The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-30
Plans for Selection Discussed
by a Surveyor
MAY Be SALE AT AUCTION
Great Demand for the Lots-Lo1g Term Of
Residence Requirei-Close Quest oning-
Settlements.
Hawaii Heraid.)

| iHaW2ii Heraid)
| The Land Department of the Govern
ment has practically decided upon a
plan Of disposing of the tract of land
| 20 be opened in Olaa. Owing to the
enormous demand for holdings and the
| possible desire ON the part of some Of
the applicants to realiZe largely and
promptly the lands will probably be
sold at auction to the highest bidder
and clause will be inserted in the
agreements providing for five years
actual residence. Mr.. Baldwin admits
that this will probably be the plan
adopted, but definite instructions to
that effect have not yet been received.
He said to reporter for the Herald:
when l was in Honolulu couple of
weeks ago L had conversation with
Land Commissioner Brown regarding
the opening of the lands in Olaa, and
he suggested the adopting of the same
plan that is in force in Hamakua, and
| think the lands will be sold 10 the
highest bidder to be paid for in cash
at the time of purchase, or on the same
plan as the right of purchase leases
where interest only on the amount is
collected during the term specified
The five years residence clause will be
inserted so that speculation can be, to
a great extent, avoided. A man can
buy land under the present terms and
.ha
ments of the law for two years, but 1t
may be difficult for him to do this for
five years. 1t is this dummy business
the Government will try to stop. There
is being printed i'm Honolulu a form
containing a list of Questions to be.
answered and sworn to by holders of
right of purchase leases as the Gov
eminent intends to ascertain as near
as possible just how closely the law is
being carried out. These answers will
include the name of the holder, his res
idence and place of business, when he
went on the land, how long ne resided
there and such other information as
may be deemed necessary.
Some people have an idea they can
live and do business in HilO or else
where and still hold their land; this
is not correct. 4 man with a wife or
family might live in Hilo and attend
to his business here and hold his land
provided his wife or his family had ac
tually resided on the land he had Sc
cured under lease. Two places of res
idence will hardly fill the bill
Another mistake has been made by
people right here in Hilo. They own
homes in the town and have taken up
Government land in Olaa or Puma upon
favorable terms. The Government will
not allow this under any circumstances
as the agreements provided that they
must not be the owners of other lands.
When the time comes for paying up
these people will discover their mis-
take to their cost.
Il do not know what will be done in
the matter of settlement associations;
those things are attended to entirely
at the Land Office in Honolulu and all
that | have received have
been sent down. Under that clause in
the Land Act not more than one hun
dred acres can be assigned a single
family and not less than six families
can apply for land to be set apart for
their use in this way My impression
is that the lands must be occupied
within three months from the time the
The only one established in this vicin-
ity is over by LaupahOehoe, which H.
B. Gehr is at the head of. So far only
seven families have signified their in
tention of locating there; whether or
not there are more to come | do not
know. He took up 100 acres, which
means that seventeen families should
live there. Eight associations have
filed their applications for lands for
settlements in Olaa, most of them ask
ing for the same lots, and by actual
calculation there would be just enough
land in the lots TO accommodate two
and One-half associations. l have no
as TO what the Department
will do, probably a compromise OF
some kind may be effected or the Gov
eminent may decide to give them land
somewhere else. No definite time has
been set for the opening of the land
and the settlement matters cannot be
n +audad RI until this is done -