The total improve ments are valued at only £15,510, or a mere fraction above the direct advances after deducting repayments. The amount advanced on forfeited seotioas was £3283, of which only £999 has been re covered from the 4275 acres of for feited land taken up under other settle ment conditions. The settlers now on the hnd number 244, but 257 are stated as in arrears. This, no doubt, is accounted for by the tact that 30 settlers are non-resident. In that case only three are not in arrears. This, be it borne I in mind, ia taking the northern settle ments as a whole. Some of them have been fairly successful, If we take the settlements against which fie Opposition criticisms were directed, we find that at flerekino only 24 settlers occupying 1105 acres (only 256 of which are improved), remain out of the original list cf 101 settlers with 4727 acre?. The advances to these settlers amount to £2541, and the improvements are valued at only £1250. It must not be supposed tint these sur renders all occurred at the beginning, for last year eight who held 362 acres threw ap their holdiogs. This is the worat case, but in several of the other northern settle nents less than half the original settlers lave remained. Mr March soys, "The lystera cannot therefore be said to have )een a failure even ad Auckland, whore it vas hastily introduced, and has since been carried out under great disadvan tages, The locality and soil in many of the settlements are unsuitable, and a large number of the original settlers were Dot well qualified to become permanent or useful settlers." We wonder what Mr March would consider a " failure " if be regards the facts as disclosed above a succes3 ? However, in his apology for the meagre results achieved be has justified every criticism urged by the Opposition. Turning to the South Island, we find much more encouraging results. In many settlements all the original settlers re* malD. There 368 settlers occupy 8285 acres, of which 5946 are improved. The advances amount to only £5172, and the arrears are but £271. Taking all the settlements together the advances total £24,625, but the improvements amount in value to £61,699, As of the total £14,695 was advanced to the sattlements in the north of Auckland, where the im. 