Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 177, 1 August 1894 — A REMARKABLE PETITION. [ARTICLE]

A REMARKABLE PETITION.

Sereral Kohala c<*rrespondents eomment severely on a petition whieh has be«n circulated by Mr. E P. Lnw, in whieh he prays tho gorernment to reduce the rent of certain land knownaa Puowaawaa of whieh the potitioner holds the !ease. The petition whieh has recoived several signatures was presented to the couucils last weok, and referred to the Judicinry Committeo of whieh Mr. Cecil Brown was the chairman. The lands in questiou was the subject of some booming articles in the Stur at the time of the sale of the lease. We tried then to eool the remarkable ardor of the Star by stating what the land really is. The auction eame off and the lease was bonght by Mr. Cecil Brown acting for Messrs. Low and Hind for an annual rental of ?1210. Mr. Paul Jarret of Waimea bid as high as $1200. A lease sold in such a manner should not be subject to retluction in rent. If the owner of ihe lease cannot fulfill the conditions accepted by j him at tho time of sale, he should be made to drop it and give his opponent a ahow. Why should the governraent grant a reduction when it had another offer at nearly the figure paid by Mr. Low? Among the conditions were that the forest on the land shall be preserved, and th« leaseholder shall expend $3000 in three years on improvements We have yet to learn if these conditions are being complied with. lf the petition is granted it will ( be another eiample of uepotism and favoritism, in whieh this al - leged virtuons government indul- j ges towards political friends ; and 8ome-kind-of-relations.