The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-08-23
HAWANANS
SEEK LANDS
ManyLeasesUnd
Homestead
s So s Laws.
&sks' X !, isl.L53

NRORE than $50 homestead leases
for land have been issued from |
Ava the Land Bureau since it was
taken over by the present Commission
err This outlines the policy which will /
be followed by the office in the future !
as in the past and the success which |
has followed ii so far indicates that /
the Hawaiians are in accord with the
methods which are being followed to
keep the lands in the possession of the |
natives of the Islands.
Commissioner +. $. Boyd, who recent
ly returned from visit to the other
Islands, said yesterday that he was |
more than pleased with the results of
the general policy of the land office, |
as the leases which had been granted
in Olaa before his taking hold of the
bureau had been productive of great
good to the people. He continued. Il
found that many Of the holders of
these leases, most of them Portuguese,
some natives and several Americans,
had made excellent crops and had good
returns
some of the homesteads have earn
.
yeat in addition to the small crops of
the necessary fruits and vegetables
81 200 in the value of the cane Whlch
has been turned into the mill. Inc
homesteaders have had excellent ar
rangements with the Olaa plantation
they securing such contracts as VIII
give them assurance that their cane
will be milled when the proper time
arrives and in case this is not done the
plantation stands the loss from the de-
terioration This gives the men a
chance to work their cane to the high
est advantage.
The success which has been attain
ed by the men who have followed this
plan leads us to believe that there VIII
be similar results follow the extension
of this policy when leases upon other
lands come in. 1t will be the plan to
open lands, where there Is not large
expenditure for irrigation necessary,
for the taking up by homesteaders. l
, shall try to have law passed increas-
ling the amount of land which may be
taken up in this way from sixteen
: acres to fifty acres. This will give to
: each homesteader enough land to in
sure him good crop and permit the
: raising of food supplies upon his own
Z LANDS. In such cases however, l snail
. use only the homestead lease, for in my
9 opinion there is no other way in when
the lands may be held for the people
If there is the ordinary purchase lease
only short time will elapse before the
= entire amount of sugar land VIII be II
t the hands Of the planters. or course
. the plantations cannot hold this lan'
in fee. but there will be found many
ways to get around this point and mer
:. with an interest in the estates Will bt
found ready to buy the lands.
d II find that the Hawaiians them
= selves are ready to believe that the
. form of homestead lease is the best foi
them. II we give the average native
. man n piece of land he sells II the day
after he secures the title. This, OF
course, is not true of the latter-daS
Hawaiians, for they are acute in bust
ness and are not inclined to ALLEVIATE
the lands they may hold. For this rea
son the homestead lease is most appro
pirate at this time, for If the lease Il
entered into for family, there is moth
ing in the way of the heirs surrender
a ing the same and the purchase lease be
u ing substituted. This does not meal
4" that leases are given only to the Ha
waiians for all are treated alike ant
;, many Americans are taking up the va
cant lands.
Judging from the methods of tn
plantation owners at Olaa there will To-
10 no objection on the part of the mill es
10 tates to this distribution of the land
J. for there will be the same amount o
10 cane grown as formerly and there vii
i be less trouble with the labor condi
Ie tions. The sugar industry is the back
lie bone Of the country, the coffee is in al
a experimental stage and nothing SHOULD
l. be done which would jeopardize tn
: future of the country. In my opinion
the application of the American system
lie of land laws and land division woul
e do this, for il would lead To the plant
u ing upon the subdivisions of a planta
$, ton, IF the men who would take u
lu the lands in the interest of the estate
l. instead of for their own homes.
- "Of course many leases are still bein
made upon the purchase basis but III
greater part of the agricultural land
which are now being taken will /
found to he under this class of lease
The best feature of this is that the Ha
= waiians are being given homes for tn
! future"
COM ETLIhC NENlT