The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-10-25
DR.. NICHOLAS Russell ON
LAND AND THE ASIATICS

4 country always belongs 10 the ma.
iionality to which IS abofing classes
belong no matter what fac or allegiance.
British India will always remain llindoo,
and Egypt Fellah no matter how many
conqucfors sweep over them with their
flags.
Waters run of. rocks stay"
Having adopted and successfully car
ried out ihc plan to surrendering the
country TO Asiatics, and, it being too
late to go back on ii, and there being
no substantial reason why one should,
(since. save in the standard of life. those
Asiatics are not in anyway inferior, in
agriculture perhaps superior TO the eau
casian race. the only course remaining
is TO follow in it consistently: to fit
things on paper TO the condition OF
things in real life. details to the general
situation. III we leave the country, or
rather have left the country, to
Asiatics, let us make it a decent Asiatic
country. Let the man who tills the soil
be the owner OF it, Construct the land
laws accordingly by giving the oppor-
tunity to Asiatics to own small home
steads by purchase both from the gov
eminent and private owners.
1t is always better to grant generously,
than to wait such time when one is COM
PEELED to give in 1t is a paying genera
sity.
As for the present Land Act and the
small white settler for whom it was
written-they are both dead No Use
of critcising them: de mortuis nil nisi
bonum.' say nothing but good of the
dead! All white settlers. who could af-
ford to pay for their tickets, are gone
the rest are but waiting for opportunity.
The present intention of the Land
Commissioner to take away lands from
fictitious settlers, who never lived on
their lots, is highly commendable: the
less lies and fictions, the better Even a
mcrobe requires proper feeding
ground The white settler with his high
Gle and requires proper conditions also.
In this country essential conditions for
small farming: higher wages, cheaper
living expenses, cheaper freight rates,
markets, etc, are missing, and have to
be created first Can they be created
| say, in country of cheap labor and
large land holdings-neverl
Except squatters in the new Olaa tract
| do not know of any real settlers. who
ever have been molested by the admins
tration. Up to the present time the en-
forcement of the land law has been very
liberal for any one, who showed shade
of bona tde intentions.
OF course, prices of land, which re-
quires SIoo an acre for clearing alone,
even at So to $50 an acre in this district
Especially after the fall of coffee prices
have been altogether too high So was
the 8 per cent of year'-- interest payable
in advance Lands unlimited, in much
better conditions for small farming, are
given away to settlers in the United
States, Canada. Australia and South
American republics at merely nominal
prices and with considerable assistance
in the shape of credit into the bargain
But these details in reference to this
country, the country of latifundias and
cheap. Asiatic labor. high cost of living
and poor wages, have at present but
academical interest. ''Latfundae perdi-
derunt Italian! Japanese, Chinese, Ko-
reans will be glad to pay these and even
higher prices, and will hold their own
They will find the Land Act of 1906
good enough
Respectfully
DR. NICHOLAS Russell.