Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-21
Waikiki, Maui, March 10.


tate for years to come, looks to me.
like a beautiful myth, a charming
1topian dream, like one of those daz-
cling mirages in which the thirsty
traveller sees cool streams of running
water, shady groves, and delightful
resting-places where in truth there
is nothing but an arid waste of sand.
This Is rank heresy, ! know, and
will probably call forth torrent of
denial and denunciation from the
real. original small farmer, who
thinks II is a pity that someone does
not begin raising pineapples on the
unused surface of the moon. ! have
40 desire to be pessimistic, but | can
not for the life of me see where there
is any great opportunity for the de-
velopment of small farming on this
beautiful Island for years to come.
For all | know, Maui may some day
be nothing but small farms and the
made to blossom like the rose. But
the day of small farms Is in the dim
and distant future, and IT Will not
come until some great disaster over
whelms the sugar plantations and
makes the big landowners great
deal more eager To part with their
acres than they are today.
know of no part of the Territory
of Hawaii that is better adapted to
small farming than is a large part
Of the Island OF Maui. Almost any
thing can be made to grow. Even a
posthole planted in some of this itch
soil would be liable to sprout a lot
Of little augur holes overnight. But
the one insurmountable obstacle Is
the lack of land available for the
purpose.
Governor Frear came to Maui to
look for land, land that can be used
for demonstrating purposes. II he
had his way, small farms would
spring up all over the Island and
hundreds of families would live in
peace and happiness on the broad
acres where now the japanese plan.
tation hand gamers the sheaves that
go to add to the wealth of the sugar
king. And the Governor has seen
land, lots of it,-but 1t might as well
be on Mars for all the good 1t is liza
lie to do prospective American set
tiers. Most of II either belongs In
fee simple to the big interests or is
held by them on longtime lease.
From Hama at the extreme south
eastern end of the Island we have
ridden all the way to Waikiki and
have seen practically every bit OF
land that there is any possibility Oi
utilizing for settlement purposes
and there isn't enough of IL to sup
port much more than corporal's
guard. Land there Is, and plenty Of
II, but II is held by the plantations
and they intend to continue to holt
II. Here and there is little patel
Of Government land upon which ma!
be settled a few Hawaiians who car
make a living raising taro-though
even If they can, they will probabl!
sub-let II to Chinese. At KeanaI
there are perhaps fifty acres Oper
for homesteading purposes. Below
that place there is nothing. Abov,
there is little more.
The Government owns the 35t
acres of Omaopio, first-class can
land upon which Baldwin has a GOV
.etous eye. From the exchange o
this land, which will probably TAX
place before long,-Baldwin is ex
pected to make some kind of prop
Csition within the week,-the Gov
eminent will acquire a few hundre
acres Of pineapple land in the Haik
section probably, and this will sup
port a limited number of families !
is also possible that little more G
this Haiku land may be obtaine
from the exchange of the school Ian
on the slopes of Haleakala, but thl
will add but comparatively little I
the total of Government land whic
can be thrown open to settlers.
Down in the Ulupalakua sectio
Raymond has some agricultural Ian
which 1t is hoped he will exchang
for grazing land. and this, too, wi
add some to the acres upon whic
the Territory will be able to sett
those Of whom 1t hopes to make goc
citizens.
But beyond these little dabs hel
and there, have seen nothing whiC
offers any prospect for the sma
farmer. The big landowners ha,
no intention of either selling or lea
ing any of their acres to the ma
who would make his home upon Il
land and his living out of 1t. Abo1
Makawao there are quite numb
of Portuguese families who are farr
ing on small scale. They are raj
ing a few pineapples, though for Il
most part without any great su
cess, and some of them are going /
to grapes. The Kapapalua wine
ppDears TO he DrosDerous and consI