The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-14
STATEMENT MADE
BY COMMISSION
SENATOR MITCHELL GIVES A
GOOD OUTLINE OF WORK PER-
FORMED BY THE COMMITTEE.

On their arrival in San Francisco the
members of the Senatorial Commission
through Senator Mitchell gave out the
following to the newspapers concern
ing their trip and their work while
here:
Our committee composed of Senator
Burton of Kansas, Senator Foster of
Washington and myself as chairman,
being a subcommittee of the Commit
tee on Pacific Islands and Porto Rico
of the United States Senate, spent
twenty-five working days on the Ha-
waiian Islands, twenty of which Gn-
Guiding also many night sittings) were
occupied in taking testimony bearing
upon the several subjetcs committed to
us for investigation.
We visited four of the principal ISL
ands of the Territory, Oahu, Hawaii,
! Maui and Molokai also the cities of
| Honolulu Hilo, LaLhaina, Mountain
| View and several smaller towns, and
took the testimony of several hundred
individual witnesses of all classes
some at all of these different places.
We also heard the representatives. of
various commercial bodies, chambers
of commerce, boards of trade planters
associations, builders and commercial
| associations. boards of health, bankers
/
ing the native Hawaiians.
We also visited and carefully inves-
| tigated the quarantine station, near
| Honolulu, and the proposed sites for a
military post and naval station at Ho-
nolulu.
We also visited personally Honolulu
and Pearl Harbors, on the Island of
Oahu, and Hilo harbor, on the Island
| of Hawaii, and took testimony bearing
upon the condition and wants of each
with a View of determining as to the
| necessary improvements for these har-
! bors.
Our Investigations extended to the
financial, commercial and economic
conditions generally of the Territory;
to the status, functions and operations
of all territorial officials, including the
executive, administrative and judicial
officers, as we'll those appointed by
Federal as by local authority.
We also carefully examined into the
condition and value of the public lands
(these include what were formerly
known as the crown lands); the Terri
| torial land laws and the manner of dis
posing of the public lands, all of which
is at present under Territorial control
the General Government never having
extended any of the land laws of the
| United States to this Territory
We inquired carefully into those CON
ditions more particularly affected by
the organic act, with the view of de-
termining what if any, amendments
should be made to that act of Con-
gress.
We also made diigent investigation
of the local laws now in force in the
Territory, and of the operation of the
| Government Hereunder with the view
of determining as to the republican
character of each.
| We also made investigation touching
several official defalcatiOns by Terri
torial officials some of which occurred
| before our arrival and others during
our visit to the islands.
We made careful and thorough in
vestgation of the management of the
| leper settlement on the Island of Mo-
| lokai and the condition and mode of
life of these unfortunate people, with
the view of determining whether the
control and management of this settle
| ment should remain as now under the
| Territorial government or be transfer
red to the Government of the United
| States.
We also made a careful investig ation
| of the labor question, the relations of
| labor to capital, wages, ETC.; also of
the question of restricted immigration
! OF Chinese laborers of the cost of pro-
| ducing sugar on the different planta-
| lions in the different islands; also rails
ing coffee, and the feasibility of build
ing up that industry on the islands:
the condition of trade and commerce
| generally between the islands and the
mainland were taken into account by
| the committee.
We also made careful investigation
of the fire claims of the territory,
amounting to considerably over 81 600
| OOO arising out of the fires incident to
| the plague in December, 1899, and jan
uary, 19OO looked carefully into the
manner in which these claims had been
investigated by the territorial officials
as also into the conditions that led to
| the destruction of property at that
ime, the reasons for and the manner
Of such destruction-all bearing upon
| the question as to whether the United
States should or should not assume the
! payment of these claims.
We also took a considerable amount
of testimony bearing upon the question
of the proposed irrigation ditch in the
kohala district, Island of Hawaii, and
| of the conflicting claims of the Hawaii
| an Ditch Company and another COM
pany represented by the Messrs. Gehrs
and their associates. This testimony
| bore, first, upon the question from an
industrial and economic standpoint as
| to the feasibility and advsabilty of
this enterprise, and secondly, as to the
respective rights of the two claimants
| for a franchise.
Our Investigations extended further
as to the necessity of public buildings
for custom-house, courthouse and post
offices in Honolulu and in Hilo. Also
into the necessity for the recoinage in
the United States mint of some $500, GOO
of Hawaiian silver coins. Special at
| tention was also given TO the question
as TO the advisability of so amending
| the Organic Act as to require the or
ganiatizon of county and municipal or
CARNATIONS, and much testimony was
taken bearing upon this question.
The late Queen Liliuokalani CMrs.