The Washington times., 1902-04-19
Memory Fails Regarding
Leases of Hawaiian
Public Lands.
BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE.
Reports Failure of Colonization Scheme
Near Honolulu-Does Not Entirely Ap-
prove Wilcox Bill for ApportionInent
of Senatorial Terms.

For more than an hour yesterday Gov.
Sanford B. Dole of Hawaii was before the
House Committee on Territories and dis-
cussed general conditions in Hawaii. His
remarks were Of the same tenor deiiv-
cred last Monday before the Senate Com
mittee on Pacific Islands and Porto Rico
The governor gave his views at some
length on the Wilcox bill. now on the
House calendar, to apportion the term Oh
office of senator at the first general cleo
tion in the Territory of Hawaii In an
swer to a question, Governor Dole said he
did not agree with all the provisions of
the Wilcox bill.
Referring to the land laws, the governor
stated that the Territory was not labor
ing under any great difficulty because
the land laws of the United States had not
been extended to the Territory.
Governor Dole Embarrassed.
At this point Representative Robinson
began to ask questions concerning the
public lands of Hawaii. and the leasing OF
the same. These questions seemed to en-
barrass Governor Dole somewhat. In near
ly every instance his memory failed him,
and he could give but little positive or
definite Information. In reply to ques-
ton from Representative Robinson. the
governor said there was not a large
amount of public land in Hawaii
He could not tell Just how much land
had beer leased. Representative Robinson
wanted to know how many leases the
governor had made while president of the
republic of Hawaii. but the witness could
not tell. Governor Dole stated. however.
that when leases ran out he would look
into the matter and sometimes the leases
of the lands would be renewed. The
common leases. he said. were for twenty
one years.
After annexation and before the or
ganic law were there not a number of long
leases of public lands?" asked Represent
ative Robinson.
The reply CT the Governor was that he
could not tell.
Governor Dole Bit Contradictory
Some OF Governor Dole's statements in
reply to Representative Robinson's ques-
tions were bit contradictory.
waiian plantations he said. were Chinese,
Japanese. and Portuguese. an Ignorant
class. but he thought it might be gradu-
ally superseded by American laborers of
a more intelligent order, under the home
stead system.
Mr.. Robinson wanted to know If Gov
ernor Dole thought there was a field for
American labor in Hawaii. He replied
that there was limited field for skilled
labor, and that for unskilled labor there
might become a gradually growing field.
He SAID he had desired to encourage
American settlers to take up small hold
fngs There had been but few Americans
in the islands. and these. Governor Dole
said, were principally spectators. teach
ers, and professional men. They had
done little toward farming.
Colonization Scheme Fails.
The colonization scheme near Honolulu.
he said, had failed. The settlers had not
kept their contracts with the plantation
owners, and had employed Japanese labor.
White men, that is. American labor, he
said, could work On the sugar plantations
SO far as health and physical conditions
were concerned, but they would not work
under an overseer and alongside ignorant
Chinese. japanese and Portuguese labor
ers.
A Bar to American Labor.
These conditions precluded American
labor on Hawaiian plantations. There. he
said. was some German unskilled labor in
the islands. At present, Governor Dole
said, the plantations could not be oper-
ated without Chinese. Japanese. and Por-
tuguese labor, and could not be for many
years.
The rice plantations. he said. could not
be operated except by the Chinese. No
system OF land laws. he said. could sup
plant the condition arising out of Chinese
labor. stu, he said. he thought Ameri-
can labor could raise sugar under CO.
operative system. Hawaii. he said. had
a system of leasing public lands to set
tiers, and large land owners were con-
sidering plans Of colonization. He
thought the present land laws were quite
sufficient for American settlement, but
that there were not enough markets for
their products to make 1t profitable, In
view OF other conditions. Negro labor
experiments had been a failure, Governor
Dole said, and Porto Rican labor was not
a success.