The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-07
FRIDAY
August 18th.
ABOUT SMALL FARM SETTLEMENT.

We yield to DO one in a sincere de-
sire to promote small farm settle
ment and productive industries gen
orally In this Kingdom. But we adj
NIT, in reply to the ''BulIetin," that
profitable tenancy is impossible.
either here or elsewhere, at rental
of $50 per acre per annum and up
wards, unless in exceptional circum-
stances, which are so rare as to be
hardly worth considering in this con-
nection. If landowners iii this island
commonly demand $50 an acre rent
for the use of land to raise any kind
Of vegetable crop, it is of course i'm
possible for any except Chinese,
working on the cooperative plan
and on the lowest possible scale of
subsistence, to accept such terms.
But we can hardly believe that such
a rent, or anything approaching it, is
charged. IF so, the Tax Assessor
should find out the fact, and the re-
suit would doubtless appear in the
next assessment list. Land in this
country is certainly worth ten years
purchase of the rental, and there
fore ground rented at $50 an acre
yearly should be assessed at $500 an
acre valuation. This would add con-
siderabIy to the tax receipts of the
Kingdom if there be anything in our
evening ccntemporary's statement.
To return, however, to the question
Of small farm settlement as a question
of public policy. A great deal has
been written of late upon that subject,
and the Government has been called
upon to give immediate effect to the
Homestead law. It is of course easy
to make such demand and back it
by od coptondatne arguments; but all
examination of that act and the APP
preparation act must satisfy any rea
sonabIe person that it is wholly out
of the power of the Administration
to give effect to it to greater extent
than has been done, leaving the ele-
ment of time out of consideration
altogether.
The first section of the Homestead
law requires the Minister of the In
terror TO "cause portions of the pub
lie lands which are suitable for the
purpose, and not at the time held by
any person under lease from the Gov
ernment, to be surveyed and laid out
in lots not over twenty and not less
than two acres in extent in dry or
kula land, and not over two acres in
extent in wet or kalo land, with con-
yenient roads in connection there
with"
Section two provides further ma
chinery. When any such survey has
been completed, the Minister of the
Interior is required to appoint three
appraisers, one of whom shall be the
surveyor who laid out the land, and
two residents of the district, who
shall examine the lots and appraise
the same at a reasonable L. 4rket
value, making a written report of
such appraisement to the Minister of
the Interior; and the said Minister is
thereupon required to publish notice
guage in which newspapers of the
Kingdom are published" notifying
that the surveys of certain specified
lots may be examined by intending
purchasers at the Office of the Interior
Department, and that the lots may
also be examined upon payment of 81
fee to the appraisers who shall point
them out. A fee of $40 is likewise
payable to the Interior Department
with written application for each
homestead lot if accepted.
We need not further summarize
t,,is hill because the first and second
sections alone create an expensive
and complicated machinery, involv-
ing large expenditure OF money and
considerable time in working out the
details, while the Legislature made