The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-04-20
PUBLIC LANDS
Commissioners Make a
Biennial Report.
The New 0laa Tract and Squaiter's
Claims are 0welt on
Al Length.


has just come from the press, lengthy
,eferonoe is made to the New Olaa
Tracl" 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-
vail, containing about $4,000 acres
"Ihis land Was surveyed under the
supeIy ision % h. ID. BALDWIN, and was
lad out into 4U6 lots, ia general OF 6O
aCl es each, much ca. Q having been CIV
en- TO all the details OF the woik, in
Guiding the location and probing o.
All roads.
"lne report of Mr.. Baldwin on this
survey as gwen in the report Of the
Julyeyor General 10 a clear and sails
.actoIy statement OF the work done.
'Inese lots were awe tised TO be sold
Inder special conditions september I'd,
-S99, sad sale being further postponed,
md indefinitely withdrawn after re-
eipt of the Executive order of Pres
dent Mckinley.
"The special conditions under which
these lots were offered provided for a
.erm of residence, and for series OF
easy payments extending at option of
purchaser over period of ten years.
md were specially intended to provide
easy terms for bona-fide settlers while
discouraging as far as poss BILE the mere
speculator The great advance In value
If 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 gquatter movement
OF which much has been heard.
Reliable information or recent date
shows that the so-called squatters do
not live on, or otherwise occupy the
lands claimed by them: that the shacks
nut up on the lands are but the pretense
FOR houses, and that the hacking OF a
few ferns by the japanese sent in to
build the shacks, represent the extent
of cultivation. In other words that the
'Olaa squatters' are not even the gen.
uire article. but are prob'bly fairly rep
resented by the Honolulu resident en-
gaged in active business who Informed
the writer that he was In 1t 1.-THE squat
ter movemenD because the experiment
uluH COSl uluCI anu pay WCi
II 1t worked all right.
at Is to be hoped that this promis-
ing tract may yet be taken up by bona
fde settlers who are willing and glad
to comply with the reasonable condi-
tions originally proposed.
1.-THE lands laid out during the per-
Tod. have been those lying principally
between the elevations OF 1000 and
e. ,tnk Laa kDf han
referred to as the coffee 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-
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,
grain. etc.
"a considerable amount of land OF
this nature is at the disposal Of the gov
eminent, and 1t 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 un-
used"
During the biennial period there
were 332 separate transactions involv-
ing %. 005 90 acres. valued at $134,311 10.
or these, 234 transactions. covering 3D.
334 20 acres, and valued at $78.126.S6.
were made after July z. 1898. and are
therefore affected by the executive or
der of President Mckinley referring to
Hawaiian lands.
There were "a patents Issued for
Olaa lands. involving ~ 1921 acres.
Waived at S4386192. Thee sales were
made at values appraised in the land
act.
THE right of purchase lease system
has shown itself the iavorite 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 residence
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 OF
624.24 acres valued at 1924. 1903.
Twenty ore rev eases u lands were
made during the two years involving
rs, 840.86 acres at an annual rental OF
s9,219. OF these, four were OF lands
never before under lease and nine OF
them were made after July Z. 1898 The
longest term Is for twenty-one years.
"The public land available for the
purposes OF the land act during the per-
lod 1900-1a01, are 25, 900 acres OF survey
ed land in the coffee belt or from
! 900 to 5000 feet elevation: 10000 acres
Of unsurveyed lands In this belt. 10000
acres OF unsurveyed second class agri-
cultural land. 100000 acres OF unsnr-
vered pastoral lands Of various grades.
and 100000 acres OF unsurveyed high
faraaf and aprinnltnraI land