The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-11-10
RADICAL CHANGES TN
LAND LAWS AND TAXATION
SYSTEM ARE ADVOCATED

''The existing system of leaseholds
in Hawaii is the curse of this commu-
nifty and hindrance to the prosperity
of the Islands, - is the expressed senti-
ment of Representative-elect Joe Cohen,
who has already begun to study up on
land and taxation with view of in
Producing measures into the House to
remedy the evils he sees. The newly
elected Representative classes the ques'
ton of equitable taxation along with
that of land in it's Importance on the
future of the Territory.
Mr.. Cohen s views, while radical, are
along the lines of the Republican pol
icy advocated on the stump during the
recent election campaign. He will work
to secure solid Republican support
here for a joint resolution to Congress
asking that the Territory may be al
lowed to frame its own land laws as it
wishes. Then he will urge the adoption
by the Territorial party of law radi-
cally different from that one now in
force.
"I have other interests to serve be-
sides those of my own" explained Mr..
Cohen. 81 did not run for the Leglsla'
ture simply that / might secure the
knocking out of the present show Ii
cense tax, as some were good enough
to say. / hope to have some share in
promoting the general prosperity of the
whole people here and if through any
thing that 1 am able to do the
! needed changes in the land and taxa
ton laws can be secured | will feel
that l have carried out the work that
I'D ~ 10 fnr
Gland and taxation are the para
mount issues in Hawaii today. The Re-
publican party must take up these is
, sues boldly or defeat will overtake the
party here. The land question will be
the main issue before the people two
years from now and, while L believe
that the Democrats this year went at
1.-The question in the wrong way, there is
reason to believe that unless we do
something ourselves the Democrats will
evolve land policy for the next cam
paign that will settle them in power.
tThe Republican party has to face
this question squarely. To bring about
the results required, the request to Con
gress to so amend the Organic Act that
: we can deal with our land question
) ourselves must come from Republicans.
, Only Republican measure would re-
ceive the attention from Congress that
it must have. That is apparent.
5 Everybody admits that our present
system of administering the public
lands is wrong and most will agree
: with me in my statement that the lease
{ hold system which prevails throughout
a the Islands is wrong. In my opinion
!. it is the curse of the country and il
4 persisted in will eventually reduce the
2 population here to a status like that
n which until recently existed in Ireland
Q a tenant peasantry with absentee land
!. lords and with no means whereby a
n man may be able to secure home OF
y, his own.
Gas things are now the great estates
!. here will lease but will not sell, viii
9 allow others to develop the land but
s will do nothing themselves. The far
o mer who tills these leased lands gets
l. nothing for his life Is work. He i'm
d Eproves the land and his Improvement!
J. revert to the holder of the fee simple
J. The man who improves gets nothing
F. the man who refuses gets all. THAI
/. system would hold back the Garden. Of
h Eden.
d Gland can be leased from any ont
o of several estates, but no man want
F. to be working always on. someone else
5, land. Much of the profit to the far
- mer anywhere is the improvement h
It can made on his land and if he cal
n get no land of his own to improve h
d is either not going to do any improving
at all or if he does it is just as littl
& as he can get along with. This doe
d not have to be limited to agricultural
le lands either. There are vacant land
u in this city that the estate owners will
d neither improve nor sell. This land en-,
ID be leased, but all improvements belon
TO to the land. ] know cases where land
holders have refused to sell or build o.
lr the land when a tenant was ready t
take over the building, but these sam
ID holders have offered to loan the tehan
j. money at seven per cent. to BULL o
st the leased land. This is what prevent
y the building up of the city.
ID "Those people whom we want ;
l. come here and build up our Territor
lie agriculturally do not want leased LAND
Is They want lands of their own and Their
d. must be some way made for them I
III get it. Our laws must be changed t
ys admit of homesteading in an easy wa
70 so that our public lands now will no
le go to be added to the already swolle
n estates and there must be othe
changes whereby the estates must
= made to either utilize the land the
hold or give it up to those who will.
"The ones who own and control tn
great estates in Hawaii today are ac'
ing the part of the dog in the manger.
81 am in favor of the application
here of law similar to that which ha
converted New Zealand from the Ian
of great estates to one of a settled an
a. prosperous class of small land owners
The principle of the New Zealand la,
% is to tax unimproved lands at the sam
+ valuation as improved lands, thus fore
4 ing improvements or surrender. TIL
k New Zealand method of assessing land
IL for taxation purposes is also somethin
that ought to be put into practise here
Under that system the landowner is hi
IT own assessor, but it is fixed by law tina
l. the government has an option at al
"a times on the land so assessed at pric
ten per cent. above the taxation valu