The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-11-12
SEVEN

| settlement. l know OF no place in the
Territory where q homesteader who
has valuable improvements made I'M
on land which he holds from the gov
eminent, but to which he has no title.
can go for financial aid The banks
seem to be unable to advance him any
money, and the terms imposed by prl-
vate lenders are impossible. TO meet
this it is recommended that the Ter.
ritory loan money to bona fide settlers
who have with capital and labor i'm
proved their holdings to such an ex-
tent that the Improvements are fair
security upon the money advanced.
Every precaution should he taken TO
prevent the Territory from entering
into competition with banks and 9TH
er private financial institutions, but
this can be done without difficulty for
the Territory will be lending it's aid
to persons who do not obtain any as
sistance from private concerns.
The foregoing recommendations con-
corning transportation, homestead
roads, government commission agents,
government loans to homesteaders af-
feet all portions of this Territory alike.
L have many special recommendations
to meet difficulties which are more or
less local. One of the most import
ant of these is that concerning irriga-
ton. In the irrigated districts water
has come to be of vital importance as
some recent and pending litigation in
dictate. Following somewhat in the
line of policy adopted by the Terri
torial government in the Reclamation
Act, but going beyond that, I recon-
mend that the Territorial Government
priated water rights, and from time to
time hereafter condemn and take ir-
rigation and water rights already ap-
propriated, until such time as there
shall cease to be any private owner
ship of water rights in this Territory.
The Federal Government has long
followed the policy by which it dis
poses of government land situate with
in town limits. There is no reason
why this Territory should seek a fnan-
cial profit by holding town property for
incSeajd values. A considerable
amount Of property is now owned by
the Territory within the limits of
growing towns. One tract on the main
street of Hilo contains three acres and
is put to no purpose. Either this land
should be devoted to park purposes or
sold at auction.
A very considerable amount of COM
plant has been made to our commits
sion by people who have asked for in
formation concerning government land
at the Office of the Land Commission
er. The commissioner and his agents
have also pointed out defect in the
administration whereby the govern
ment land now available for settlement
is without survey and without class
ification. To meet these two situa-
lions I recommend that the next legis-
lature be requested to furnish a suffi-
GENTLY large sum to the Survey De-
partment to carefully survey all of the
public lands of the Territory, both by
boundaries and by classification, and
to furnish the Land Commissioner with
complete data and maps. While this
work of surveying is going forward
competent persons should be appoint
ed by the Governor to classify the
lands into the several classifications
provided by the Land Act
We have had pointed out to us that
the lands of Kappa, on the Island of
Kauai, have been resurveyed at least
six times, entailing upon the Territory
an unnecessary expense of several
thousand dollars. The general survey
and classification which is here pro-
posed will avoid a repetition of need
less surveys.
One matter of administration lR-
wolves a sufficiently large tract OF land
to warrant its consideration in this re-
port:
Many years ago the government
leased to. the Waiakea Mill Company
a tract of land on the Island of Ha-
wall of about $4,000 acres in extent,
at an annual rental of $4,000 With
the growth of the sugar industry pOr-
tion of this land has come to be of i'm
mense value for cane purposes, and
other portions have been rented out
by the lessee for town lots The lease
will expire in less than ten years. The
lessee mas erected costly improvements
upon the land which must be kept in
repair at a heavy expense With no
guarantee of a continued existence the
lessee is in a position where il must
obtain all the benefit from the land
without making a corresponding re-
turn to the soil or any adequate upkeep
of the improvements This is to the
g,eat disadvantage of the Territory as
well as the lessee. Under the Organic
Act the lessee will be entitled to own
in fee simple only 100 acres of land.