The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-08
RADICAL CHANGES IN
LAND LAWS AND TAXATION
SYSTEM ARE ADVOCATED
Representative Cohen Promises to Advance
Measures to Remedy the Evils he
Sees Existing.

ftThe existing system Of leaseholds
in Hawaii is the curse of this commu'
nifty and a hindranee to the prosperity
of the Islands" !" is the expressed senti-
ment of Representatives. 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.
tion of equitable taxation along with
that of land in its 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 viii 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.
CT have other interests to serve be-
sides those of my own,' explained Mr..
Cohen. ''I did not run for the Legisia.
ture simply that 1 might secure the
knocking out of the present show IL
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 I am able to do the
needed changes in the land and taxa
tion laws can be secured / will feel
that have carried out the work that
has been entrusted to me to perform.
''Land 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 | believe
that the Democrats this year went at
the question in the wrong way, there is
reason to believe that unless we do
something ourselves the Democrats will
evolve a land policy for the next cam
paign that will settle them in power.
''The 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 a Republican measure would re-
ceive the attention from Congress that
it must have. That is apparent.
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
the Islands is wrong. In my opinion
IL is the curse of the country and If
persisted in win eventually reduce the
here TO status like that
which until recently existed in Ireland,
a tenant peasantry with absentee land
lords and with no means whereby a
man may be able to secure home of
his own.
GAS things are now the great estates
here will lease but will not sell, will
allow others to develop the land but
will do nothing themselves. The far
mer who tills these leased lands gets
for his life work. He i'm
proves the land and his improvements
revert to the holder of the fee simple.
The man who improves gets nothing;
the man who refuses gets all. That
system would hold back the Garden of
Eden.
"'Land can be leased from any one
of several estates, but no man wants
10 be.working always on someone else's
land. Much of the profit to the far
ner anywhere is the improvement he
,an made on his land and if he can
get no land of his own to improve he |
is either not going to do any improving /
at al or if he does it is just as little |
as he can get along with. This does
not have to be limited to agricultural
ands either. There are vacant lands |
N this city that the estate owners will |
neither improve nor sell. This land can |
be leased. but all improvements belong \
70 the land. / know cases where land
holders have refused TO sell or build on
ne land when a tenant was ready to
axe over the building, but these same
lolders have offered to loan the tenant
money at seven per cent. to bult on
he leased land. This is what prevents
he building up of the city.
"Those people whom we want TO
.ome here and build up our Territory
.grieulturally do not want leased land.
-hev want lands of their own and there
must be some way made for them to
ret il. Our laws must be changed to
Omit of homesteading in an easy way