The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-10-26
The Problem of Population and our Land
Policy.

1t hardly seems necessary to urge that the great
want of our islands is inhabitants, and that the 9ues-
ton Of the day is, how shall we get them; that
with the solution of this question, the questions OF
labor, investment of capital, home markets and
public revenue will be satisfactorily settled.
Ii is natural that those who need immediate labor
should regard that as n matter of the highest impor-
lance, and it is such to them individually. because
they are personally and financially interested in OBJ
tanning it; and they cannot be expected to give equal
support to a comprehensive plan whose first effects
may not be materially felt for several years, and of
whose results the attainment Of labor is only sec
ondary.
The one is an enterprise for the government which
never dies, which looks past the generations and laws
the foundations for other times to build upon; the
other is rather a matter of private interest. and for
the present Is properly carried on through private
means.
1t hardly can be seriously argued that the mere
importation OF labOrers, according to our demands,
will settle the question of population, or indeed in
the least degree assist in its solution.
We need settlers and fee-holders to make our lands
valuable and productive. Homesteads will be incal-
culably more profitable to the country than a like
area in grazing and wOod-cutting lease-holds.
With the present rapid decadence of the population
we are in a fair way of learning the very important
truth that land without people on it, is really
worthless that the 90 value of land depends simply
on there being somebody to collect its produce, or on
the probability that there will be people, This clear
proposition is universally acted upon every day and
the world over. The settlement of the new lands of
the United States is under its principle. Land asso-
Citations and railroad companies know that they can
afford to give away land to settlers for the sake Of
the rise in value thereby accruing to the adjoining
lands.
Upon the premises, therefore, that if our islands
are ever to be peopled to their full capacity, it must
be brought about through the settlement of their
lands; that homesteads, rather than feld-gangs, are
TO be the basis of our future social and civil progress,
a careful study Of our land policy becomes necessary
to the formation Of any practical plan for efecting
this result.
In 1S4S Kamehameha III. then proprietor. by
virtue of his position, of the whole area of the
group, with far seeing sngacity and disinterested
statesmanship, made his ever memorable surrender
Of the greater portion of his domain to his chiefs and
people, reserving certain lands to himself as his own
private property. Under this kingly grant, the gov
ernment has conveyed by royal patent a large
numbe Of homestesds to resident Hawaiians, in fee
simple, and upon nominal consideration; beside
these, a limited amount of land has been sold TO or
binary purchasers. \ large proportion of the re-
manning lands undsposed of, are let in large tracts
for long terms, to graziers, planters, BoOd-cutters
and pulu gatherers.
The royal domain reserved ty Kamehameha III.
was considerably diminished by sales made by him
and Kamehameha "; but in 1865, all that remained
Of it was made inalienable by Act of the Legislature.
This Act also provided for the appointment of COM
missioners OF Crown lands, who were authorized to
lease these lands for terms not exceeding thirty years.
Thus we find the greater part of the area Of the
group held by the Government and the King; the
Crown lands, inalienable and generally farmed out
on long terms, the Government lands alienable, but
under the long existing prejudice against their alien
alton. mostly farmed out to tenants ike the Crown
lands. This mistaken policy has brought about a
condition of things which forms perhaps the greatest
obstacle TO n comprehensive homestead system Of
settlement. A large proportion of the best lands are
held by tenants under long leases, some of them
with privileges of renewal upon the expiration OF the
terms. so that even with a change IN our land policy
il will be many years before all these ianns come