It must be distinctly understood that when the lake and rivers are in flood all the contiguous low-lying lands are subject to inundation, and liable to be under water for long periods. When the lake is low cattle and sheep graze on the low-lying areas, and apparently thrive thereon, provided they have access also to dry pasture. It must be borne in mind that, owing to the fact that the lake fluctuates about 6ft. in level, the area of dry land is very limited as compared with the area liable to flood. With due regard to these facts the land is, in the main, well adapted for grazing. The Tai-tapu Dairy Factory is about three miles and a half from Greenpark.

J. W. A. MARCHANT,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

Lease of Reserve for Sale by Auction.

District Lands and Survey Office, Blenheim, 23rd March, 1896.

IT is hereby notified that a lease of the under-mentioned land will be offered for sale by auction at the Lands and Survey Office, Blenheim, on Wednesday, the 20th day of May, 1896:-

Reserve for leasing under “The Public Reserves Act, 1881,”-

Hundalee Survey District, Section 31, Block XXI.; 20 acres; term, one year, from lst March, 1896; upset annual rental, £5.

Description of land: Good soil, about half in grass, remainder covered with light bush and scrub (ngaio, mahoe, &c.), well watered, about 12 chains of wire and stake fence dividing section into two paddocks ; value, £8; distant seventeen miles and a half from Kaikoura by track.

The teams of settlers travelling to and using the reserve as a landing-place, and the horses of bonâ fide travellers, to be accommodated free of charge.

One half-year's rent and £1 1s. lease-fee must be paid on the fall of the hammer.

SIDNEY WEETMAN,
Commissioner Crown Lands.

Small Grazing-runs, Marlborough, open for Lease on Application.

District Lands and Survey Office, Blenheim, 23rd March, 1896.

NOTICE is hereby given that the under-mentioned small grazing-runs will be open for lease on application, at the District Lands and Survey Office, Blenheim, on and after Wednesday, the 27th May, 1896, at the annual rental noted below. If more than one application be received for the runs on the same day, priority of selection will be decided by ballot on the following day, at 11 a.m.

SCHEDULE.

MARLBOROUGH LAND DISTRICT.-ONAMALUTU SURVEY DISTRICT. First-class Pastoral Country.

Run 74, about 690 acres mixed bush, balance burnt bush with a little grass; fair soil on lower slopes, poor on ridges; well watered; about seventeen miles from Blenheim. Run 78, all forest, very broken, pastoral, birch bush, with a few rimu; poor soil; well watered; about sixteen miles from Blenheim.

CONDITIONS OF LEASE.

1. The term of lease is twenty-one years, with the option of renewal for a further period of twenty-one years, at a rent to be fixed by valuation, and improvements being secured to lessee as provided by “The Land Act, 1892,” section 182. Each lessee is required to make the declaration as per form printed below.

2. No person can lease more than one run.

3. Residence on the run is compulsory, and commences within three years in bush or swamp land, and within one year in open or partly open land, unless the lessee obtain the consent of the Land Board to reside on other land in his occupation.

4. Permanent improvements must be effected equal to one year's rental by the end of the first year, two years' rental by the end of the second year, and four years' rental at the end of the sixth year; and on bush land, in addition thereto, improvements must be made to the value of 10s. an acre if first-class land, or of 5s. an acre if second-class land.

5. One half-year's rent and £1 1s. for the lease must be paid immediately the application is declared successful; the rent to be paid half-yearly in advance during the term of the lease. The next payment of rent will become due on the 1st March, 1897.

6. The lessee has no right to purchase any part of the land; but he can select 150 acres around the homestead through which no road can be taken or other public privilege exercised without compensation.

DECLARATION.

I, , of *, do solemnly and sincerely declare-

1. That I am of the age of seventeen years and upwards.
2. That I am the person who, subject to the provisions of "The Land Act, 1892," am desirous of becoming the purchaser of a lease of Run No.†
3. That I am purchasing such lease solely for my own use and benefit, and not, directly or indirectly, for the use of any other person or persons whatever.
4. That I am not already the holder of any such lease in any part of the colony, nor have I any interest in any such lease.
5. That I am not the holder of any run under Part VI. of the aforesaid Act, nor have I any interest in any such run.
6. That I do not own any freehold land or land held by lease or license of any kind whatever anywhere in the colony, either by myself or jointly with any other person; which, exclusive of the land I am now purchasing the lease of, will exceed in area 1,000 acres.

And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of an Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand intituled “The Justices of the Peace Act, 1882.”

(Signature.)

Declared at , this day of , 1896, before me— , a Justice of the Peace in and for the Colony of New Zealand.

• Place of abode or occupation. + Here specify.

SIDNEY WEETMAN,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

Southland Land District.-Pastoral Leases in the District of Centre Hill, Wallace County, 10,281 Acres, to be offered for Lease by Public Auction.

District Lands and Survey Office, Invercargill, 7th April, 1896.

NOTICE is hereby given that the under-mentioned pastoral lands will be submitted to public auction for lease, on Wednesday, the 27th May, 1896, at the District Lands and Survey Office, Invercargill, at 11 a.m.:-

PASTORAL LANDS, UNDER PART VI. OF “THE LAND ACT, 1892.”

Run No. 198A, known as “Dunrobin,” 8,181 acres: Upset rental, £68 3s. 6d. yearly; distance, about ten miles from Mossburn; term, twenty-one years.

Run No. 198C, known as “Jim Crow,” 2,100 acres: Upset rental, £26 5s. yearly; distance, about twelve miles from Mossburn; term, twenty-one years.

The above runs consist of hilly and broken land, mostly open, covered with silver-tussock and fern, and well watered. Height above sea-level, from 1,000ft. to 3,000ft.

Run No. 198A is burdened with valuation for improvements, £92 4s.

Possession will be given on the day of sale.

Valuation for improvements must be paid to the Receiver of Land Revenue, Invercargill, before the licensee will be let into possession.

Purchasers must deposit a statutory declaration required by section 62 of “The Land Act, 1892,” and pay the sum of the half-year's rent and license-fee on the fall of the hammer.

G. W. WILLIAMS,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

Civil Service Senior Examination.

Education Department, Wellington, 24th September, 1895.

IN pursuance of regulations under “The Civil Service Reform Act, 1886,” notice is hereby given that for the Senior Examination of January, 1897, the period of literature will be the reign of Elizabeth, and the special books will be George Eliot's “Romola” and Shakespeare's “Tempest.”

W. P. REEVES,
Minister of Education.