The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-03
CARRIERS
TART REPLY

Il CONTINUED from Page -
Il Judge Robinson's letter has already
, appeared in these columns.l
:, Several weeks We're required for this
, letter to pass through official channels
to Gov. Carriers Office in Honolulu and
the following tart comments:
Executive Chamber.
-t,s.zs Honolulu. June g. 1906.
Hon. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Secretary
| of the Int terror.
| Dear Sir: Returned herewith find
letter from Judge w. J. Robinson, of
| Honolulu, dated April II, to Senator
| George c. Perkins and referred to me
by you on May IS, for report and such
recommendation as the facts in the
case appear to warrant. Judge Robin
son is undoubtedly entitled to express
his opinion particularly in view of the
fact that he has already informed me
that he proposes to make as much
trouble as possible for my administra-
ton with the Washington authorities.
In reading his letter there are some
points in which I find myself in thor
ough accord with the Judge as in his
expression as to the real prosperity of
any government.
If Judge Robinson desires Information
as to the area of lands in the Terri
tory which will be available as leases
expire, he need only have referred to
page 80 OF the Governors annual report
for 1895 which shows the total area I'M
der lease and the years in which the
leases expire; and of this probably
twenty per cent is agricultural. Much |
of our land is not yet surveyed and I'M |
der the American system would not |
therefore be Immediately available. On |
January first last the Commissioner of |
Public Lands reported $4,000 acres as |
Immediately available for occupancy. |
Much of that is being taken up and |
more is being taken up as fast as the
survey department completes its work
The Judge passes the land office daily
and inquiry there would have given him
more detailed information, for 1 am
sure the present Commissioner of Pub
lie Lands would join me in desiring the
greatest publicity of the fact and the
closest scrutiny of our acts. e
The incident referred to by the Judge
in regard to the refusal of the Com
missioner of Public Lands to accept the
petition of nineteen so-caled settlers
meets with my approval and slight in
quiry on the part of anyone would Sc
cure the data and information which
prompted that course and would Illus
trate the inaccuracy of newspaper rel
ports. That same 1900 acres is todayI
and ready for settlement for
four times as many as were formerly
refused. In the opinion of the Com
missioner this land was capable of sup
porting more than nineteen settlers and
he therefore refused them the exclusive
occupancy of it.
None of the government land to my
knowledge is being held unproductive
for higher values, except perhaps
where we have refused to accept the
price offered by some sugar plantation
for a renewal of the lease and we are
a figure commensurate with
what we believe the conditions war
ant.
I can not entirely coincide with the
Judges opinion OF the kamaaina. or
I'D residents of Hawaii. Their record
Turing the past seventy-five years is
me of which they need not be ashamed.
1 am not in accord with his recon-
nendations to turn the public lands
,ver to the officials in Washington or
o open them Unfortunately to sett1e-l
nent. There are large corporation in
erests here making sugar, which, be-
ieve, would coincide with the Judge as
t would suit their purposes best to
lave their leased lands thrown open to
he so-called American settler as they
re beginning to believe that this would
,e the shortest route towards the actu-
Il possession of the land by them, for
IS soon. as the settler obtained pos
ession of. the land they could either
,uy him out or make him dissatisfied
yer the. manufacture of his raw camel
nto sugar.
In conclusion let me state that thel
eeord made by the present Commits
Toner of Public Lands is one which will
how honesty and integrity and will
ause any unbiased man, interested ind {
he real prosperity of Hawaii, to hesi-
ate before recommending any change.
- Very sincerely yours.
G. r. CARTER,
Governor.
The attitude of the Interior Depart
nent is clearly such that any bill Offer
d In Congress would meet. with an IN
recommendation from the
resent Secretary, which would mean
hat 1t would have little show of be-
oming a law.
ERNEST c. WALKER.
RED CROSS SETTER