The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-13
FREAR'S ANSWER
TO DELEGATE KUHI0'S CHARGES

fering to act as a gO-between to Sc
cure an adjustment of cane-planting
contracts between them and the
plantation company. He
stated in letters that the acceptance
or the rejection of the proposition
would not prejudice the members or
the association in their application for
patents and that it was immaterial to
the administration whether they made
good by raising cane or in any other
way. The Association however, had
informed him that it would not act on
the matter in the absence of its attor-
ney, c. W. Ashford, now in Washing
ton.
The Waiohinu water, the Aloha
Alma Settlement Association, the Pa
hala flume system, the Kihei home
steads, the Hama lands, the Waiakea
camp sites and railway, the lands of
Kealoha, Kaalaiki and remnants of
KaunamanO, the Kekupulau Settle
ment Association, prices of home.
stead lots, unreasonable reservations
favoring corporations, Kioloku land
Moaula lands, Kappa lands, injustice
of plantations toward homesteaders,
transportation matters and expiring
leases are all treated at more or less
length.
The Kappa Lands.
On the Kappa lands the Governor
says: The complaint in this instance
is not against me, but against a par
ticular plantation by way of illustra-
ton of general complaint that the
plantations are hostile to homestead
ing" He says further on:
The statement in the complaint
that the administration has invariably
selected for homestead purposes only
such lands as the plantations did not
want and could not use for sugar cul-
ture, with the single exception of the
lands in question-that is, the Kapaa
lands, is without foundation In the
first place the only portion of the Ka-
paa lands which it has been possible
thus far to homestead has been land
other than cane land and which the
plantation did not want for cane,
though some of the homesteaders are
now planting cane on 1t, and there
fore this is not an exception to the
rule, if there is such a rule. But there
is also no such rule. During my ad-
ministration, 51O50S acres of sugar
cane land most of it of superior char
acter even as sugar cane land-that
is, about one-third of all the govern
ment sugar cane land available for
demonstrating purposes, has been
withdrawn for such purposes from the
plantations and the greater part OF it
has already been opened, the remain
der having been surveyed and being
about to be opened, Moreover, there
are numerous cases in which lands
other than cane lands have been
homesteaded which are among the
best lands in the Territory for such
purposes; in some cases such lands
are far better adapted for such puc-
poses than the neighboring cane
lands.
The Kapaa land question has been
the cause celebre in lands leased to
plantations as the Thompson Settle
ment Association question has been
! in fake homesteading. These lands
are of large area and are sandwiched
in with the plantations private lands
They also comprise much rice, pas
ture, forest and other lands as well
as many town lots, and they involve
large questions OF irrigation. AS the
expiration of the old leases ap
preached it became a problem of i'm
portance to both the administration
and the plantation what to do wit!
them
This problem assumed an acut,
stage two years or so before my ad
ministration began, and during my al
ministration it has been gradual!
solved at the cost of much time ant
thought and money, but has not ye
been completely solved | have gonr
so far as to allow thousands of acre