C.—l.

The following table gives the relation of this freehold revenue to total receipts during the past five years

Of the 233 conversions to freehold during the year, 198 were in the North Island districts. Postponements. Postponements of payment of rent were granted to 299 tenants during the year, involving the sum of £27,517. At the 31st March, £84,016 remained postponed on account of 751 tenants, as against £119,093 on account of 886 tenants at the 31st March, 1930. Rebates. For prompt payment of rent 18,211 Crown tenants were granted the usual rebate in terms of section 123 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 59 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925. These rebates amounted to a total of £40,519. National Endowment. Of the area in the national endowment 6,583,286 acres were held under lease or license at the 31st March by 4,454 tenants, paying an annual rental of £140,873, while a very large area (partly, however, covered by existing leases) had been set aside as provisional State forests. For further particulars re the national endowment see parliamentary paper C.-14. Educational Endowment. An area of approximately 815,500 acres of educational endowments under the administration of the various Land Boards is leased to some 4,081 tenants, who pay a total annual rental of £133,544. Lands Reserved for various Purposes. Under the provisions of section 360 of the Land Act, 1924, and section 71 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925, various areas of Crown and settlement land were permanently reserved during the year. The reservations made totalled seventy-two, covering an area of 3,019 acres. A summary of work carried out under this heading is given below : — Purpose of Number of Area. Reserve. Reservations made. a. r. p. Additions to school-sites .. .. .. 3 3 3 16-4 Cemetery .. .. .. .. ..3 404 Government purposes .. .. .. .. 6 7016-9 Gravel and quarry .. .. .. 4 52 3 6 Hospital-sites .. .. .. .. 2 25 314 Landing-place .. .. .. .. ..1 428 Post-office site .. .. .. .. ..1 00 17-46 Preservation of native fauna .. .. .. 2 1,897 0 0 Public-hall sites .. 2 11 38-5 Raceman's cottage-site .. .. .. 1 5 228 Railway .. .. .. .. 2 4 1 18 Recreation .. .. .. .. 25 883 0 8-96 River-protection .. .. .. .. 6 16 1 4 Roadman's cottage-site and public pound .. 1 26 0 11 School-sites 10 32 1 22-8 Travelling stock .. .. .. .. ..3 55 0 11 Totals .. .. .. ..72 3,019 2 25-02 The above does not include areas that have been vested in the Crown as public reserves in town subdivisions pursuant to the provisions of section 16 of the land Act, 1924. Land-drainage Operations. During the year some 1,123,045 cubic yards of spoil were excavated by floating and dry-land excavators, and, in addition, 21,080 yards of rock were dealt with. Further particulars of the various activities of this branch of the Department are given in Appendix 111.

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I [ Conversions Amount m , , — to yielded „ Tot . al : Freehold. therefrom. eceip s. I' £ £ Year ending 31st March, 1927 .. .. .. 304 76,570 1,245,338 1928 .. .. .. 261 69,276 1,271,821 1929 .. .. .. 317 111,119 1,290,856 1930 .. .. .. 323 107,550 1,275,106 1931 .. .. .. 233 58,693 1,005,700