Lands Begets Power & Money
What’s the connection between land and power? It’s the central question in LAND AND POWER IN HAWAII. The potent answer: Land – the ownership, control and use of it – is power. The book begins earnestly in the 1950s. Democrats then control the territorial legislature and most of the county government offices. There is no Representitive or Senator, yet, in D.C. elected by Hawai’i folks. The Governor is picked by the U.S. President.
From that scenario, there are intriguing details that address the question above. With the mention of big-time Hawai’i names – John A. Burns, Dan Inouye, and the Dillingham’s…it’s a very long list. And agencies – ILWU, Bishop Estate, the “Underworld”…on and on. And economic events: Tourism and hotel construction, and sugar strikes, and housing development, along with population increase and education concerns.
The authors George Cooper and Gavan Daws layout the story of land and power in Hawai’i into the 1990s in a fun-to-read, accurate, and compelling way.
For example, the book writes of development in Ka’anapali, Lahaina, Maui. Pioneer Mill/American Factors, owners of that kiawe forested, beach-front stretch wasn’t making money in sugar anymore, and a resort there meant the promise of super bucks. Not easy to get permits to build, since the powerful ILWU union – quite unfriendly with
sugar-planters management – and government officials, didn’t want the loss of field work for its members, who were voters. Well a deal to allow the resort unfolded with agreements between influential real estate owners and high political operatives amounting to multi-million-dollar profits for negotiators. All the awe-engendering specifics are in pages 221-229. There are more such stories in the book.
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