Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-14

the ml00I0 OF lJUS and reported II
November of the same year. TIL,
commission did not unite in its re
commeudat tons. he said. He saiC
there was great difficulty in gettinl
the commission together, but that the
commission made every endeavor u
reach the people in all the island.
and asked for all the public sugges
lions possible. Pablic hearings were
held on all the islands. Very few
constructive schemes were outlined
lie maintained, but as a result of al
it's work, the commission came TO the
conclusion that the question was one
of administration-the law was not
so bad.
They concluded that the proper ad-
ministration of the land laws was to
give the executive broad discretion.
Our ideas have not worked out,
TO my mind" he said. That discre-
ton has been very largely nullified. "
He thought that amendments made
to the laws had taken away much of
this discretion.
! After the report was filed, many
hhanges were made in the land law
hat were not favored by the report
The commissions idea, said Mr..
ewis, was to make the demonstrating
onditions strongest up to the time
te settler got his title, but the COM
Mission was not willing to lay down
had and fast rules against aliena-
It'd.
. io Tho haro JyII "a
mil to keep your homestead lands
outpf corporate hands," he said, "but
thei may be times when the home
steaers want to form little indie
pen4nt corporations of their own,
and b secure advances they might
haueto put their lands in for these
Iadvaies."
! Heprged that the power be left
defipAly to the government to go
upon by such lands and have the
rightsf way for bitches, ETC. Such
rights hould be reserved in any sale
!. or leaA of homestead lands.
Taxi up the question of advances
to honAteaders, he said he thought
that thbankers of Hawaii generally
are desous OF making such ad-
vances tder reasonable security. He
said tina restrictions against alien
alton an9selling of homesteads after
I title wasiecured would work against
financial Institutions feeling safe in
making %ances. Government adj
vances we suggested, he said, but
the commiion doubted the constitu-
tionality osuch. action.
y He thoua consistent effort should
be made tdhomsstead the land, but
/ did not airovl of experimenting
!. that would teckthe system that has
proved satisictort He thought that
without restttive laws setting the
i amount OF lid corporation shall
held, the coboraf interests would
. soon hold md ofthe good lands in
the Islands.
4 If 1t is derDnsttted as the only
successful way of handling lands
here, howeyer,Ahe aought that sys-
tenn should preAil. He did not think
that that wouldgensally prove true. |
He knew there gerendiyidual cases
which would shw t. contrary.
4 The Secretary expined to Lewis |
the method Of rstricng holdings of |
! irrigated lands inthestates and ask
ed if he did notthfH regulation OF /
i that chgfacter voult work here. /
Lewis thought it Wou.
Lewis, in answes to question of I
bank loans to small DIVERS. stated /
that sometimes, where ans are made
on the crop as the Aon1security, the
bank has control of lie situation. I
: lowing the plantatitn hlf.
Il He thought undey@ed lands
!. should be homesteatedEst. the de
yeloped lands next Hid not an
iprove the idea that % aners to a +
petition could compel tHopening Of
! la homestead tract, howel. believing
! the final decision shoulbe left to
the discretion of the adnistration.
: Suppose these lands he opened
up in larger tracts, with bile utili.
ties commissions and Hr rights
!, !, taken care of by the govanent. do
! You think there would bRifficulty
|. in finding homesteaders take all I
the available lands?"
!. 1T would depend largebn the
cooperation of the Goyerndnd the
: administration. Yon might've all /
: the homesteads taken, buth gain
|, to the Territory would be Gbtful,
The industry requires coopeon of
!. the farmer, the mill owner all"
He thought conditions heres lust
{ as good as in the United Stat
!, What percent of the peolhere
do you think feel as you do alb ito"
: Lewis believed that many Diem.
+ such as the Portuguese, Ssh,
Japanese, ETC., did not give ach
thought to the subject. e |
Asked what he thought of the ra-
!. graph in the commission reporkt-
s ing the theory that the central ds
: should not be taken from the kr
z plantations, Lewis cited the caSf3
8 the Waiakea plantation, which ii
! built up with great expense and d
s the government lands held by NE
be highly valuable. He thought Il
III 1ondc choI,ld not ho fhr0ur 0noT{1