180

been £515,584 16s., as against £436,147, for the previous year. Of this amount the Province
has been credited with £65,887, as capitation allowance, the whole of which has gone to pay the
interest and charges on the Consolidated Loans of the Province. The Gold Duty shows a con-
siderable deficiency as compared with the previous year, the figures being £11,502, and £17,504,
respectively. This deficiency however, is not to be attributed to any exodus of population from
the Province, or to any perceptible diminution of its auriferous resources, but to the circumstance
that many of the miners have been acquiring and turning their attention to Agricultural Lease-
holds, and many more have been availing themselves of remunerative contracts on Public Works.
The consent of the Governor to the Bill passed by the last Session for a partial reduction of
the Export Duty on Gold was withheld. I understand, however, that the Colonial Government
has lately intimated to the Otago Miners' Association that it has now no objection to the duty
being reduced. I have written to the Colonial Government to the effect that if this be so, the
Provincial Government is prepared to relinquish either a portion or the whole, if the former will
indicate the particular modus operandi of accomplishing this, which will meet its concurrence.

The area of land taken up during the past year under the Gold Fields Act as Agricultural
Leaseholds, has been 17,405 acres, distributed among 186 individuals.

The area of land acquired on Deferred Payments has been 37,276 acres, by 219 individuals.

The area sold for cash amounts to 164,157 acres, to 534 purchasers.

The area of rural land surveyed ready for settlement during the year has been 220,000 acres,
divided into 1,255 allotments, and there are now in course of sectional survey, 150,000 acres, also
140,000 of trigonometrical survey, which will be placed in the market when the surveys are com-
pleted. Of Town and Suburban allotments there have been surveyed 860.

Notwithstanding the large area of land which has been selected on deferred payments during
the year, there is still an anxious desire to take up land under this system. It is a matter of
regret, however, that the area which can be opened is so limited as to cause considerable delay
and fruitless expense to the applicants in attending to ballot for sections. It is to be hoped that
the Colonial Legislature will its way to remove this restriction at an early date. Your con-
currence will be requested to the Proclamation of several new Hundreds and of further blocks on
deferred payments; proposals for which will shortly be laid before you.

As you are aware, some years ago, in accordance with resolution affirmed by you, I reserved
by proclamation a large area of territory as endowments for various public purposes. The Colonial
Government, however, declined to issue Crown grants in respect of these endowments, which, by an
Act of the Assembly, have been cancelled. The Act in question also provides that, with your
concurrence, 500,000 acres for public purposes may be set aside from sale. A resolution will be
submitted to you accordingly.

The Births, Deaths, and Marriages during the year amounted to 3,583, 1,067, and 731,
respectively.

12,311 Immigrants have arrived in the Province during the year from the United Kingdom,
of whom 1156 were nominated by their friends. Notwithstanding the circumstance that a large
proportion of these were landed in the winter season, it is satisfactory to know that all able and
willing to work were speedily absorbed in the labor market, and at the present moment the Immi-
gration Depots are all but empty. One of the great difficulties with which immigrants had to
contend was the scarcity of house accommodation, in order to obviate this the Provincial Govern-
ment applied and obtained the temporary use of £12,000 for the erection of immigrants' cot-
tages. This money has to be repaid to the General Government in instalments spread over four
years. 135 Cottages have been erected in various parts of the Province, which it is proposed to
sell along with the land on which they stand,—the proceeds to be applied to the building of others
to be dealt with in the same way until the loan is extinguished. I am glad to say that since the
arrival of Mr. James Adam in England, considerable improvement has taken place in the quality of
immigration to this Province, and that the results which were anticipated from his mission have free
been so far fully realised.

The amount deposited in the various Savings Banks thoughout the Province has been
£244,766, being upwards of £31,000 in excess of the deposits for the previous year.

The only new Railways which have been opened has been the main line to Green Island, and the
Provincial branch to the Green Island Coal Field.

The gross traffic returns on Railways amounts to £57,857, as against £35,527 for the previous
year.

The line from Oamaru to Awamoko will, it is expected, be ready for goods traffic in the course
of ten days, and for passenger traffic as soon as the ballasting is fully completed.