The San Francisco call., 1910-06-27
SUGAR PLANTERS
GIVEN HARD BLOW
New Land Board Holds Back
Public Acreage in Favor
of HOmesteader
[Speciol Correspondence of The Coll

loPeciot Correspondence Of The Call
HONOLULU. June Is.-Consternation
has been caused throughout this terri
tory as result of the first meeting of
the advisory land board, a commission
named by Governor Frear within the
last two weeks TO carry out the prin-
eiples or the new land law of the terri
rltoTy. contained in recent congressional
amendments TO the organic act of
Hawaii. II was not until the board had
met and proclaimed the Interpretation
the members intended to put upon the
new Law that the plantation interests
realized what had taken place and that
congress had 50 amended the Hawaiian
constitution as to put in Jeopardy
large portion Of the lands now held
under lease as cane lands.
. Practically the announcement OF the
land board was this: In the future
- there viii be no disposition made Of
the public lands Of Hawaii to large
corporations on lease until after il has
been offered TO homestesdeTs on easy
terms; hereafter the land policy Of
Hawaii VIII be, small land owners first,
corporations last. This is a practical
revolution in the land policy a move
A~1-----l-e iAiR0ALdtiNe anu Tx
hardest blow that the sugar planters
OF Hawaii have ever received from the
government.
WILL CIT Up HOLDINGS
The result will be. it is expected. the
cutting up OF many of the large hold
lnes into small farms. with homestead
ers working their own land. Instead Of
the public land being held by the great
corporate Interests. it viii be in the
hands Of resident citizen farmers. rails
Ing crops in cooperation with the
plantations or Independently. One
prominent member Of the land boa rd
~ It's first meeting stated that in his
opinion congress has served notice on
Hawaii that hereafter more attention
must be paid 10 getting a permanent
citizen population in the islands"
At the present time many of the
largest plantations do not own the
thousands OF acres they have in sugar
cane, holding them under long term
leases from the government. These
lands are very valuable ard in all
proba bility any renewal OF the lea ses
VIII be blocked by homestead applica-
tions- in the case Of some Of these
leases conditions under which they are
given allow the government q cancella-
ation right when the lands are wanted
as homesteads and the cancellation Of
these leases is expected TO he applied
for. The lessees are protected TO the
extent Of the growing crops. but no
further.
APPLICATIONS POURING IN
Already applications for homesteads
on plantation lands are pouring in on
the land commissioner. and already two
leases for large ira cts have been held
up through homestead applications.
Nothing more important as affecting
the future Of Hawaii and the sugar in
dustry Of the islands has happened
since annexation than these changes in
the land laws. and the fact is now
generally recognized. The Advertiser,
the leading paper of Honolulu, edi-
torIally refers 10 the first meeting of
the land board, held on Wednesday
last. as an epoch marking event.
. While the stock market has not vet
felt the force of the blow and sugar
securities have wavered little in price
II is generally admitted among the
corporation men that the outlook for
the plantations as they exist today is
gloOu0v