The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
HAWAITS LAND SYSTEM.
GOVERNMENT TRACTS TO M MADE
AVdILA TO SETTLERS.
An Extensive Irrigation Schere for CoRce
and Sugar Plantation Areas OF
Fertile Land that Were Once Worked by
the Rnce that Has Nearly Died Dat.

From me Washington Etenfn0 star.
HoNoLULu, Nov. 1g.-President Dole returned
to his post of duty last week. lie looks Drowned
and robust. lie has been away for nearly two
months upon the largo Island Of Hawaii, not
simply rusticating for health, which was much
needed. lie has also devoted much attention TO
the public interests on that island, particularly
matters of public lands and Of roads. BY far the
larger part of the public lands which can be
made available for small settlers are situated
on the Island Of Hawaii. On the other Islands
are considerable tracts OF crown lands, and some
Government lands still unsold: but being fairly
accessible from the coast, they are all held on
leases of considerable length. The lessees are
either sugar planters or stock rniscrs. Some Of
these leased lands will undoubtedly be cut up
for small settlers upon the expiration Of the
leases. In many cases. however, there would
be serious disaster to we'll established business
were the lrssCcs not 10 he continued In use Of
the land.
When. by the wise liberglity or the thea King,
u permanent division Of lands vas made in
1850, one portion was assigned to- the great and
small chiefs, another portion to the Govern
mcnt. to he leased and sold. and a third portion
was devoted to the support Of the sovereign and
called crown lands. The common people all re-
ccivcd small ullotmcnts Of from one 60 twenty
acres apiece. which were scattered around in
the middle OF the other and larger tracts, often
in positions very inconvenicnt to the owners Of
the latter. As n natural consequence. when II
foreigner bought q large tract. say from huo to
5000 acres. either from the Government or
from n private chirf. he would he NJ much pains
To buy up or crowd out III" snail owners ia ia"
middle Of his land. Tile impruvidcuC" OF the
natives facilitated this procra., making them
ready to mortgage their Hllutmrn,s, never to Il"
released by any industry, " ltlch they woful!S
lacked. As u consequence. large numbers of
the natives are now destitute NJ land. Vet. as
they have 1yin1l,gl tO lup-tIirJl OF their NUM-
Der at the time the nllOtmCnt- were granted,
quite II fair amount of land Is still averaged
The crown lands are now the chief object of
public Interest IN the land Sy:t"in. Under the
monarchy the King hud exclusive control of
them through "crIwn commissioners" OF his
own appointment. Who reported only to himself.
bnSincsslikc. Not half the income VAS received
from them that should have brcn.. KnlakauH
,crcd. lie had only II lilc interest IN ,hrsc LANDS,
but by law COULD grant leases for thirty years.
gambling habits, II wa II common practice OF
his 10 give long Lease ~ valuable tracts Of
GRAFTON of II large sum in hand. know Of one
planter who pays 81, 300 II ear for Loo acres
OF clioice rottoin land, for which his rclghbors
probably paid Knlakaua 10000 in hand.
knlahana was in one sense . COOL husband.
lani, out of the crown land. N%ri,rly In the heart
Of this city, - = troct, Of ;hi, lami, named
Tie ii'WSnni"E' i;,aI crater hi. lie gave t" her a
thirty yrar- ''.euf this land for perhaps 500
a yrnr, ~, '' rnt It HR into nHli in,% ana r..
about SjcJ u ~ r:th. So she and her ncphcw~
are well p~;,,Nilnd for, and the high slope, OF
washed cottages oi the Portuguese. They Keep
their little door yards rcrS neat. and M them
mcnt water pipes htancn all through their set
Elements, up to an elevation OF 200 feet. and kccp
With The abolition Of the monarchy. the
crown land. became Government property, and
the Legislature at it, coming session will un-
doubleday authorize their sale. like. other Gov
ernmcnt lands. When this is done, Il will be at
very great Importance thai all suitable pro-
vision shall he made for a homestead system. hy
which bona ttde settlers may Obtain moderate
allotmcrts without expense. This, + especially
important IN the case OF ,consider!bi,c numbers
OF natives who need to he provided with such
homes. II may be deemed best to make special
provisions by which their allOtincnt~ shall lie in
This whole subject o. homestead provisions is
one about which President Dole's mind has been
greatly exercised. During his recent visit TO
Hawaii he has personally visited numbers OF
an existing Homestead law. They are occupied
chiefly by Portuguese and natives. Much has
sprctions. which viii undoubtedly bear fruit nj
the coming session.
owing to the vastly greater size OF the island
of Hawaii, there are large tracts of fertile land
so far from the coast, and 50 covered with forest
or jungle as to be practically inaccessible with
ont costly roads being built through them. TN
the other. islands no tillable tract is more than
Fix or eight miles from the shore, save one or
wv bI'h lhlll' per a'''~Nlblt. 'tIlfItllA
at four miles from the sea the interior is 0ccu-
pied by impracticable ridges and precipiccs, On
Hawaii are several gentle slopes of forest land,
from 800 TO 5000 feet above the sea, and distant
from the coast from five to thirty miles, The
flows, more or less clothed with jungle and for
est. No access can be gained to these valuable
Interior lands, except by rough horse trails "rhy
roads built at heavy expense. The excellent
carriage road recently completed to the volcano,
shirly,one miles from the seaport of lilo, cost
built on most parts Of that island for much less.
owing 70 he extremely rocky and uneven char
Along this volcanic road, for n mile in depth
and Twelve miles in length, the crown lands
have been leased on each side. and most promis-
ing coffee plantations have been started. SiA
hundred acres OF coffee trees have been planted
i GSF, splc f@i lRiS.' y Xs m a"a " m mdrs % viii T be s trout o%i
Immediately; and the work OF. clearing. and
acres etTss' psr ANN annG IN o" Nam II me- japanese sI1S %s ahSS emplnye cd
as la6Orrrs. IL IL the Intention Of the Govern
ment to build side roads into the forest from the
main road as fast rs may re, So as 10 open the
whole of thai. region of, say. 10000 acres for
settlement. This tract is thoroughly protected
by the lay Of the land from Invasion hy the lava
torrents Of Mauna Lua, which occasionally comes
down some ten, or fifteen miles To the north
Ia fiery Hoods from the Kilauea crater. That
volcano has long since worked over down the
southwest slope and cannot now possibly dis
turb the Olaa coffee region.
Another noble coffee district, ms vet unoccu-
pied, lies southeast OF Olau. In southern Puma.
The Government intends very shortly to run a
good wagon road some fifteen miles into the
leifl 81 tlls district. throughout all these
tracts the rainfall Is copiOus and druuPhts are
unknown. There are no streams, the rain being
speedily absorbed by the porous substrstum ~
Lava. settlers could catch rain water from cor
rugated iron roofs. The natives used to collect
It from hollows, In the rocks. Anciently there
was dense population there in numbeTiCss ham
lets. raising sweet potatoes, bananas. sugar
cane, turo, and yams. Much ~ the country Was
open, a portion of the lava flows being pailnohoe,
on which, soil gathered slowly, aud forests did
not readily grow.
Next in Importance 10 these tracts Of Olaa and
Puna Is the long kOna upland. ON the western
slope OF the great island. Here is "A belt Of forest
thirty miles in length and six In breadth. Its
lower edge averages four miles from the
sea and 1000 feet above its level, \ belt uf
moist, fertile land, two miles wide. lies below
the forest down 10 an altitude of 1000 feet.
Below that IL Is too dry for agriculture, until nj
the sea nearly absolute aridity Is found. This
kOna district is entirely cut OF by the lotty
domes OF M1una Kea and Mauna LOa from the
prevailing trade winds, which unload such car
goes of moisture upon the HilO and Puma side of
those mountains. Hence this western shore i
absolutely without rain during all except the
winter months, when southwest storms occa-
slonally deiuge them. But inland there are daily
showers unlOaded by the faithful sea breeze.