The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-01-24
FREAR'S STRAIGHT TALK
ON LAND AND SETTLERS


liuhNcN anu tne UiluCultN rs not gong
to be so much with the sugar PLAN
tation as with the small proprietors.
FOR the planters can De made 10 see the
situation while the small proprietors
are likely TO ehafe because the land
is not thrown open at once. The sugar
planters realize that the small pro-
prietor Is an institution that Is bound
20 come and that the settled policy
is TO bring them-out not TO go at IL
reckleSsly.
! Some thought that true American
ism should require the throwing open
OF all the public lands in l6o-acre Sec
tions for free settlement as soon as
we had become annexed. but Fortunate
~ that was not done. and wisely, for
II Il had the lands would by now have
all been in the hands OF corporations.
Now we have law drawn with
great care and not without ability. but
conditions have changed 10 a great eN-
tent. Under this law are many and
various ways OF acquiring land. some
OF them good ones There is the 900
year lease. FOR the Hawaiian. good so
far as 1t goes, but limited in operation.
be acquired by supposed settler and,
after the title is perfected through his
living up 10 conditions imposed. can be
turned over to a sugar plantation. We
find, often, that those who have taken
land from the government under this
are employees OF the sugar plantations.
Sometimes these purchasers never
went near their lands at all. leasing
the lands 10 the plantations, Thus
they get revenue from the lands
until the time has expired and then
II is found that they have not fulfilled
any OF the requirements of the settler
but the payment of the purchase price.
Now the law provides that when land
is sold for nonfulfillment OF conditions
the settler shall get the actual value
of the improvements he has made and
as the land is worth three and four
times what has been paid, he gets all
the repurchase money. making a good,
fat thing out of it and the land goes
TO plantation.
Under the cash freehold and right !
of purchase system, what happens. A /
purchaser may get piece of land
covered with timber. He strips this !
off and then clears out Or the man |
buys at s25 an acre. when the land is /
worth from $50 TO sos an acre. He rents |
ii 10 plantation. pays his rert TO the /
government and pockets the rest.
Through the plantation work his con-
ditions of cultivation are fulfilled and |
he then sells out at from $50 TO s75 an
acre.
The worst of all is the settlement
association. Through this the mem
bers get land without bidding il in at
auction, dirt cheap, as the saying is.
Some persons form these associations
and instead of bringing in persons
with mutual interests, as was the n
tention, persons having no affinity are
invited, sometimes charged an ldmis-
sion fee. The promoter is after this
fee sometimes; sometimes he wants TO
open a store among the settlers, and
such things. The system, as ii has
worked out has all the disadvantages
Of the cash freehold and the right of
purchase and more.
We've got tc be very careful how
We dispose of land to small settlers,
md be sure that their intentions are
bona fide. The law will have 10 be
amended, although some do not want
o open the question by amending the
aw. But we can safely do so. There
5 no danger Of getting anything worse =.
han we have got. We should charge
he full price of the land to the set
lers and make stricter conditions Of
and cultivation, then allow
eduGtions in the price for every year
hat the conditions are lived up to, say
or ten years, then giving the land for
very small balance remaining
Let US give the settlers the land :
or almost nothing. but make sure that =
e is a bona fide settler"