The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-02-17

difficulty. The total area is small, lit
tie of that is arabic, there are great
variations in temperance, rainfall and
soils, pests are abundant, the knowl-
edge of tropical agriculture is meager,
the contour of the country broken, road
building expensive, development of the
land costly, transportation facilities are
inadequate, the worlds markets distant
and the wants of different races di-
verse. There are great inducements to
speculate, little to homestead.
During the present period much study
has been given to the subject; a COM
mission was appointed which has in
vestigated and reported; a bill is pend
ing in Congress to carry out its recon-
mendations, and to remedy other diff
culties not considered by it. Mean
while the difficulties are being met as
best may be under the present laws.
/ The disposal of land to settlement as
sociations has been discontinued; the
right of purchase lease and cash free
hold agreement has been displaced in
large measure by new form of spe-
cial agreement the object of which is
to prevent the purchase of public lands
for speculation or investment and to
facilities it's homesteading, mainly by
increasing the requirements of resi-
dence and cultivation and making cas-
Ter the conditions which the bona fide
homesteader usually finds most diff
cult to comply with. Sales of large
tracts of country land, and exchanges
of such lands for city property, have in
the main been discontinued. Congress
while extending the period for which
agricultural land may be leased, has
provided that such land when leased
may be taken over at any time for pur.
poses of homesteading or other public
purposes. This provision, although
widely misunderstood, is a wise one
for both the capitalist and the intend
ing homesteader There is being pre-
pared complete history and statement
of the present condition of every home
stead that has been sold under the
present laws for the light that it may
shed upon the operation of the laws.
1t is planned to prepare soon in con-
venient form maps and descriptions of
all lands opened but not taken for
homestead purposes-for the informa-
tion of homeseekers; likewise record
of each tract of public land, in which
may be entered for the future use OF
the department all information from
time to time acquired in regard to it.
A complete table of all patents and
awards is about ready for the press.
Homestead Roads.-Although there
are about a thousand lots laid off for
homesteads, there is practically no de-
mand for them, mainly for want OF
roads. Demand for homesteads is con-
centrated chiefly upon lands adjoining
or near to roads. The cost OF roads
in this Territory is usually very large.
The law at present permits the use OF
fifty per cent. of the appraised value OF
lands opened for settlement to be set
apart from the proceeds of the sales OF
such lands for the construction Of
roads through and from them to the
public roads; but it is often inadvisable
to sell lands before the roads are built
it is Instantaneous to the Territory
and invites intending settlers to take
up lands under conditions which they
cannot meet. 1t would seem that the
use of the entire proceeds from the
sales of lands sold for settlement pur-
poses should be authorized for this
purpose and that authority for con-
structing the roads for any particular
tract should not be confined to the pro-
ceeds of sales of that tract.
! AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY.
Much exceedingly valuable service
has been performed by this board
through its divisions of forestry, ami
NAL industry and entomology. The
service can be greatly extended with
profit provided funds are available, but
unless some such arrangement, as is
above suggested is made, it is not easy
to see how this can be accomplished
n MUS quSoIlOl llo bCCll lolSSu 40
to whether the president and executive
officer of the board should not be
salaried like the heads of other depart
ments. There could be little doubt
of the ACCESSIBILITY of this if there were
sufficient funds and if the department
/ should be permitted to expand its work
as 1t ought to. Under the circumstances
however, this would hardly be justified.
/ The work at present is such that it
may be performed by the head of one
of the other departments, as, for in
stance, the public works if it requires
mainly an executive officer, or by the
head of some other scientific institu-
ton, if it requires mainly scientific
director, notwithstanding that each of
its three divisions is expected to be
under a director Of high scientific at
tainmants Tho laauinp GhOuld he tO-