Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-16

Up to U. S. Officers.
Gov. Frear was asked then il, as
the Territorial government is bring
ing in these immigrants, it should
not concern itself more with their
maintenance when detailed by the
Federal Government. Gov Frear
thought not. He said the matter was
in the hands of the Federal officials,
and that as matter of fact the Fed
eral government has control of their
coming here, to the extent that the
marine hospital service passes on
them even before they leave Europe
Secretary Fisher said that the ques.
ton is a human problem"
Secretary Fisher said the sugges-
ton has been made that the Terri
toy Is trying to bring in the immi-
grants in too large lots and thus cut
down the average cost, and that a
wiser policy would be to bring in
smaller lots. Gov Frear said there is
no question Of this being the case,
and that the board is trying to do
just this thing.
The Secretary then asked about
misrepresentation of conditions here
by agents either of the planters or
Of the Territory, made in the Far
East, to Russian laborers@. Gov.
Frear said this complaint arose sew
eral years ago and that most of il
probably arose from the fact that
they found the cost of living higher
here than they had expected. and that
an agent of The Russian government
had Investigated the complaints and
reported them generally groundiess.
L. 7. Peck Called. p.
Secretary Fisher then called on /.
Tenney Peck. ~. ~=,:~-.
Mr.. Peck was asked about his bus
mess connections here, and the hold.
ings of the S. N. Castle Estate, Ltd.
He said he is one the directorate of
Castle, & Cooke, Ltd, but explained
that the sugar agencies are dominat-
ed by some one or two men who are
familiar with every detail of the bus
mess. The stock in the Castle Els:
tate is held, he explained by mem
bers Of the family and descendants.
He says insofar as his managerial
work is concerned, his position rs
that of a manager, not a stockholdE,
and that his connection with the
Castle Estate has no connection with
his cashiership of the bank
.'My observations are not the obser-
yations of a sugar man nor Of an ex-
pert in any particular direction" he
said, my observations have been
those of the relations of public policy
and private interests" - ~
He said that the explanation of the
institutions Of the islands lies in
necessity" and applied this to the
big agencies. He said originally the
agencies were the mainstay of the
small farmer or small landholder. He
mentioned the sale of what Is now the
Hawaiian Commercial lands by Prin-,
cess Ruth to Claus Spreckels for $10,-.
900 as an illustration Of the small be-
ginnings of present great businesses.
He said his first Impressions of this
scheme of evolution was modified lat
er by the knowledge that agencies
were also getting earnings from own.
ership of properties. He said he
thought the commissioners charged by
the agencies were quite moderate. He
said in past times the plantations
were paying rather large profits on
necessities He said that the tempta-
ton of human nature is to allow abuse
of power to go hand in hand with
power, but he declared emphatically
that his observation of this commu-
nifty is that this temptation is less
yielded to than any other place of
which he knows He asserted that
the moral standard operating here has
resulted in less general dissatisfaction
here than in other countries. ~.
Asked with regard to the future dis.
posal Of government lands and gov.
eminent water rights, he said he has
a sort of apprehension Of the opera
ton of the United States land laws.
1.-The whole society of these Islands
has given intrinsic value to the lands
he said "Here are these public
lands made valuable by the industries
and classes, and feel that the school
teacher has an interest in these lands
Just as much as the wonldbe home
steader, and believe that they should
be administered for the whole people.
And that, Mr.. Secretary, think the
Governor has done. / know he has
had to stand against the insatiate de-
mands of those who have lands as
well as those who want lands. For
those who want lands. For that
think he deserves appreciation"
Mr.. Peck said he was not entirely
prepared to say what to do about pos
sible demonstrating of the cane lands.
He said he has sometimes thought it
might be wise to take a less yield
from the land than would be secured
under an extension of the capitalistic
system; that perhaps smaller mills
might be built.
He was asked about the possibility
of attempting to regulate the sugar
mill as public utility. He answered.
81 do not believe in retroactive legis'
lation but I think if mill were built
expressly as a custom mill, by all
means it should be regulated as pub
lie utility"
He said he thought that as the pub
l;o lands arc an small they should be