The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-02-03
JARED SMITH ON
LAND FOR FARMERS

Jared G. Smith, director of the U. S.
Experiment Station. is getting lots Of
letters from mainland farmers who
want to know about the agricultural
opportunities of the group. As no lands
are open for immediate settlement. Mr..
Smith merely invites his correspondents
to come here and look around.
1T seems to me-" said Mr.. Smith yes
terday, that the way to get settlers
is to mark out good tracts of public
land and advertise them for entry six
months ahead. Information about them
should be spread everywhere through
transportation lines, correspondence
and other agencies. When the time
comes to dispose of the lands people
will be here to take them up. That
has been the case all over the West
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be used for that purpose. There is
also some beautiful land on this ISL
and, now under lease to the Dowsett
Estate. This Waianae land is far SUI
perior to that of Wahiawa. A great
portion of it has been taken by the
United States for military purposes,
but now that the Kahauiki tract is to
be used this will very probably be Civ
, en- up.
"A large number of Russians are be-
ing brought down to work on the Ko-
hala-Hilo Railway; they bring their
, families. and when they get through
working viii want to settle down. They
are in a position to know just what 1t
costs to live, the markets. and con-
4 ditions, and they are probably willing
to take up land.
"The uncertainty is the principal OBJ
! stacle to bringing settlers here. Ameri-
cans are enterprising, they want some
thing definite; the prospect of living by
the sale of their products. For In
stance we might locate 500 families or
| Kauai, and they can raise all they eat
/ but / don't see how they could sell II
on the other islands.
The development of markets is nat
urally slow. A colony of white mer
here would make a market for a LOT
of things. The merchants now import
all their goods from the United States
Butter, eggs, and vegetables are shipped
in. The merchants prefer to import
them, so they nave have something tc
depend upon. 1t will be matter OF
gradual progress to substitute the Ha.
. Waiidi piOuutt loi thdl VI Vic ShItCe
States. The grocers don't encourage
1t, they like to do business where they
are accustomed to trade.
"The sugar plantation employing Jap
anese and Chinese doesn't make a bis
market for the American farmer. They
would eat up his pigs and probably his
ducks, but they wouldn't buy his but.
ter, cream and eggs, though they nigh
his potatoes. One thing you see. dove
tails into another. Progress In tina
work must be gradual. 1t Is extremely
important to have colony of a hun
dred farmers on any island. 1t would
be a great benefit, and at once make
a market for the storekeeper and gro
Ger, and for clothes, tools. etc. A colony
of one thousand farmers would be OF
immense public value.
There is of course a steady demand
for lands from the local population
The limited resources of the govern
ment and the fact that much land 4
under lease, makes the process OF sur
veying and opening lands slow and thu
LEGAL demand IL about equal to the tax
ing Of them, though not entirely"