The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-08-31
MUST
WAIT next SESSION
Committee On Territory Meets
Only Once During Session
and Bills Are Tied, Up
y 81 " L. ~ as


Owing to the fact that there was
only one, session OF the house commit
tee on territories and that was called
for the purpose Of hearing arguments
of Bertram G. Rivenburgh, land com.
missioner in Hawaii, on amendments
to homesteading laws as they affected
lands in this territory, most Of the
legislation in which Hawaii is most
directly interested must await the next
session Of congress for action. a..
Only war measures and preparedness
measures have any chance to get
through during the present session
and speaking of some Of the otner
measures, Delegate KuRfo yesterday
said: rss A
"a goodly share Of the Territory
business goes before the house com.
mittee on territories. This committee
has undertaken no business this SEES.
sion. Chairman Houston had returned
to Tennessee, and was unable to see
Lin before leaving. Earlier in the
session, though, he told me the com.
m;ttee would be ready for all of Haw-
ali s matters after the Christmas holi-
days of the session to come in Dee.
ember. Matters pending before that
committee deal with women suffrage
for the territory, the right of the PEG
pie to elect their Governor and Secre.
tary of the Territory, the creation of
4 food commission, and the several pro.
posed amendments touching our land
laws. t....l A .s#
1.-THE question of congress passing
an act upholding the act of our legis-
lature creating food commission was
taken up with the committee, also with
Secretary of Agriculture Houston and
Food Controller Hoover. The com
mittee chairman refused to call his
committee and both Secretary Of Agri.
culture Houston and Mr.. Hoover said
It was not in their province at this
time to ask that the measure be con.
sidered as war necessity. ss#
Rivenburgh s Visit is Explained
1.-THE committee on territories has
has had only one meeting during the
session, and that was a hearing granted
Land Commissioner Rivenburgh on the
proposition advanced by the Territorial
officials and backed up by the interior
department in Washington, to change
our land laws insofar as they affect
homesteading. This measure was in
troduced by me upon request. Frank
X. Thompson who presented the bill
to me, after conferences with official,
of the department of the interior, ex
planned that il was a measure designed
to create much needed revenue for tn,
Territory. This whole matter is on,
| that will be considered by the terri
tories committee at the next session
and ample opportunity will be giveI
those who have opinions on the same
to have their views spread before tn,
committee. By the papers am ad
vised that many here have criticised
my action in introducing the measure
In doing so, followed out my dutie
as representative of all the people
and though the bill bears my name
the fact that the measure plainly show
it was introduced by request is plail
indication that the measure has no
received my personal Endorsement.
Few Requests from Industries
1.-THE war revenue bill is the las
big war measure Enacted upon. I hav
had only three requests from home in
terests affected by the measure. On
was a request to see to it that suIfat
of amonia, used as fertilizer in suga
production, remains on the free lis
have had assurances that this will b
done. Another is protest aglins
the repeal of the law granting draw
backs on imported sugar used in inC
apple packing. l cannot make a pre-
dictiOn as to the outcome on this, bn
I feel that the house will eventual
kill this feature of the senate bill. Tn
third request is that touching The dut
on coffee. An import duty Is assure,
1t is also probable that a duty will b
levied on domestic coffee and cOffe
substitutes. / have started a fight I
have our coffee exempted. The figl
will be waged for US in the seuuae b
senator who is friendly to our lie
ritory and who is always trying to bel
out the poor mans industry. If uaW
allan coffee can be exempted it wi
: be small advantage and will mca
about two cents a pound to our corfc
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