The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-08-16
NUTS To CRACK
IN LAND OFFICE

with goods. hang out his sign, publish
his card and await customers The
customers come slowly. but finally one
presents himself. selects a piece OF
goods and inquiries the price. For an
swer, he gets this:
''our upset price is so much, but you
will have to wait thirty days while we
publish the fact that you wish this
piece of goods. and then you will have
TO contest with other bidders who may
present themselves, and in the end you
may not be able to secure this parti-
cular piece of goods, or in fact any
other piece. That will depend on the
amount you are able or willing to bid
But protests the would be Gus
toner. 81 don't want to wait 1 am
here, and 1 have selected my goods
There has been ample time; your card
has been out for weeks; first come
ought surely to be first served Name
your price. impose your conditions as
70 continued. possession If you will.
but don't keep me waiting for an un-
certainty thar hides within itself u
large element of liability to failure"
Mr.. Editor. there are all kinds OF
men who are subject to all kinds of
conditions. Many will wait # per-
force they must. Some may be able
and even willing. to wait; others can
not wait. But in the main. what would
be thought of the merchant who es-
sayed to conduct his business On the
lines above Indicated, and what kind
of success could he expect to achieve2
Yet will not every reader of the fore
going lines Immediately recognize in
them the portrait of our Territorial
land laws? Let me not be unjustIy
catalogued as an invidious critic Of
the government. Doubtless it was diff
ficult to devise a law which should
provide all the safeguards intended
against avaricious land grabbers, and
not at some point infiict hardship on
a bona fide aspirant to a reasona bic
real estate possession that he might
call his own. And doubtless it could
not be expected that the legislators.
whose duty it became to consider the
proposed law and pass it, could detect
at once all its flaws. nor even be able
to provide a perfect remedy for such
as were detected. But after SINE
years of practical trial, is the law not
now capable of some improvement?
To the questions, How about the
government" How could they ar
rive at just appraisement for raw
lands?" may be put the counter ques-
tions. How did they arrive at a Just
appraisement when, years ago, they
sold the best of agricultural lands al
the price of S1.OO per acre? How did
they arrive at a just appraisement
when they offered the Molokans the
best of improved" cane lands at a
merely nominal figure? How did they
arrive at an appraisement when they
offered colonist settlers the best of
unimproved lands at reasonable rates?
Is it more difficult to decide upon a
price that shall be considered reason
able for the individual, would-be, pur-
chaser, than for these others2 The
government claim to want, not so
much immediate cash. as It wants set
tiers who shall. by improving their
property and becoming producers, in
sure to the public Golfers largely aug
mented incomes, not of twofold or
even of tenfold, but of hundreds CT
folds, in the form of taxes. Now.
then, when such a would-be settler
comes along and selects a bit Of land
that suits him, or even when a denizen
whose business requirements prevent
his assuming a Continuous residence"
on a given piece of land, selects a bit
that he would like to call his own.
why may not the law be so framed as
TO permit a fair appraiSement of its
value, and impose conditions of con-
tinued ownership If it will, but let the
applicant have the piece OF his own
selection? As the merchant, after ad-
verifying his wares, serves first him
who comes first; and as the agent
orders goods, not to be competed for
after given date, but solely for the
customer who applied for them, and
with the least possible delay. why may
not the government serve their soil
cited customers on the same princi-
pies? Why repel them with delays
and uncertainties?
The aim to secure permanent set
tiers and to obstruct speculation, con-
-emplated by the present law. could
be, in the naure of things, but par
tally successful, as illustrated by OIaa
and Wahiawa. The failure in the first
case appears TO have been due to =
failure Of the crops 70 materialize, and
N the second case. in some degree. to
he desire to realize unearned profits
through the process of "promoting.
IN the latter case, lands for which the
government received comparatively
little in cash. are offered at prices
prohibitory to all but the
wealthy. the extremely optimistic, or
he over eager for a home at any
price To the man Of limited means
Who must rely on the produce Of the
'on in large measure for support, the
presents a closed door. and
'apital is not eager to help him open
L The speculator by intent may find
I profitable ito labor and to wait" for
wen ten years, before securing title
md realizing profits by promotion or
peeulation, as would certainly seem
o be proved by Wahiawa And this
nay be said without in the least de-
,ree charging the pioneer colonist set
lers Of that thrifty settlement
With having contemplated any such
le0OuemeQt. The nfnnocru v-bo Fo,,-xL%