The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-06-26
Planters Look on Bright Side of
Changes New Land Policy
viii Bring About.
THE ON0MEA 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
terests, or their representatives at
Washington. did not detect, while the
bill was still III 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 portion OF It's government
lands, aggregatIug 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
0Domea plantation IS to lose the IA
ieie lands about 334 acres, leased to 1t
by the government and planted to cane.
Application for the homesteadlng 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, ali
such land Is liable to withdrawal on
the application of would-be homestead
ers.
This situation means 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 expiratjons Of their leases,
which III 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'
phcation of twenty five prospective
hOmesteadeIs. any of this land may and
must be withdrawn from lease ana
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
tight of withdrawal As soon as these
leases expire the land may be with
drawn and opened up to homesteaders,
and Inevitably viii he, for it is the best
land in the Territory and is sure to
prove most attractive to homesteadefs.
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 lSNS ana
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 oe
applied for for homsteading purposes,
as it is in and around the town OF HlIo,
and Offers. therefore. the best oppor-
tunities for irving out the system OF CO.
operative planting.
The same condition prevails as re-
CARDS WaimauaIo. the entire $3.50 acres
Of which is government land, most OF
il peculiarly adapted for homesteadIn55'
The lease of this land expires IN I3-o'
The plantations mentioned are only
few ON. .- many that are now or VIII
later he ..... 10 home-readEng.
At first .n-a this might seem to IN