Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-01-11

way what your land system Is,
Governor Frear-In general there
are four specific methods by which
land may be taken in Hawaii for
homestead purposes. First, the
homestead lease, by which person
may acquire for 500 years a small
area of land which can not be alien
ated but will descend to his heirs.
He obtains this free of charge ex-
cept a small fee.
The Chalrman-What do you
mean by a small area?
| Governor Frear--It varies. For in
instance, IL II is wet land the area Is
limited to l acre. II It is agricul-
tural land OF the first class II is lin
tied to acres and of the second class
to 16 acres. and IL 1t is pasture land
to q larger area. This was intended
principally for the Hawaiians who,
as a rule, can not make use OF
large area, and who in cd neral are
poor, and who are very much inclin-
ed. IL they have the land in fee sim
pie unqualifiedly, to mortgage It and
make no provision for paying of the
mortgage, with the consequence that
they are apt to lose the land by fore
closure. This method gives them the
land for nine hundred and ninety
nine years as long as they and theii
descendants live upon 1t; but they
can not ALLEVIATE Il in any way by
mortgage or otherwise.
Senator Milton--If a person mort
gage II or II his descendants move
of the land does It revert to the Gov
eminent?
Governor Frear--Yes.
The Chairman-That is one class.
Governor Frear-Then. secondly,
there is the right of purchase lease,
by which a person may obtain a lar
ger area, varying with the class OF
Hand. under d twenty zone year lease,
with the condition that he shall re-
side on the land from the end of the
first to the end of the fifth year and
shall cultivate 10 per cent. OF the
land and pay s per cent. annually
upon the appraised value of the land.
with the privilege at any time after
three years (provided he has reduced
20 per cent. of It to cultivation and
resided on It two years and paid for
III Of obtaining patent for the
land.
This Is very well adapted to GER
tain classes OF takers and to certain
classes of land and has been the
principal method by which land has
been taken up by the American and
, Portuguese elements Of the popula-
, ton. But the conditions are alto.
gether too lax. For instance, one
! may obtain his patent by residing al.
most nominalIy on the land. under O
recent decision OF the territorial su'
} preme court. shat is, without having
n real bona fide residence. and by cul'
tivating, say, 20 per cent Of the land
for only week, and then he ma,
} suitcase 1t, which means tnat he car
get sufficient by renting out the LAND
/ to pay for It, and perhaps he car
have others do all the cultivating
D or course, that has induced grea
deal OF speculation and repeating
One man, am informed, is now OF
the sixth lot within twice that mum
| Der of years.
Then, thirdly, there is the casf
freehold agreement. This is muci
. like the right Of purchase lease ex
! cepting that payment must be mad
In fur annual installments, the frs
r at the time of the sale and the las
0 at the end OF three years. In .thi
case the land is sold at public auc
:, ton and goes to the highest bidder
: The Chairman--Is there any lin
itation as to the amount that ma.
lie sold in that case?
Q Governor Frear-Yes; the same a
: il the case of right OF purchas
IS lease. 1t Is 100 acres OF first-clas
u agricultural land, and 30 on.
n Then, fourthly. there is the settle
i ment association, by which grou
l. OF six or more persons may take u
81 lands under either the right OF pur
l. chase lease or the cash freehold re
& ferred to, without any competition
'r These persons have preference
E. right, the object being to AFFORD a
le incentive to groups OF Americans I
4 come from the mainland by enablin
them to settle on adjoining lots 8
c. that they can form a community b
st themselves and not be scattere
among various other classes Of pee
n pie.
The Chairman-How much ca
c. they take?
Governor Frear-The area is TIL
Id same as under the right Of purchas
ly lease and the cash freehold.
70, The Chairman-The aggregate
IN then, of course, limited by the nun
to Der In the group?
Ike Governor Frear--By the numb,
er of persons In the community. TIL
has not fulfilled It's purpose. but HI
. been the method by which the grea
est abuses have been practiced.
The Chairman-Let me ask y,
what quantity of land the Cover
ment now owns?
w Governor Frear-0ne million s
m hundred and seventy-six thousal
w seven hundred and Ave acres.
90 The Chairman was not expet
ing such an accurate answer, II
tba.a haan ,nuoh unvarnnant land ,