The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-06
PROTEST
Of MAUI
Boyd Explains the
Nahiku Water
License.
HOMESTEADERS
HAVE RIGHTS
Sugar Company's Application is
for a Different District.
Can't be Changed.

The Nahiku Sugar Company has no,
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-calIed home
steaders of that tract. The fact of the
matter Is that the Nahiku Sugar Com
pany already has 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
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.
1.-THE existing water rights in the Ma
hil1u water district cannot be changed
without the consent of the homestead
ers themselves" said Land Commits
sioner Boyd yesterday. when question
ed in regard to the protest of the
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
-rict refuse to plant cane and the Ma
niku Sugar Co. has come to the point
when 4 must either get more land I'M
Ter cultivation or the plantation must
De given up, as they had depended
Upon the homesteaders for a portion
II their cane. The water license now
1eld by the Sugar Co. confers equal
lights upon the homesteaders. 1t was
given during the transition period, and
llong with other licenses was approved =
~ the United States. bearing the sig
nature of William Mckinley as Presi-
lent. There are two streams in that
district which supply these lands sixty
million gallons of water every twenty
our hours, and there is plenty of wa
er there for all.
Now the Nahiku Sugar Co. has ap-
lied for a water license for other
ands northwest of their present hold
ngs, and dependent upon an entirely
ifferent source of water supply than |
hat which feeds the homestead lands.
he district it now seeks to tap is be-
ween Kapaula stream and Honomanu /
ulch and will not touch the old sup
ly. This district is very mountainous.
full of gulches and totally useless
or general agricultural purposes. The
ullies are so close together that a
lule's tail is in one gulch while it's !
cad may be in the next. This region /
as been considered wholly inaccessi-
lie, but now with modern appliances.
his almost impossible engineering and /
nanciai feat is to be attempted, and
is hoped to divert the water to such
lnds as may be used for the cultiva-
on of cane.
The proposition now is to lease the
lnds that contain this water with such
as Will protect private in
erests, and all such lands as are trib- I
tary to the district. The homestead
tnds will be protected, for it has al
avs been the policy of the govern
tent to encourage small farms. In
his instance il is because the small
armers failed to cultivate cane that
lie Nahiku plantation is compelled to
eek more land. The signers of the
etition are not all known to me, but
)me 1 know are not citizens