2 Mercury Bay Block.

This district is of considerable area. There are probably 40,000 acres of unsold land in it. The extent of land available for settlement is small. Gold has been found in two places, but the workings are now abandoned. Nearly the whole of the land has been granted to the Native owners, under the Native Lands Act, and the available kauri timber has been sold to either the Mercury Bay Saw-Mill Company or the Auckland Saw-Mill Company, who have valid leases or agreements extending over terms of years. I do not anticipate any great difficulty in procuring the freehold of this district. The Government have previously acquired some large blocks there, but which are of but little value for settlement.