The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-05-17
CANNOT OPEN
PUBLIC LAND
Pratt Says Senate Com.
mittee Has Cut
Too Close.

"Well, the House Committee has
| given me a chance to be heard, any
| way said Land Commissioner Pratt
| yesterday. "And L think that the
House will do justice to the depart
ments-< The House stands for the
masses, as against the representative
| of the classes. 1t is the mass of the
| people who want the public lands open
ed to settlement. I rely upon the
| House to see that the Land Office is
| placed in such position that it can
prepare to throw open the public lands
| for settlers.
AS the appropriations have been
cut down in the Senate, we cannot
open these lands. The law provides
| that when we prepare to throw open
| lands, we must lay them out in tracts,
and lay out roads to them. How can
We do that, if We have not enough
| money-if our office is cut down to
bare salaries? We cannot, in fact, with
this office and the survey office treat
question.
''More than that, if these people are
true to their pledges of county gov
ernment, they must treat this Office in
more liberal spirit. It is the coun-
ties that win want their lands thrown
open to settlement. The counties will
want to get people, and to get people
they must have lands to offer them.
And we cannot put any land on the
market, under the law, unless We can
lay it out properly.
'And, mind you, aside from this fea-
ture of it, the desire that the people of
the counties are bound to express to
have the public lands thrown open to
settlement, this is not an Office whose
work will be in any way affected by
county government beyond being in
creased by it. This office cannot be
touched, under the Organic Act. Coun-
ty government merely means more
work-and to do that work properly
we must have money.
"The Senate Committee on Ways
and Means went to no head of a de-
partment to get his estimates of how
much would be required to run his of |
fee This is a revenue-producing Of |
flee, as the treasury is. What is the |
sense of cutting down an office that |
produces revenue2 There is just this |
about it, if there is not more lib |
eral provision made, there will be no |
revenue. We cannot earn it, literally. |
And what kind of economy is that7
'Here are some figures that L have |
prepared for submission to the House /
committee, and you are at liberty to
give them the widest possible publicity. |
They are absolutely accurate, with the |
exception that the amounts under the
heading, Appropriations, 1904 ses-
sion, was but half the amount stated,
the appropriation being for one year,
and we doubled it in figuring for con-
venience and uniformity.
Appropriations for the biennial Pc
riods 1901 to 1907. Department of Pub
lie Lands: Appropriations, total, 1901
session, $3S, 10; 1908 session, $49, ,S45;
1904 session, $25,SS0; asked for, 1905
session, $32 400; Senate votes, 1908
session, $26,SS0
Appropriations for the Survey De-
partment since 1901: appropriations,
total, 1901 session, 72,750; 1908 ses-
sion. $4,000; 1904 session, SAC, ,430;
asked for, 1905 session, 10000; SEN
ate votes. 1905 session, $27 400.
Now, bear in mind, that the 1904
are doubled here for
in figuring, those appro-
priations having only been made for
one year, on the economy basis. We
to be cut then, the Territory
being in such hard case, and got along
as best we could. This time we had ask
ed for little more, in the hope and ex-
pectation of going on with our plans.
Well, if we are to stay on the basis
established i9v the Senate, we can do
nothing cf the kind. We must just
simply fold our hands. for we will have
no money to do anything. And mark
how little discretion there was in the
tut. When / told them they could cut
put one clerk at a pinch, they let me
that clerk and cut me in much more
vital points There are two clerks, one
1T $500 and the other at $1,000, both :
IF them needed, but one can be dis
Densed with in an emergency. But no,
hev cut down my chief clerk, an ex '
,ert bookkeeper, a man who handles
very dollar that passes through this
,ffice, 5000 a wear. and let the smaller
,lerk stay. It is clear that the cutting ]
vas done arbitrarily, and without any s
'egard whatever to the needs of the
,ervice.'
"Whv,' said Treasurer Campbell, q
'it is a peculiar thing. to say the least \
# it. The tax office here is short
1920 now, in incidentals. And vet
he allowance for that Office is put at
he same figure as it was two years 7
,gn, when there will be great deal 8
nore work to do in the next two