The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-11-12
ADVISORY LAND
LAW COMMISSION
Continued from Page Threel.

feet of injurious pests and other enc
mics of the products of the settler.
ADMINISTRATION OF DEVELOPED
CULTIVATED LANDS.
The main object in the admins
tration of public lands is to endeavor
, to open first for settlement those lands
which are undeveloped, thereby add
! ing to the territorial domain as a
whole greater productivity and also
increasing the resources and revenues
of the Territory. Practically speak
ing, new or more land is created, that
| is, all land is brought to a higher
state of usefulness. 1t is wiser to ask
the settler to help develop the land of
the Territory, rather than to place him
on land which Others have already de-
veloped for him. This policy is advo-
Gated by Mr.. F. H. Newell of the Unit
ed States Reclamation Service after a
personal inspection of every island in
the group and a consideration of the
administration of any system Of land
| laws relative thereto. While the po-
icy above outlined and shared in by
Mr.. Newell is the main policy and
should be the end sought to be attain
ed, yet it is deemed advisable that
in conjunction with that policy to
| limited extent and depending upon
| their character AMI situs, lands al
ready highly developed, such as land
at present under cultivation for sugar
cane, be gradually opened for settle
ment. The opening for homestead set
Element purposes of lands being at the
present time under cultivation for SUI
gar cane, should be accomplished by
growth, an evolution, not a revolu-
ton. Great care, however, should be
exercised in the homesteading of such
lands. 1t cannot be denied that by
overwhelming odds the cultivation of
sugar cane is the main industry OF
the Territory. The prosperity of the
Islands requires that this industry be
continued and not crippled or its pre-
sent status diminished beyond a GER
tain limited extent by withdrawing
from its support the experienced and
dependable cultivation of lands at
present devoted to that purpose. Con-
sequently lands lying in the center or
indispensable to the use or the planta-
tion should not be withdrawn for
homestead purposes. While there is
still other good agricultural land to be
developed which will be more readily
available and the particulars of which
will be more easily ascertainable af-
ter complete surveys, data and descrip-'
lions have been made as hereinbefore
recommended, the Commission can see
no occasion for opening much of this
land at the present time, and there
fore recommends that gradually and
only from time to time should such
highly developed lands be opened for
settlement.
All leases executed az the present
time of government lands suitable for
agricultural purposes contain the re-
servation that the government may
withdraw any of the demised land at
any time for homesteading purposes.
This is an ample protection for the
future.
The Commission does not favor the
guarantee by the Territory of the
bonds of private railroad enterprises
thereby involving the responsibility
for the payment by the Territory of
large amounts of money. This Terri
tory is now obligated to the payment
of it's own public bonds and may de-
sire to issue more bonds for public
as distinguished from quasi public
purposes, that is, for those purposes
within the limitations imposed by the
Organic Act
Commital to a policy of guaran-
teeing the bonds of railroad and other
quasi public enterprises, which from
the nature of the venture are hazard
GUS and involve large expenditures,
might tend to impair the territorial
credit, or at least affect the rate of in
terest on government loans. The gra-
witty of the situation is emphasized by
the fact that the guarantee of private
railroad bonds is rot within the au-
thoriZed powers OF the Territorial
Legislature outlined in the Organic
ct. The Congress of the United States
has specifically withheld such a power
from the Territorial Legislature.
Honolulu, T. H., November 8, 1908.
Respectfully submitted
"A LEWIS, JR., Chairman,
Sgd w. b. THOMAS,
S. NJ. KANAKANUI,
j. p. COOKE
Members Of the Commissions;
A. Lewis, Jr., Chairman,
William A. Kinney
Alfred w. Carter,
Carl S. Smith,
Samuel NJ Kanakanui,
William b. Thomas,
Joseph P. Cooke, Secretary.
Foot Note
The use of the word homestead" is
employed to convey the intention OF
homemaking irrespective of the me-
thod by which the possession during
I,o ttrya l.,