The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-19
PUBLIC LANDS
Commissioners Make a
Biennial Report.
Inc New Olaa Tract and Squatter's
Claims are DweIt on
At Length.

mas Just come from the press, lengthy
reference is made to the New Olaa
Tract" and the claims of squatters. The
report says:
The principal tract surveyed during
the period for settlement purposes was
the new section of Olaa in Puma, Ha-
wall, containing about 10000 acres.
This land was surveyed under the
supervision of T.. ID. Baldwin, and was
laid out into 400 lots, in general of 50
acres each, much care having been Civ
en- to all the details of the work, in
Guiding the location and probing of
all roads.
'Nhe report of Mr.. Baldwin on this
survey as given in the report of the
Surveyor General is a clear and salts
factory statement of the work done.
These lots were advertised to be sold
under special conditions september I'd,
1899, said sale being further postponed,
and indefinitely withdrawn after re-
ceipt of the Executive order of Pres
ident Mckinley.
THE special conditions under which
these lots were offered provided for a
term of residence and for a series of
easy payments extending at option of
and were specially intended to provide
easy terms for bona-fide settlers while
discouraging as far as possible the mere
speculator. The great advance in value
of the lands in the old Olaa section,
following the new sugar enterprises es-
tablished there, stimulated to an un-
usual degree the desire to obtain pos
session OF the new lands by any means;
to this. rather than to an eagerness to
establish homes in the wilderness, may
be attributed the squatter movement
OF which much has been heard.
Reliable information of recent date
shows that the so-called squatters do
not live on, or otherwise occupy the
lands claimed by them; that the shacks
put up on the lands are but the pretense
for houses, and that the hacking OF a
few ferns by the japanese sent in 70
build the shacks. represent the extent
of cultivation. In other words that the
'Olaa squatters' are not even the gen.
uine article, but are probably fairly rep
resented by the Honolulu resident en-
gagged in active business who informed
the writer that he was in II (the squat
ter movemenD because the experiment
didn't cost much and might pay well
if IL worked all right.
at is to be hoped that this promis-
ing tract may yet be taken up by bona
fide settlers who are willing and glad
to comply with the reasonable condi-
tons originally proposed.
"The lands laid out during the per-
iod, have been those lying principally
between the elevations OF 1000 and
9. 900 feet. or what has heretofore been
referred to as the 'csffee belt The
damper put upon the coffee industry by
low prices and disappointing results IN
localities where much was expected.
will doubtless turn more attention to
the class OF lands that might be suited
to general farming purposes, more par
ticularly to those lands at higher ele-
vations. where much less expense is re-
quired in the way of clearing, and
where the climate and soil seems es-
pecially adapted to the raising OF fruits,
vegetables, grain, etc.
"a considerable amount of land OF
this nature is at the disposal of the gov
eminent, and it is hoped that in this
direction some opportunity may be
found for persons of limited means.
"A large area of public lands too
rough for other cultivation, but with
soil and climate suited to growth OF
rubber trees, is found on nearly all the
islands. The establishment of this or
some kindred industry would give new
value to a class of public lands large
in amount, and now practically I'M
used"
During the biennial period there
were 332 separate transactions involv-
ing 23,005.29 acres, valued at 1874, Bib.
OF these, ga transactions, covering 49,
334.26 acres, and valued at SIS, 1856,
were made after July z, 1898, and are
therefore affected by the executive or
der of President Mckinley referring to
Hawaiian lands.
There we're "a patents issued for
Olaa lands, involving 12,121.21 acres
valued at $43, S61.92. These sales were
made at values appraised in the land
act.
"The right of purchase lease system
has shown itself the tavorite for per-
sons of small means, and following
these the special agreement sales at
auction have been in favor. These lat
ter have been of much service to those
who could not comply with a residence
condition, and allow the imposing OF
conditions to check the taking up OF
lands with purely speculative motive.
Fourteen auction sales, for cash, OF
government land have been made dur
ing the two years, involving an area oil
624.24 acres valued at s24,S09.
"Twenty-one new leases of lands were
made during the two years involving
rs, S4O.S6 acres at an annual rental OF
1929. OF these, four were of lands
never before under lease and nine OF
them were made after July q, 1898. The
longest term Is for twenty-one years.
"The public land available for the
purposes of the land act during the per-
Tod 19OO-1901, are $4,000 acres of survey
ed land in the coffee belt,' or from
900 to 1900 feet elevation; 10000 acres
of unsurveyed lands In this belt, 10000
acres OF unsurveyed second class agri-
cultural land, 100000 acres of unsur-
veyed pastoral lands of various grades,
and 15O.000 acres OF unsurveyed high
forest and agricultural land"