Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-04

ions brought out during the investiga
ton. The HiIo railroads sequisition
Of property was under discussion.l
Fisher: Mr.. Ashford, perhaps if you
have any questions to ask in regard
to this particular railroad matter, they
might be asked now.
Ashford: Mr.. Thurston, did | cor
rectly understand you to state that
when you first applied for Kuhio Bay
you applied for II acres?
Thurston: 20 acres.
Ashford: Have you any idea, Mr.
Thurston, that that 40 acres which
was stated to be As in Hilo-
Thurston: Possibly it is 45-noW
that think of it, it is As acres.
Ashford: Have you any idea that
within reasonably near time those
IS acres will be required by the Hilo
Railroad Company for strictly railroad
purposes?
Future Development.
Thurston: think so, and l will give
my reasons. In the first place, the
railroad company has heretofore been
using approximately 20 acres at Waia-
kea When the Paauilo extension is
completed, we will have 1914 miles
of railroad. There is, as / have stat
ed, five times as much business in
that district north of Hilo as there is
south. The possibilities of railroad
extension on that island, which is larg-
er than the State of Connecticut, are
limited only by a vivid imagination.
Where the railroad is going, ] don't
know. / think it is a moral certainty
that it will go to Kukuihaele, which is
Is miles further in that direction. 1t
will certainly go to Waimea, where
the government has very large tract
that can be opened for homesteads-
the very best kind of land. 1t will
take thirty miles to go to the village
of Waimea. 1t is moral certainty
that the railroad will go to the dis
triet of Kau from the present termi-
nus of the Hutchinson plantation. On
two different occasions the Hutchin-
son people have applied to the rail-
road company to know whether they
would go there. The reply was that
there was not business from the plan
tation alone to warrant the railroad
going there. l think-it is a moral
certainty that it will eventually go
there .-.... j. H..
Ashford: understand you to say
so miles - i. ..'-..... =.
Thurston: The extension will be by
way of Puma, which will be about 10
miles further, but it will go over al
most level grade, whereas by way of
GIenwood it would be steep climb.
There are in the upper part of Olaa
10000 acres belonging to the govern
ment which can be homesteaded.
There is belonging to the Bishop Es-
tate, back of the Volcano House, part
ly wooded,an even larger tract of mag
nificent land-that will require an
other 80 or 40 miles of railroad up in
that vicinity. That has left out en-
tirely any possible extensions to the
Kohala or Kona districts. ~
Line Around Hawaii. ... r.
1t is entirely within the possibilities
that finally this railroad system will
60 entirely around the Island of Ha-
wall. Under those circumstances, /
think that instead of 40 acres being
enough, that before we get through
the 20 acres l asked for will be too
small.
Fisher: Now, Mr.. Thurston, you
have referred to homesteading of
these lands-government lands. That
leads me to the general question on
which we would be glad to have your
vieW-as to the practicability of home
stealing here on the Islands-the type
of homesteading- are more than
one-that you think feasible. l would
like to have your personal opinion.
Thurston: l am very glad to give it
to you. l see by the papers that the
subject has been very exhaustively
discussed before you and it would not
add to anything to go into the types,
but on the general subject of home
stealing l have very pronounced
views. l have the honor of opening
the first homesteads that were opened
under the homestead law in 1889. /
was Minister of the Interior, which
department had control of the public
lands. That was in the monarchy. 1t
was acknowledged an experiment at
that time, and quite number OF
homesteads were opened, which were
eagerly taken up. There is no ques-
ton that demonstrating up to the pres
ent time has not been the success that
many of those who advocated it and
still advocate it hoped for. 1t is not
successful for a variety of reasons,
which have been put to you so fully
that it is not necessary for me to go
over them again.
: Fisher: What do you think is the
principal one?
Three Drawbacks.
Thurston: There are two principal
points-three principal points, in my
opinion. The first is the lack of ade-
quate transportation, the second is the
lack of a market, the third is the gen.
eral lack of encouragement which the
leading people of the country in the
locations of the homesteads have given
to the movement. AS to transporta'
tion-and l will say there is rea-
son which should also come in there,
that there are comparatively few, al