The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-05-27
'BIG LAND BUYER
FROM HONOLULU.
The Mysterious Actions and
Statements of A. F.
Thayer.
IS HE IN SECRET SERVICE
Details Confirm Cable That He
Claims to Represent
Dillinghams.

The last mails from Manila brought
details of the report that A. F. Thayer,
who left Honolulu for Manila with the
declared intention of buying friar lands
for Hawaiian capitalists, had bought
10000 acres for the Dillinghams. There
is nothing to explain the mystery of
Thayer's actions, however. When the
cabled report of his purchase came
and the Dillinghams disclaimed any
connection with the matter The Ad-
vertiser cabled definite inquiry to
Manila, asking whom Thayer repre-
sented. The reply came that he rep
resented the Dillinghams, The latter,
however still deny that they have
anything to do with Thayer.
Thayer left here with large sum
of money secured while he was here,
for the purpose of buying lands. In
view of some recent moves in Wash.
ington looking to general investiga.
tion of these land matters, it has been
suggested that Thayer may be secret
service man, taking the character of
a land buyer for the purpose of get
ting on the inside, and though the
suggestion is regarded as a rather wild
one, his connection with the Oregon
land fraud cases lends it some color.
The Manila Times of April IA had
the following, showing impression that
he was going to bring lot of Hawaii
capital into the Philippines:
Three million pesos (about ST. $780,
OOO) of Hawaiian capital will be spent
| in the development of a 20,000.acre
sugar plantation within thirty miles of
Manila in less than ten months ac-
cording to report current this morn
ing that the Dillingham; interests of
Honolulu through their agent, Mr.. A.
+. Thayer, had taken over the Calamba
estate comprising 10000 acres of friar
lands and had contracted for 10000
acres additional in public and private
lands adjoining the estate.
"These lands are located in Daguna
province and have superb water facil-
tiles, as they front on the lake and
have two rivers flowing through the
property that will furnish upwards of
$4,000 barrels a day. This will enable
every acre of the land to be irrigated
after the Hawaiian system which has
proved such success.
"Mr. Thayer, who is known to have
spent more than two months looking at
lands in provinces near Manila, refused
either to affirm or deny the report,
although it is known that the bureau
of lands now is at work on the final
certificates showing the purchase of
these lands for the Dillingham; inter
ests of which Mr.. Walter Dillingham;
of Honolulu, is the head.
''FrOm all the facts available, it is
learned that the average price paid by
Mr.. Thayer for the entire 10000 acres
is between forty and fifty pesos an
; acre. From the moment it was learned
that he was in the field to buy lands,
prices of privately owned estates are
said to have gone shooting skyward,
until some of the smaller haciendas
near the Calamba are now held as
strongly as city lots.
According to information reaching
2 the Times from Honolulu, the purchase
price is the smallest item in the invest
e ment. Machinery for a mill to cost
100000 pesos already has been ordered
9 in Honolulu and Will be shipped i'm
t mediately on receipt, of the cablegram
: from Mr.. Thayer announcing that the
t purchase of land has been completed.
: at is understood to have been the
5 original purpose of the Dillinghams to
Y buy at least $4,000 acres, but the price
0 limits are said to have been such as to
S prevent carrying out this plan. Even
2 with 10000 acres, sugar planters say,
!. labor will prove a problem, as upwards
Q of thousand field hands must be en-
{ ployed.
"That the Calamba estate has been
J, sold is evidenced by the work already
o under way on the plantation, where
roads looking to its planting in sugar
now are being cut across the fields.
according to the original plans the
Dillingham; interests will build their
R own wharves at the plantation, operat
ing their own line of launches and
barges, enabling them to load the fin
II ished sugar directly upon ocean-goine
!. steamships in Manila Bay.
;. at is understood that the great ia
u cilities of Manila as a port, with its
e superb harbor, led to the confirming OF
Mr.. Thayer's attentions closely to pos
sr sible purchases in the immediate neigh
d, forhood of the islands metropolis An
n other factor said to have entered into
Ie the selection is tile wider labor market
d existing here.
Y "Aside from water transportation
the Calamba estate is within a mile OF
1t railroad facilities, and that the Manila
Railway Company already has promised
to put in spur track direct to the mil
site as soon as it shall be needed.
At "Walter Dillingham;, who is now il
Honolulu, is expected in the Philippines
within sixty days, and as soon as thu
eane-erushing season in the Hawaiian
~ Islands is ended, which should be Ii
N about two weGAs, the field superintend
v ents of the interests win be hurried int
e. this new purchase TO prepare the LAM