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Expiring Laws Continuance Act extended until the 31st August, 1917, the provisions of sections 42, 43, and 44 of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1914, which authorized the exemption of lessees of Crown land, Ac, from cropping and other conditions; enabled the postponement of rent to be extended to tenants of pastoral runs; and also to holders of small grazing-runs of settlement land. Finance Act. —Section 50 authorized a loan of £50,000 for the purpose of afforestation. This supplements the revenues derived from the sale of timber in State forests. Beserves and other Lands Disposal, &c, Act contained a number of provisions relating to specific lands, and also amended the provisions of the Wanganui River Trust Act, 1891, the Swamp Drainage Act, 1915, the Hauraki Plains Act, 1908, and other enactments that concern the operations of this Department. War Legislation Act. —Part II extended the provisions of section 24 of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1915 (relating to applications for land by agents on behalf of members of the Expeditionary Force), fixed the age-limit of applicants for settlement land who are or have been engaged on military service at a minimum of seventeen years instead of twenty-one, and also gave power to postpone the dates of payment of instalments of principal and interest by deferred-payment licensees of Crown land who are members of the Expeditionary Force. Lands offered for Selection During the year au area of 425,119 acres of land was offered for selection under the various tenures provided by the Land Act, Land for Settlements Act, and Education Reserves Acts. In addition (lie Crown also dealt with an. area of 2,709 acres comprised in endowments other than education and national endowments, the administration of which is carried out by the Department acting under special statutory authority. Under the optional system an area of 32,110 acres was advertised, and practically all selected. Under renewable lease an area of 39,657 acres was offered, 9,374 acres being settlement land, of which the lessees have the right to acquire the freehold; 26,344 acres national endowment; 2,543 acres ordinary Crown land supposed to contain metals or minerals; and 1,396 acres of Cheviot Estate. Pastoral runs offered comprised 311,803 acres, and an area of 12,033 acres was offered as small grazing-runs. In addition to the above, a total area of 276,290 acres of Crown, settlement, national-endow-ment, and Cheviot Estate lands, comprising 529 holdings, was set apart for selection by discharged soldiers under the ordinary tenures of the Land Act and the Land for Settlements Act, and the special tenures of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act. Full particulars regarding these lands will be found in the report on the operation of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915. Lands to be opened. It is estimated that a total area of 547,359 acres, comprising 1,796 holdings, will be available for selection during the coming year. The following table shows the distribution of this area :—

Of this area all lands which are considered suitable for settlement by discharged soldiers will be set apart accordingly. Lands selected. The total selections during the year under all tenures covered a gross area of 1,010,152 acres by 2,059 selectors. These figures include, however, 135 purchases of small town and suburban sections aggregating 181 acres, offered for sale at auction.

Land District. Town. Suburban. Number Number of Area. of Area. Holdings, j Holdings. Number of Holdings. Rural. Area. Number oi' Holdings. Toi ;al. Area Auckland Hawke's Bay.. Taranaki Wellington Marlborough . . Nelson Westland Canterbury .. Otago Southland 120 12 90 50 160 Acres. 30 13 41 50 40 20 *29 4 Acres. 20 43 37 450 123 72 174 8 106 80 72 82 76 Acres. 90,000 73,963 29,942 5,371 4,758 71,151 12,567 192,600 52,200 14,500 590 123 113 268 58 266 80 79 137 82 Aores. 90,050 73,963 29,998 5,449 4,808 71,191 12,567 192,607 52,218 14,508 45 12 7 10 6 7 6 8 Totals 477 186 76 121 1,243 547,052 1,796 547,359