Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-02
FISHER ASKS WHY GOVERNOR
HANDLES WATER LICENSES

Governor: 1t was only to July 18th
not Goth.
Fisher: guess he has got you
Mr.. Ashford
Ashford: | thought YOU said the
26th Well. can you account for that
delay? Mr.. \. V. Gear informed me
yesterday that he has been waiting
almost three years for the assign
ment Of the homestead situated at
Waianae. which he purchased at auc-
tion. Can you explain that?
Governor: ] can't unless this is the
case. as | am inclined to think it is,
which. after the homestead was
granted. a dispute arose as 10 the
title of the land. L. L. McCandlesS
claimed title, to the whole or a por'
ton of the land, and that suit | think
las been settled only recently.
Lindsay: 1t was taken to the Tor
rens Court and the Government won.
Mr. McCandless then appealed to a
jury and that appeal has been lying
| for a long while. 1t has just been
! settled a little over two weeks ago.
Ashford: Why has it taken so long
to get a decision from the TOrrens
Court? Can you tell?
Lindsay: Yes, | can. 1t was one
of those cases filed. upon which &C
ton has been delayed. COntinuanCes
were asked from time to time by the
Territory and many continuances
have been asked by the Counsel on
the other side The case was tried
| before Judge Robinson's Court and as
hs has been very busy we could never
get him to go down and look at the
land. Judge Whitney finally took it
up and we got him to go down on the
land, and recently got a decision. |
don't think that Governor Frear knew
anything about the action. 1t was
simply one of those cases. pending in
court and had nothing to do with the
Land Department.
Fisher: You may continue, Gov
ernor
Governor: | think those are all of
the new matter which recollect.
Judge Cooper Involved.
Fisher: Well, think there was
one question with the Thompson Set
Element Association question" Were
you able to get the letter from Sena-
tor Hewitt in connection with this
matter. (
Governors I asked Judge Cooper
for it, and he could not find it.
Ashford: Since returning from Ha-
wall | have had letter from mem
Der of that association to the effect
that Senator Hewitt is still extremely
doubtful as to his having written such
document. Unless the document is
produced, we can't prove that Senator
Hewitt ever wrote such a document;
and we understood that the document
would be produced when we got here.
Fisher: / think it is very clear.
The Governor states that Judge Coop
er cannot find the document, but ex-
pects to- find it. | think you will con-
cede that this is probably so, in view
of Mr.. Hewitt's uncertainty of recol-
lection. The document was not manu-
featured; that would be very clever
proceeding in that line. Senator
Hewitt recalls a general transaction
of that kind. l am under the impress
sion that some such communication
as that was signed by Senator Hewitt.
He may have acted entirely on his
own responsibility, although | confess
that it seems to me much more i'm
portant that the minutes from which
the reports have been made have, been
burned, than the fact that Mr.. Cooper
can't find the document. This is ali
event which occurred at the time. The
communication appears to have been
sent by Senator Hewitt to Judge
Cooper, and at that time it is purport-
ed to be an extract of the minutes of
meeting. Il
Ashford: | think not, Mr. Secre-,I
tary. If you will look on page 80 the
heading is that of an agreement ar
rived at at a meeting of the ThOmp-
son Settlement Association.
Fisher: Yes. Now under those cir
cumstances, the minutes seem to have
been lost or burned. However, | |
think it would help a good deal if
Judge Cooper could find the docu-
ment.
Ashford: We were given to UNDER
stand by him that that was in the pos |
session of Mr.. Ivers. 1t was sent to
Mr.. Cooper and finally found it's way |
into the hands of Mr.. Ivers.
Governor: Judge Cooper has it.
Asks for Document.
Fisher: 1t is quite important that
we see the document if it can be |
found.
Governor: You wished yesterday |
for a statement in regard to the cane
lands which have been actually home
Steaded. | have a list here, showing
that ten tracts of cane land have been |
during my administra-
ton, also giving the number of lots
in each tract, number of lots taken in
each tract, and the number of lots
upon which hOmesteads have actually
begun. as near as we can find out,
before the complaint was filed There
may have been others, but these are
the only ones We can state definitely
Most of them have taken lots and have
received agreements
Fisher: We want to cover as much
ground rho .II-ailahBo tir,,o