Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-06-26

more than twelve years. and told M
that he had been trying during tina
whole time to obtain a small tract o
land at these drawings. AS J. have
before said, drew No. Is: he drew
No. 115. Taking into consideration
the superior rights Of those present
over myself ! asked the Commission
er II could transfer my right to on
other. and he told me no Now, Mr.
Secretary. the defects of these land
laws have been fully placed before
you, and while have not your report
/ understand that you have adopted
the views of Governor Pinkham who
seems to be perfectly satisfied with
the land laws. He claims that Con
gress should keep their hands of and
that all amendments, IL any, should
be made by the legislature OF the Ter.
ritory | have heretofore pointed out
to you that the "Commissioner" of
Public Land has more power under
these Territorial laws as to these
lands OF the United States than You
and the President put together. Ihave
explained thPt the fault does not lie
in the Acts of Congress which seek to
give the homesteader at least a forty.
acre homestead, but IL lies in the laws
Of this Territory, which enables the
Governor and the Commissioner to alb.
solutely ignore the Acts of Congress.
am informed that the Governor
says that Public lands have been
over-estimated, and that he does not
know OF any homestead lands. But
the examination Of his report shows
that the Commissioners" who is
given these unlimited powers has the
right to divide lands into classes a
certain class he calls homestead lands,
another Timber lands, End still an.
other Pasture lands. He has the right
at his option TO transfer from one
class TO the other and they cannot be
taken out OF that class until the spirit
moves him TO do so. Homestead lands
are not open for filing of homestead
claims until he sees proper to declare
them open. When Congress says that
forty acres may be taken as a home
stead. he allows 2, 8, 5, and 10 acres
TO be taken. These can only by added
to by taking two lots as before stated
Why should not the Commissioners fix
him such unhesrd of powerD and
bring them all into the market and
let the entryman file upon them as
Timber land; Homestead land; or
Pasture land? Confine the acreage to
the number of acres allowed to be
tawen by one individual in the par.
ticular class. The whole system is a
one-man power, and has been and is
now used by the wealthy as against
the poor to deprive those of lands
that need homes, and is most thor
oughly undemocratic.
J Let us go one step further and ex.
anime Governor Pinkham's report
tsee p. 39l. Under the heading of
Public Lands, Oahu County, we have
the following:
Leased arabic agricultural lands
(caneD subject to recall. .1015 acres
Subject to expiration 20SS.42 acres
Rice and taro lands leased, sub
ject to recall ......... $3.50 acres
Subject to expiration !. .424.00 acres
Other agricultural lands, leased,
subject to recall. 10000 acres
Subject to expiration of lease.
................. 1850 acres
or 5364.47 acres in this County of the
best agricultural land, every foot of
which could be converted into home
steads. Continuing under the head of
Unbiased Arabic Lands, we have in
this County. 1902 acres tcane) land;
and 1866 acres rice or taro land,
making a total of arabic agricultural
lands in this County alone of 67S4
acres. He adds to this, homestead
lots not taken, $3.50 acres, and home
stead lots surveyed, "not opened"
S16.S6; Pastoral land, leased, subject
TO recall, 5808.S0 acres; subject to ex-
piration, 1908 acres; Unbiased. 437392
acres; forest lands in reserves under
lease, 434 acres; Unbiased, 25,Se6.60
acres; not reserved and Unbiased, $3.50
acres: waste lands, &015.04 acres; Civ.
ing a grand total of lands in this
County belonging to the United States
of 5S,239.72 acres. and out of which
thousands of homesteaders would be
pleased to select homestead
Now the only reason that these
homesteaders cannot have this land is
that Governor Pinkham says he does
not know Of any homestead land, and
this whole matter rests in the mind
Of the Commissioner, rather than in
the selection of the homesteader him.
sell.
On page Az it is said: Homestead.
ers are assisted in all possible ways.
Homestead roads are constructed out
of the proceeds OF homestead sales,
rentals, etc II is proposed not to
open new homestead tracts until prop.
er roads have been constructed. Here.
in lies the popularity of the land sys.
tenn of Hawaii Had il been enforced
in any of the States of the Union,
none, OF them would have had one.
third of the population they have to-
day. No American citizen has ever
thought of waiting to take home.
stead until the Government built
road to it. / have worked on the
roads in at least two of the Western
States. Communities have always de-
yeloped their own roads, where they
were much more difficult of develop.
ment than in Hawaii. The reason OF
the peculiar system is, that the gen.
tIemen who have automobiles desire
that all of the public lands should be
used in building automobile roads.