The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-01-07
PROTEST
Of MAUI
Boyd Explains the
Nalliku Water
License.

The Nahiku Sugar Company has not
applied for water license in the Ma
hiku tract on Maui and does not in
tend to. despite the representations
made by Delegate Wilcox to Congress
in a petition from the so-called home
steaders of that tract. The fact of the
matter is that the Nahiiu Sugar Com
pany already has a water license in
that district, as we'll as the homestead
ers, and the rights of neither can be
changed or infringed without the con-
sent of the other. What the company
really has done is to apply for water
| license beyond that district, the fail
ure of the homesteaders to cultivate
cane having made necessary the acqui-
sition of additional lands on the part
of the Nahiku Sugar Company itself.
THE existing water rights in the Ma
hiku water district cannot be changed
without the consent of the homestead
ers themselves" said Land Commits
soner Boyd yesterday, when question
ed in regard to the protest of the
homesteaders. "These petitioners saw
fit to ignore this Office entirely and ap-
pealed directly to Washington, when
by inquiry here they could have learn
ed that the water supply of Nahiku
was in no danger, and the license could
not be changed or disturbed without
the consent of the homesteaders.
THE Nahiku district has an album
dant supply of water drawing it not
only from the two streams contiguous
to these lands, but also has heavy rain
falls. The homesteaders in that dis
trict refuse to plant cane and the Ma
hiku Sugar Co. has come to the point
when l. must either get more land un-
der cultivation or the plantation must
be given up, as they had depended
upon the homesteaders for a portion
of their cane. The water license now
held by the Sugar Co. confers equal
rights upon the homesteaders. 1t was
given during the transition period, and
along with other licenses was approved
by the United States, bearing the sig
nature of William Mckinley as Presi-
dent. There are two streams in that
district which supply these lands sixty
million gallons of water every twenty
four hours, and there is plenty of wa
ter there for all.
Now the Nahiku Sugar Co. has ap-
piled for n water license for other
lands northwest of their present hold
lnBS, anu utItlutIl upon an titiItlS
different source of water supply than
that which feeds the homestead lands
The district 1t now seeks to tap is be-
tween Kapaula stream and Honomanu
gulch and will not touch the old sup
ply. This district is very mountainous,
is full of gulches and totally useless
for general agricultural purposes The
gulles are so close together that a
mules tail is in one gulch while its
head may be in the next This region
has been considered wholly inaccessi-
bic, but now with modern appliances,
this almost impossible engineering and
/ financial feat is to be attempted, and
! it is hoped to divert the water to such
lands as may be used for the cultiva-
/ ton of cane.
The proposition now is to lease the
lands that contain this water with such
restrictions as will protect private in
terests, and all such lands as are trib-
utary to the district The homestead
lands will be protected. for it has al
ways been the policy of the govern
ment to encourage small farms In
this instance T. is because the small
farmers failed to cultivate cane that
the Nahiku plantation is compelled to
seek mo-. md. The signers of the
petition ~ aot q" known to me, but
some ! l.uw are A@t citizens"