89
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING THE STATE AUDITOR TO INVENTORY CROWN LANDS LEASED TO
    SUGAR PLANTATIONS THAT SHOULD HAVE REVERTED TO THE
    HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION AT THE END OF THE LEASE.



 1        WHEREAS, on July 9, 1921, the Congress of the United
 2   States enacted the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, on May 1, 1894, the crown lands consisted of
 5   971,463 acres; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, the crown lands were a portion of the lands given
 8   out in the Great Mahele in 1848, that were held in an
 9   inalienable perpetual trust for the native Hawaiian people; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, the Hawaiian kingdom law allowed the leasing of
12   crown lands; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, King Kalakaua leased crown lands mainly to large
15   plantations; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani both used
18   revenues from the crown lands to fund programs for native
19   Hawaiians; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, Prince Kuhio offered the crown lands for the
22   rehabilitation land base for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act;
23   and
24   
25        WHEREAS, between 1917 and 1921, leases on over 200,000
26   acres of government lands were due to expire; and
27   
28        WHEREAS, rental of Hawaiian home lands not in use for
29   Hawaiian homesteading was expected to bring in limited revenues
30   for the Hawaiian Homes Commission; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, the largest source of funds for the Hawaiian
33   homes loan fund was derived from thirty per cent of the
34   revenues received from the lease of highly cultivated sugar
35   cane lands and from the fees collected for water licenses; and
36   
37        WHEREAS, government lands under lease were not considered
38   Hawaiian Homes Commission lands until the termination of the
39   leases; and
40   

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, in the first five years, only the lands
 2   exclusively set aside for the use and disposition by the
 3   commission, the lands of Molokai and some of the government
 4   lands of Hawaii, derived revenues for the Hawaiian Homes
 5   Commission; now, therefore,
 6   
 7        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 8   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 9   of 2000, that the State Auditor is requested to inventory the
10   government's crown lands formerly leased to sugar plantations
11   to identify those lands that should have reverted to the
12   Hawaiian Homes Commission at the termination of the leases; and
13   
14        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
15   Resolution be transmitted to the State Auditor and the
16   Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.
17 
18 
19 
20                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________