The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-01-11
WORK OF LAND
REGISTRATION
JUDGE WEAVER REPORTS TO
CHIEF JUSTICE FREAR ABOUT
THE NEw COURT

Some interesting data Is, given by
Judge r. l.. Weaver OF the Court OF
Land Registration, In his report made
recently TO chief Justice Frear The
report covers the period Of IS months
ending December 81, 1906.
During that time the Land Registra-
ton Court has acquired jurisdiction Of
12,l243 acres Of land, valued for pur-
poses Of taxation at S1,O95,l6O More
than 100 petitions have been filed. The
DEGREES issued in 1906 numbered a.
These covered house lots Of about 905,-
1922 square feet. or p acres, and coun-
try property Of about 317S acres-frac-
tions here omitted-a total Of 1899 acres.
The total area Of titles adjudicated to
Dec. 81 last was 1855 acres.
The assessed value Of property regis
tered en- the "a DEGREES Of 1906. for pur-
poses of the assurance fund. was &22,-
OSS; from the beginning Of the court I'm
1904 to the end of 1906. S710.54O, and Of
property pending registration, $3S4,620,
the last two sums making the total
Of S1.095.1G0 above mentioned. About
Is acres Of house lots and S424 acres Of
country property, a total Of S424 acres
Of country property, a total Of S439
acres, are pending in court, which with
the registered area make the 12124
acres over which the court has acquir-
ed jurisdiction.
Referring to the fact that Al new
petitions were filed I'm 1906 as against
p for the preceding period Of two
years, Judge Weaver says:
"The failure Of the Legislature to APP
propriate sufficient money to pay the
expenses Of the court has caused petit
toners to postpone action until a new
appropriation shall he had, notwith-
standing the fact that funds are de-
posted by the petitioners to meet eX-
penses, for the greater part. Thus the
number Of petitions is less than it
would have been had an adequate APP
preparation been made.
1.-THE experience of the past year"
Judge Weaver proceeds, Shows clear
~ the value of the system in many Of
the particulars mentioned in my last
report.
Street lines are established, gov
eminent claims Of easements are there
fore defined and settled; government
remnants of land inside of private
grounds are discovered and title ac-
quired and settled; unreleased mort
cages, forgotten, are discovered and
released, pedigrees, not Of record, are
established and title proved govern
ment combinations in lands are set
tied rather than let the defect appear
on the certificate of title
1T is important to note again that
there ought to be legislation to remedy
the evil resulting from The ownership
Of small subdivision of land which
has never paid Communication to the
government. Under present law, there
is no proceeding by which an owner
Of a subdivision may get his lot re-
leased from the encumbrance. This is
a real need in case an energetic gov
ernment should attempt to enforce the
claims of one-third interest in country
land and one-fourth in city land
Il would recommend that the Act be
amended in certain particulars
First: The Territory or County
should be allowed to register it's own
title and at nominal cosl
Second: The section governing APP
peal should be amended so that the
issues OF fact in the case must be sub
mitted to a jury for special findings
of fact on which the judgment of the
court may be leased.
Third: Persons acquiring title di-
rectly from the government should be
allowed to register title for a purely
nominal fee, If applied for promptly"