The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-05-23

ln late publication is the fol-
lowing paragraph over the editors
signature
''From 1890 down to 1916, the period
| during which the Land Commission,
organized and conducted by the mis-
siOnaries divided the lands between
| the people, the chiefs and the king
which is the period during which
| President Dole says in his inaugural
| address, the king was 'swayed by the
| native population had fallen off to less
than 10000. An examination of the
records kept during this illumined
cycle will show that the titles to
large portion Of the tiLI06Le lands
of The Kingdom (the italics are mine)
had found their way into the hands of
the missionary workers, the consider
alton being love and affection"
[ do not know what "records"
could have been examined by the
writer, but [ do know from personal
observation and research, extend
ing through nearly thirty years of
study and labor connected with
land matters in all parts of these
islands, that not one per cent. of the
tillable lands of the then kingdom
had found its way into the hands of
either the missionary workers or
Of the American Board, or Of any
one connected with either mission
aries or Board. Moreover, it had
not so found its way ten years later,
when the Land Commission, consti-
tuted on the 10th of December, |
1845, had on March 81, 1855, COM
pleted its work.
The facts and figures connected
with this matter are all in black |
and white, are open to investiga-
ton and can be consulted or pub
lished as occasion may require. |
Just at the present moment will
take the particular district Of the |
island of Hawaii which is par en-
ceELence the cane-producing district |
of that island.
From Waipio valley on the
north to the Wailuku river on the |
south is fifty miles along the coast. |
A strip two miles wide along the |
shore includes the cane land of |
Hamakua and Hilo. The lands as
they were divided were sections
running from the sea up toward the !
mountains, all crossed by the Gov
eminent road. At the frst-men-
toned date you could traverse the
entire distance and not cross a
single missionary land.
From Pololu around to MANU-
kona, twenty miles through Kohala,
the same thing was true excepting
the strip was three miles in width.
In all that 100000 acres of land
the mission premises Of less than
ten acres was all the missionary
land there was. In Hilo village
south of the Wailuku, there was
the small land of Punahoa given
to the mission and afterwards
awarded by the Land Commission.
Ten years later two missionaries
sons had purchased tracts of Gov
eminent land in Hamakua and
Hilo on the same terms that any
other person would, amounting to
600 acres. Four hundred acres of
that had been sold again at cost
price. The Rev. Elias Bond, that
noble and worthy man, who has
been cursed uphill and down.dale
by-well, by a certain clasg, had
acquired, by fair and open means,
three tracts in Kohala amounting
to about $50 acres. This had
to do with the Land Com
mission or with the general divi-
sion Of lands. The land of Puma
hoa, which [ have spoken of-above,
contained perhaps 100 acres Of
what was then deemed tillable
land, and was the foundation of
the Hilo Boarding School. The
part Of it was an impen-
etrable forest and lava-fows, and
formed no part of the 100000 acres
Of which [ have spoken.
1t will be seen then that even ten
years later than the date first men
toned, and even including land
acquired by purchase, only 1880