands, sitting at Houhora, Ist April, 1914. At a meeting of the Royal Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor to inspect and classify the kauri-gum reserves of the Auckland District, held at this centre to-day, it was decided to have forwarded to you for analysis a sample of kauri-swamp peat soil, in order to ascertain, for the information of the Commission when compiling their report, whether the sample contains any by-products of economic value as suggested in Parliamentary Paper C—l 6 (1909), being the report of Mr. Graham Gow, Trade Commissioner, on the kauri-gum industry. The particular portion of that report bearing on the matter will be found on page 7 of the paper in question, and has reference to some experiments conducted by Mr. Rosse Trevor, chemist, of Aukland, in regard to extracting certain valuable products from such kauri-swamp peats. It may be interesting to note that it has come under the notice of the Commission since setting out on its investigation that very considerable quantities of such peaty soil are bagged and regularly shipped from all gum centres, and apparently an industry for the export of it is.

12—0. 12.

From 1st January, 1911, to 31st March, 1912. Year ending 31st March, 1913. Year ending 31st March, 1914. From 1st April to 29th June, 1914. Local Bod Ordinary. Special. Ordinary. Special. Ordinary. Speoial. Ordinary. Special. Mangonui Hokianga Whangaroa Bay of Islands Whangarei Rodney Otamatea Hobson Dargaville Borough . . Great Barrier Waitemata Manukau Thames Coromandel Ohinemuri Katikati Road Board Waikato 169 52 9 34 71 10 1 449 4 1,422 395 118 237 284 27 50 265 72 39 1 25 19 14 7 286 526 140 74 185 127 86 39 276 31 15 15 36 5 10 225 1,195 167 101 227 252 104 82 428 9 10 219 50 116 16 21 7 6 14 126 26 23 52 23 36 19 66 16 44 3 223 48 289 33 107 47 9 42 83 10 190 26 48 ■ 4 11 1 17 14 156 6 3 11 22 12 75 1 27 13 7 3 10 *-4 — 1,117* 3,274* 610 1,742 534 3,004 t t * A iproximate only. f Brokei period.