Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-10

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a few minutes after the session had
begun.
Worth o. Aiken, land agent for
Maui. was called forward as the first
Witness Aiken stated that there
were large number of small ranch.
es. or plantations, near his place.
About 100 of these are Portuguese,
who raise grapes principally. Their
holdings, of 10 to 90 acres each, ac-
quired largely by purchase. are not
devoted to any extent to the growing
|of cane.
Lands on the leeward side of Maui
are not well fitted to the raising OF
cane, he asserted. He is fairly IA
|miliar with all lands on the island, he
said, having served several years as
deputy tax assessor, and lately as
land agent.
He said 5000 or 1000 acres have
been opened tos honesteadins since
he has been 3 government officer.
The land was well adapted to coffee
culture. but when "the bottom fell
out Of the coffee market" the plant.
ers gave It up, the lands fell idle for
Q time, and later sugar cane was
tried This crop proving failure,
diversified crops have been tried.
Some are now trying rubber trees.
Few Of the original rhomesteaders
nav remain on the land.
Why was the coffee culture q fail
ure?" Fished inquired
THE cost Of picking. with labor at
81 day, and the cost Of Transports
tion over bad roads, were the prin-
cipal reasons he said The failure
in the cane experiment was due to
climatic conditions, Aiken said.
He told of experiments in agricul.
ture tried in various sections of the
county.
One Of the chief failures of our
homesteading in the past has been
the yielding of the government to
political pressure and opening up
lands not lit or capable of supporting
homesteaders. he declared.
Another mistake, he thought, was
made In permitting girls less than 81
years old to take up claims. He
thought they ought to be at least 81
years Of age before being permitted
to become homesteaders, because
they are seldom capable of holding
and tending the land properly.
The principal transportation diff
culties OF Maui homesteaders are
those of bad roads or none at all,
due, he said, to the fact that little
of the money paid by them to the
Territory on right-of-purchase leases
and which is to be used on highways,
will not be paid for or years, and
meantime the transportation situa-
tion Is at q standstill. Rates and IA
cilities by boat, to Honolulu and the
mainland are good, he asserted.
There are no government cane
lands on Maui, he declared.
II don't believe cane growing would
prove profitable on a small scale. The
small farmer would not be success
full" he said. In answer to Mr.. Fish.
er's questions he admitted he
thought cane was q far more profit
able crop than pineapples. Land very
fertile and well adapted to cane might
not prove at all satisfactory as pine
apple land.
He said he believed there were
several hundred acres of land in two
tracts at Hama, Maui, on which leases
would shortly expire, thus opening
them for homesteading.
At Mr.. Fishers suggestion Attor-
ney Ashford took up the burden Of
questioning Mr. Aiken. Ashford went
Into more detail in the matter of the
California Settlement Association,
which Aiken previously stated had
established a large colony on the isl
and. He admitted he had taken an
active part in the work of this col
onization- -.
The question of showing discrim-
ination in homesteading these lands
cropped up again, when Ashford
asked Aiken if it were true that he
lAikenl has given out that haolesI
from the mainland were to be favor
ed over residents of the Territory.
Aiken said 1t was not, and Mr.. Fisher
then said: "Mr Ashford, let me ask