Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-10
HOmesteadine In Hawaii

Governor Pinkhams attitude the public lane
question as it now comes before the congressional
party is understood TO be that he GOES not wish to
insist upon any special policy but is placing the
facts at the disposal of the party and stands ready
if his views are desired, to comment upon those
facts. - .H
The essential facts themselves are simple The
territory has only limited amount of public lands
and the public revenue be derived from them, il
they are released, will be about half million dol
lars That the territory needs this income is obvi
Gus to anyone who knows of the necessity for meet
ing interest on the bonded indebtedness of Hawaii
and with the need for certain improvements not
now financed 49,. ... Il -..-* "f..E-4. :.~... IS
On the other hand, there is normal and legiti
mate demand for demonstrating land which it is the
province of the government to satisfy. HawaA's
population should be. largely possible, of the
status of land-owning and homecoming instead OF
tenantry. "As far possibe, in this teritory, is
restriction of real force for demonstrating is by no
means the simple thing in Hawaii that it is in the
states 1t is needless here TO review the difficulties
and failures of individual and community home
stealing projects. The conclusion which cannot be
escaped is that demonstrating is still in expert
mental state, and that the territory would make a
grave mistake to adopt policy of opening up lands
holus bous. IL ..=~
forward to the possibility of agricultural land
owning. Our young men should have an incentive
to work and to fit themselves for independent farm
ing. That is fundamental. How to strike the happy
medium which will meet the bona ftde demand for
homesteads and still prevent the failures and the
nearscandals arising from demonstrating which was
a fake and hodup, is the problem. .@....s
So far as this paper knows the plantation inter
ests have vet to say what they themselves want.
Perhaps this is because they not all agreed upon
the best solution of the problem. Yet statement
upon which the sugar planting and milling com.
panies of the territory could unite would clear the
atmosphere. And it would be entirely il order.
There is no reason why the sugar interests of Ha
waii should take passively all the kicks pentifuly
aimed at various portions of their anatomies. If
they convinced that policy of wide-Open yield
ing of the public lands to homesteaders on the first
come frst-seryed principle, will be failure, now
is the time to say so. t@ass&a6%@ PET
In late years the sugar planters have been the
football of local politicians and local agitators
They have not answered to nnumerabe misrepre
sentations Yet they are engaged in legitimate in
dustry and it is of tremendous Importance just now
TO the nation and it's Allies Moreover their pros
perity failure is the prosperity failure of 200
600 people-not of a few millionaires. They have
case, good case and the prospects for reaching
an equitable solution OF the homesteadlng problem
would be considerably advanced if they would put
their case, and a unity of opinion, into plain Eng
lish and before the public Unless and until that is
done there will continue to go forth declarations
that the sugar barons of Hawaii have grabbed the
public lands and refuse to yield them up; and that
every acre of cane-land owned by the territory
ought to be turned over to that nebulous army of
seekers, competent and otherwise, responsible and
otherwise, which is represented to be c,amor
ing at the doors of the territorial capitol, demand
ing land for homes.