The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-05-03

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The House was in a particularly GOOD
humor, general satisfaction with them
selves and with the world in general
beaming from each members face
During the reading Of the minutes the
Representatives busted themselves in
clearing out their desks, bun1ling up
copies of bills and reports and search
ing for any stray letters and notes
which might have been chucked in a
drawer and the destruction of the
same neglected.
THE SIGNED BILLS.
The bills signed by the Governor yes
terday morning were:
Senate Bill AZ, Act lis, incorporating
the city and county of Honolulu
Senate Bill 81, Act 119, to regulate
the sale of Intoxicating liquors.
House Bill 219, Act 100, amending
Chapter II of the Revised Laws.
House Bill 235, Act 121, to provide
sinking fund for the redemption or
purchase of bonds issued by any county
of the Territory.
THE LANAI REPORT.
A long report from the Committee
on Public Lands on the Lanai deal was
presented. The document was lengthy
one of fifty-eight pages, the reading of
which occupied over an hour and the
clerk had to call upon the interpreter
to help him out.
GIST OF THE REPORT.
The gist of the report was:
THAT the areas of first class agri-
cultural and first class patoral land,
and second class pastoral and waste
lands, which appear in the report of
Mr.. Jared G. Smith, have been verb
fled by it and found to be fair est!-
mate of the areas of the classifications
of these lands. AS to the valuation
placed by him, your committee is Of the
opinion that if there was a guarantee
of water supply for the use of the
same it would be a. fair figure. But
under present conditions, we think it
too high. There is only one running
stream on the island and the water
therefrom is being claimed by the
owners of the kuleanas in Maunalei;
and under our laws they have vested
rights that cannot be Invested. If
this claim did not exist the cost of
pumping and lifting this water to an
elevation that would make 1t possible
to be used for irrigation on the lands
in the basin, would be prohib!tory to
the rich and more so to the would-be
homesteaders.
1.-THE proposition of conserving water
from the rainfall, will necessitate a big
outlay of capital which very few peo>
Pile can well afford to undertake, when
it is estimated that only 1,40O,O00,O0o
gallons can be collected in this way and
the largest areas that can be irrigated
by this amount of water Is only 1900
acres.
I'm making a valuation of these lands
the matter of water supply and the
cost Of conserving the same cuts very
important figure.
Your committee has endeavored to
arrive at a fair valuation as 1t found
the condition of things on the island,
as follows:
1900 acres LIST class agricultural
land at $40 per acre .......... $4,000
$1,000 acres I'd class agricultural
land and LIST class pastoral
land at IS per acre ....... 5000
$4,000 acres I'd class pastoral
land and waste land, at SIS
per acre Observation-Disclosures. 22,6OO
$97, 500
1.-THE above figures do not tally and
are evidently incorrect.-Ed. Adver-
tiser.l
From the evidence that your COM
mittee has before 1t, and from it's own
personal investigation, it is satisfied
that the government has received full
value for its Lanai lands.
I'm this particular case the facts. cir
cumstances and evidence have perhaps
justified the exchange of large areas
of public lands for other lands held by
private parties, but your committee
strongly urges and submits that 1t cam
not be accepted and adopted as prece-
dent for the future disposal of the pub
lie domain within this Territory. The
conditions are applicable only to the
matter under consideration and cannot
and should not be used in the future as
a justification for similar transaction.
Your committee feels that the best in
terests and the future development of
this Territory demand that the public
lands hereafter TO be disposed of should
be divided into small holdings or par
cells In order that the man of limited
means may be able TO acquire them.
The offering OF large areas in many in
stances requires that the intending
purchaser should be In position TO
stand a large outlay OF capital, and
those who are DESTROYS OF and are in a
position TO purchase a smaller area are
discouraged and prohibited from so do
Ing by that fact Under the Organic |
Act tseetlon 7a) all matters pertaining
10 public lands are placed In the hands
OF the Governor and Commissioner of |
Public Lands, and their actions are not |
reversible by the legislative body Your
committee therefore returns herewith |
House Resolution No, is, together with
all documentary evidence and testi-
mony taken before II and which In
hereto attached and made part of
this report
Jared smith, who accompanied the
committee as an expert. reported az