The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-08-01

IHE up HHleh liIrt
III ~ mhtitf of toHisaUan. aasdf
from small gardens hhoal ihe houst.
tfd In some tascs ihOre wate not oven
lhcFe. NJ most tatfs ihie was done on
tlrcly by I've plautation from 6fst 10
last under nn agreement differing some
what from that on the Kau side In
,hcFe cnscs the Hgrctmcht was moro
likc n share planting contract In form,
although apparently many Of the home.
sieaden looked upon Il az intended TO
yield definite sum. namcly about $500
per acre per annum
Little Real Cultivation.
It was in substance an agreement by
which the homcstcader should cultivate
the land and sell tbs cane 10 the plan.
iation and the plantation should make
/ advances 10 the homtstcader. but la
case the homesteadcr should fail to do
the cultivating the plantation might
enter aud do IL itself, and by a letter
written at about the same time. IN soma
cases at an earlier date, the homestead.
er informed the plantation that he
could not do the cnltivating In most
cases he not only did not, but obvious.
y never intended to, do any of tho
e1ltivating. The plantation was to
keep an account, paying for the cane
on sliding scale according to the
price of sugar and deducting the
amount Of advances and also cost of
cultivating in case it should do the
cultivating itself.
As a rule the homesteaders did not
know sven approximately how they
stood financially. In one group there
was the interesting feature of Ave of
the homesteaders being closely connect.
ed by blood or marriage. In the largest
group the homesteaders were practical.
by all plantation employs;-- two black
smiths, four carpenters, three transfers,
a storekseper, an overseer, common
laborer and others, including one who
is said never to have worked at all.
These continued in their respective oc-
cupations and apparently nevsr intend.
ed to do any cultivating.
Governors Comment.
The foregoing is a brief statement of
the results of the investigation in out.
line, without embellishments, details or
names The facts speak for themselves;
little comment is needed or will be
made at this time. The cases vary some
what in details but exhibit singular
general uniformity in several groups
In some cases there probably has been
real desire to live up to the spirit as
well as the letter of the law, although
in some of these there has been very
inadequate idea of what the spirit of
the law calls for. In other cases there
may have been success in evading the
spirit of the law and yet complying
technically with its letter.
AS to the legal rights of the several
claimants with reference to obtaining
patents no opinion is expressed. This
statement has to do only with ques-
lions of policy. Several representative
cases may be referred to the courts
for adjudication on the legal questions
involved, not alone for the immediate
purpose of settling the cases in hand
but also for the larger purposes of
determining questions of aimInistra-
tive policy in the future and making
it clear to homesteaders what may and
what may not properly be done.
Demoralizing Sentiments.
There exists widespread sentiment,
encourage largely by methods pursued
in the past, that it Is perfectly justi-
fable to obtain public land through
forms of homesteading, however much
the spirit of the homestead laws may
be evaded, provided there is technic-
al compliance; not only that, but an
also widely prevalent idea that the re-
quirements of the homestead laws are
not intended as tests of good faith or
for the purpose of insuring real home.
stealing, but that they are purely arti-
fetal requirements, technical ccmpli-
ance with which is the consideration
for the land; as if, for instance, it
were for the public veal to give out
valuable land at a small fraction of
ITS real value in order to have the
taker sleep a majority of the nights
for exactly two years in small
shack ON the land, cultivate only an
insignificant part of it himself and
lease practically the whole of it to
someone else, instead of making his
permanent home ON the land and SIP.
porting himself and his family from
his own cultivation of it and SO add
ing materially to good citizenship.
These demoralizing sentiments consti-
tute one of the obstacles in the way Of
successful homesteading, and they do
not stop there but extend disastrous
ly into politics. 1t is important that
such sentiments be eliminated, and the
sooner the easter and the better.
Changes Needed.
1t is obvious that the administration
cannot ascertain intentions in advance
and an attempt to discriminate in ad-
vance, in respect of good and bad faith,
between those who profess to desire
to .become genuine nomesteaders is of
course out of the question. Home. |
stead conditions must be made s1ch,
so far rs practicable, as will them.
selves discriminate automatically be.
tween mere spectators and those who
really desire to carry out the spirit
of the homestead laws The general |
aim should be to prescribe such eonli-
tons as will not work hardships ON
those who act in good faith but which