The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-05-17
H0MESTEADINGIS
bitterly ATTACKED
Address To Legislature Forecasts
Another Executive Attempt To
Eliminate Twenty-Five Per-.
son" Clause Of Organic Act !
(From WeLnosdaY Advortiser.

= -
of homesteading in the Territory. h,
TOUCHED also on a variety of measure,
and subjects, included among which
were; The Waikiki reclamation
scheme; needs in connection with the
Civic center; legislation relating to the
tax rate Of the city and county, held
70 be a necessity; the water supply fol
Honolulu and a long list of recon.
mendRtions. -. #H
y What the Governor had to say on the
land question forecasts action ON his
part to jam through the Legislature
2 resolution framed to give official en-.
dorsement to his pet scheme of havino
congress, repeal the "twentysfve per.
sons clause of the Organic Act. This
is the project brought forward recent.
" by the chamber Of commerce. The
Governor tried to get it through at
the last regular session but failed. -
/ In bringing up the land question the
Governor referred to a pamphlet that
bad been distributed to members. pub.
lished last January by the department
OF the interior and containing n list OF
all territorial leased lands. -.
Knocks Eomesteading -.
!. Speaking Of the "twenty- five -per.
sons "Eclause of the Organic Act, the
Governor declared "this clause gives
absolute control solely to twenty FIVE
or more petitioners, aud the govern.
ment acts only in a clerical capacity,
shorn Of all discretionary powers. .,
Y, Neither, the land commits ioTIer.
land board, the Governor. the leeis.
lature, nor anyone, =" he went on, "has
the authority to intervene between the
twenty five or more petitioners and sub
seduent applicants, TO date of survey
and their right to participate in the
drawing. -
From this point he launched into a
general attack on hOmesteading re-.
viewing incidents and what he gave
as results that, had followed the open
ing Of, areas of public lands.
of YOU will trace M homesteading
on the Island of Oahu" he said "you
will find 1t has been largely the chan
mel through which government lands,
through fhe optimistic faith of the
government in demonstrating have been
transferred to large individual and
corporate interests. On the Island of
Hawaii there has been similar expert,
ente."
Preseuts Table
Further discrediting demonstrating,
the Governor read a table purporting
tn give the exact capital needed for
financing homesteaders! and the time
il fakes them to get under way.
Heretofore, " the speaker said,
adjacent plantations which formerly
occupied the homestead lands, and
which own in fee simple sufficient Ian |
to do living and profitable business
without homestead patronage, ia e
been willing to assist with money and
work advances the attempts at homo
Stealing. II the homesteader falls
down the plantation must carry on
the work, and is so permitted, for its
own financial safety. The plantations
almost exclusively back the home
stcadP-.
"Who win back the. homesteadrrs
when the control the entire land in
volved in complete sugar enterpriSrS'
How much money will be requir,
rdp"
Weird Figures
According TO the Governor figures
n hOmesteader on thirty acre tract
has to have $40,523 capital; one on a
forty acre tract has to have $54.O2O,
one on sixty acre tract has to have
SlO46 and one on an eighty acre tract
has 10 have $l0S,061 capital.
"The present administration, the
speaker declared, "believes the 'twen-
tv,fvc persons clause of tho Organic
Act is theoretical And not truly prar-
teal, hence has believed under the
pressure of the federal food admins
tration and secretary Of the interior,
the quickest solution was to place the
public lands for a period of six years
under the control of the land commits
sioner, the land board. and the Coy,
ernor, subject to the dictation of the
secretary of the interior, that the land
might be brought to assisted, true, bust
ness like working homesteaders, who
would work and not waste. Also II
other alternatives haA to be sought
those. officials might have both oppor,
tunity and power to get a move on
themselves and others
- At present the Organic Act abso-
lutely tics their hands save as they
are the clerical representatives Of
twenty five or more. petitioners Of
unknown qualifications.
Hits Commission
On the subject of the food commits.
sion the Governor said the commission
would be the subject of later mes.
sage that he will deliver.
a. After trying, to put it mildly, ~
he said, "to dictate the military policy
IF the federal and territorial govern
nents, the territorial food commission
went on August 10, 1917, into limo
'uous desuetude and continued so until
the administration demanded attention
10 business. There are members Of
that commission very able in their
private business, but who do not ap.
ply the same conduct to public bust.
ness, hence neglected sources of ample
supply have not been brought into our
source Of supply. Our representative
It the federal food administration Isl
more restrictive in Hawaii than the
authorities require and
css aggressive in seeking to provide
.pliPf"
A recommendation made in the ad-
lress was that the legislature grant
o the coming Governor a sum Of mon
Nv that will enable him to lease n suit
lbIe residence and purchase and main