The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-05-20

The substance of these two trans
actions is this: Eight years ago Mr..
Dillingham; found it profitable to pay
$500 an acre for the entire east side of
the Peninsula of Pearl City, which,
as you are aware, differs only from
WaipiO in being a smaller peninsula
and not having the advantage of deep
water close to the shore. The land at
that time was intirely unimprOved.
Mr.. Dillingham; ran a short branch
railroad down the center of the PENN
sula, staked his purchase into town
lots and sold at a rate of five times
his purchase price. I know of no rea-
son why the same venture would not
be equally successful tomorrow at
WaipiO.
The second transaction referred to
is the purchase of the site for mill and
laborers' quarters for the new Oahu
Sugar Co. This land is inland without
any natural advantages, the chief re-
quisites for its use as a mill site being
that it is approximately near the cen
ter of the plantation and that it is
not sheltered from the trade winds
which aid the draft of the chimney.
If a plantation is obliged to pay over
5000 an acre for it's mill site I am I'M
able to understand how the United
States expects to get naval station
with extensive wharf frontage for $50
an acre.
These two transactions are the only
ones that 1 know of in the vicinity of
Pearl Harbor within recent years. I'm
der these circumstances l do not feel
that it is presumptuous to request you
b irf~ in w
formation you base your conclusion
that the price at which WaipiO PENN
suIa is held is fictitious and that the
true value is about $50 per acre.
You will perhaps pardon me If |
take advantage of this communication
to you to make public another cOrrec-
ton of a statement for which you are
in no wise responsible. Congressman
| Hilborn and other opponents OF an
nexation have coupled with the state
ment that the land at Pearl HarboT
| is held at an exorbitant price, fol-
which unfortunately they now have
vour official statement, the further as
| sertion that the land is held by specu-
| Iators. thereby seeking to create the
imnression that the land has beer
| bought up at low prices with the eX
pectation of making a profit from the
| United States.
The truth is, on the contrary, tina
the land has not been bought or solo
for the past forty years. 1t was orr
ginally the property of John Ii, Ha
waiian Chief, who proved his title t.
it before the Land Commission ant
received his Award in 1855. The Lane
remained in his possession until hi
death in 1870 when it was devised b,
him to his daughter Irene Ii now tn
wife of Mr.. G. A. Brown.
Last year for the better management
of the Estate Corporation was form
: ed in which Mr.. Brown, Mrs. Brow
: and their children hold the entir
| beneficial interest.
[ am confident that you will excus
the publicity which I give to this per
| sonal letter on account of the import
ance of the question to all those in
: terested in the welfare of the Hawaiia
: Islands It may be said that the fac
that the land can be condemned b
= the United States and it's value as
? sessed by twelve disinterested me
l renders our prices of little momen
but I express the sentiments of tn
[ directors of the corporation in sayin
2 that we should feel that we were be
l traying the interests of Hawaii shout
I we delay or discourage annexation b
e holding the land required by the Uni
= ed States at a dollar above its fat
e market value.
I Very truly yours,
t SIDNEY MILLER BALLOU,
I Secretary John Ii Estate, Limited.