The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-06-28
Planters Look on Bright Side Of
Changes New Land Policy
Will Bring About.
THE ONoMEA APPLICATIONS IN
Second Plantation to Lose Leas-
ed Land to HOmesteaders-
Others Certain to Follow.

The far-reaching and revolutionary
effects of the land law amendments to
the Organic Act are only just begin
ming to be understood by the land in
terests of Hawaii and the chief cause
of surprise now is that the sugar in
forests, or their representatives at
Washington, did not detect, while the
bill was still in congress, the tremen'
dous changes these amendments seemed
destined almost inevitably to produce.
Friday it was announced in The Ad-
vertiser that Laupahoehoe plantation is
to lose a portion of its government
lands, aggregating about 400 acres, now
under lease to it and from which the
first crop under the new lease has just
been harvested. Now it is known that
, Onomea plantation is to lose the Ka-
J ieie lands, about 334 acres, leased to it
by the government and planted to cane.
Application for the demonstrating of
this land has been made, and under
the new amendments to the Organic
Act there is nothing for the land com
missioner to do but to take the land
away from the plantation and throw
it open to the homesteader.
And these plantations are only two
of many that may have to give up
their government land. Every lease
of public land that has been made
since 1905 contains the right of with
drawal clause, and under the provisions
of the Organic Act amendments, all
such land is liable to withdrawal on
the application of would-be homestead
ers.
This situation means a complete
revolution in the public land policy,
and aside from the prospective home
steaders, those most directly effected
are the plantations that lease land from
the government. There are a number
of these which own in fee simple little
or no land, virtually their entire acre
age being land leased from the Terri
tory for term of years.
Those plantations which use govern
ment land leased prior to 1905 are safe
from the withdrawal of the public land
until the expirations of their leases,
which in most cases will be in from
nine to eleven years. But all leases
made since the date above mentioned
contain the right of withdrawal clause,
and, according to the recent ruling Of
the advisory land board, upon the ap'
plieation of twenty-five prospective
homesteadeTs, any of this land may and
must be withdrawn from lease and
thrown open to settlement.
The same condition will prevail in a
few years as regards the immense acre
ages of government lands now under
lease to the plantations without the
right of withdrawal. AS soon as these
leases expire the land may be with
drawn and opened up to homesteaders,
and inevitably win be, for it is the best
land in the Territory and is sure to
prove most attractive to homesteaders.
For instance, of the 96,9Ss acres of
land held now by Waiakea plantation,
every acre is leased from the govern
ment. The lease was made in 1888 and
does not expire until 1918, and there is
no right of withdrawal clause. But
when 1918 comes around the five thou
sand acres of good cane land held by
the plantation viii in all probability be
applied for for homsteading purposes,
as it is in and around the town of Hilo,
and offers, therefore, the best oppor-
tunities for trying out the system of CO.
operative planting.
The same condition prevails as re-
CARDS Waimanalo, the entire $685. acres
of which is government land, most of
It peculiarly adapted for demonstrating.
The lease of this land expires in 1920.
The plantations mentioned are only
a few out of many that are now OF will
later be liable to homesteading.
At first blush this might seem to in
dicate peril to the sugar industry, so
far as those plantations a1e concerned
which lease all or a large part of their
land from the government. But this
is by no means probable. In fact, there
are those who believe that the new law
will help, not only the homesteader,
but the plantation. But first a revOlu.
tion in cane.RTowing methods must
come about. And the ultimate result
viii be, In the opinion Of many who
have given the matter much thought,
the substitution Of the cooperative sys.
ten Of planting for the wage system
that now prevails.
There Il little doubt but that most
Of the land now utilized for the grow.
ing OF cane is better adapted for that
purpose than for anything else, and tho
hOmesteadeFs who take Il up will prob,
ably be persuaded carly IN the game Of
thle fact II remains, then, Tor the
plantation Interests 20 enter Into agree
ments with them for The growing Of
cane on their homefteads Che eaus 10
be sold 20 the mlhs. This viii reduce
iho total t0nnage and acreage eompafaf
lively lltflf, SAD "a the Same time, as'
xflug "a ihf oplnlen n some n ~ cay
nQu, sill " the cad result n