Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-08-02
FINDS
HISTORICAL PAPER
Original Of Famous Ladd
& Co. Lease By Third
Kamehameha

In his searches among the OLD pa
pers of the Archives, Librarian Ly-
decker has recently run across a docu-
ment of considerable historical inter-
est. 1t dates back to November Il,
1871.
The document is the original lease
executed by Kamehameha III to p. A.
Brimsmade, William Ladd and Will
Jam Hooper, by which he gave them
the right to pick and choose among
the unoccupied lands of the Islands
and take any they pleased for a term
of 100 years for nominal rental.
Upon this lease was based the big
lawsuit of 1916, in which Ladd & Com
pany sued the Government for dam
ages in the sum of $378,000. This suit
took up four months of time, caused
endless difficulties among the citizens
of the kingdom and finally ended in
nothing, Ladd & Company withdraw
ing the suit before the Government
had put on any evidence.
According to the terms of the lease,
Kamehameha Ill turned over to the
three men mentioned all they might
be pleased to take OF an immense
amount of Government land. In fact,
they might take all they pleased Of
the unoccupied lands, and in return
for this generous concession the king
was to get half the profits and they
were to pay an annual rental of only
ten dollars for every mill site of 10
acres, with agricultural land to the
extent of 200 acres thrown in with
each mill site. The most important
clause of the lease reads as follows:
Said party of the first part (thc
king, Kamehameha IID agrees to
grant, and by these presents has
granted unto the said party of the Sec
ond part (Brimsmade, Laid and
Hooper, the full right and privilege
for the purpose of manufacturing az
ricultural productions and now unoc-
cupied and unimproved localities III
the Sandwich Islands suitable for the
manufacture of sugar, indiago, flour,
Jaw silk, kukui oil, or other produce
lion of the country, by water power.
steam power or animal power, upon
which they shall actually commence
date hereof; and that such locality
shall include a quantity Of land not
exceeding Is acres, and all natural adj
vantages of water, building material
and all other conveniences naturally
thereto pertaining"
In return for this, the lessees were
to give the King half their profits and
were to allow him to buy any guam
tity of stock in the company that he
might wish within one year from the
cate of the lease. They were to en-
courage among the natives habits OF
industry and thrift, and were not to
import or manufacture any ardent
spirits.
This lease gave rise to the Belgian
Company, Brimsmade going to Bel
GUM for the purpose of getting capt.
tai to carry on the great prospective
business. A company was formed,
commonly called the Belgian Com
pany, to which the lease was turned
over. The Belgian King was stock
holder in the company, and the Ha-
waiian King guaranteed four per
cent dividend for the term of six
years.
But the Belgian Company did not
amount to anything. Ladd & COM
pany also failed. Upon Brimsmade's
,eturn to Hawaii he claimed his right
to select the lands according to the
terms of the agreement, but the Gov
ernment contended that the lease had
been transferred to the Belgian Com
pany and the three original lessees had
thereby lost their right to the lands.
Laid & Company in March, 1916,
brought suit for $37S,OOO damages, as
above stated, but withdrew the suit
before anything was decided