Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-13
PUBIC LANDS SHOULDbE SAVED,
NOT THROWNAWAY, SAYS BISHOP

| tier is to liquidate, take his profit,
and HE himself townwards where the
movies" and other attractions make
| life more to his liking
| Thus has it become apparent that
our homesteader is more of a land
Spectator than a farmer, and that
many of our homesteads are week
end country homes rather than bona
f1de back-to-the-land methods of get
| ting a living from the soil
] No Controversy on UndeveIoped
Lands Ill.,"
r. We have no controversy in Hawaii
regarding the undeveloped lands of
the territory, of which there are large
areas, and it is notably significant
that there is practically no demand
for land of the undeveloped class.
No sugar man, in my opinion, raises
| objection to the occupation of the
land by individuals who will raise
| crops. On the other hand, to home
stead five hundred or a thousand
acres that have previously been in
cane and have the stools (stubblel
OF the. last crop already in the
ground, the area also constituting a
vital proportion of an established and
going concern; to have this area lie
waste for several years and finally
perhaps straggle into line at one-half
its former producing efficiency, and
possibly be used by an unfriendly
owner to obstruct and harass the
former lessee by closing rights of
way for transportation and irrigation
systems, this certainly is not con-
structlVe progress, and on the con-
trary results in diminution of the
productive power of the territory.
Present Mandatory Laws
With the present provision or "25-
man petition" clause of our organic
act, it is practically mandatory upon
, the governor of the territory to open
up any land that may be designated
in the petition of any Is citizens,
willy -nilly whether of sound interest
| or not. Under this wild and danger
Gus system, upwards Of 10000 acres,
perhaps two-thirds of the DEVELOPED
public domain has been handed out.
What proportion of it is working,
what proportion of it still remains in
first. hands, what proportion of the
original holders are now applicants for
| more, will not venture to say, but
| it is not apparent that our home
stealing efforts have borne fruit in
a measure commensurate with the
sacrifices that the territory has made
to that end. 1t is therefore little
wonder that the governor is. seriously
concerned regarding the balance on
hand" and sees many needs for the
revenues that can be obtained there
from. .>,~<~.-... - -
Danger of Present Course ~.
If the present procedure continues,
it is only matter Of a few more
years when we will have no more
public lands, the territory will have
lost its revenue therefrom, and the
homesteading issue will be a thing
of the past, With ownership of the
land in whoever will pay the home.
steader a profit on his bargain, not.
wisastanding the restrictions : de-
signed to force him to stay on the
land. What is left of the public
lands should be conserved for the
public good; for the bona fide F1orne-
steader where suitable, rather than
for reckless system Of land GRAB
hing. To this end our laws should
be modified so that disposition of the
remaining public lands may be under
proper control; so that some author.
ity, the governor and land board
for instance, may have discretionary
powers to pass on these questions
and be held accountable for their
acts, whereas at present no one is
responsible. z.ss
Any reasonable and sane adjust.
ment of this question will be sad
news for the political campaigner of
whatever complexion, as political
promises of landed estate at the
public expense are large item in
the stock in trade of our prediction
stump orators. sometimes have
Wished that the psRalties attaching