Editorials
Wednesday, July 23, 1997QUIXOTIC challenges made by a small company to land titles based on 19th century Hawaiian kingdom law have aggravated Hawaii's real estate industry and prompted some homeowners to stop making payments on their mortgage loans. When the company challenged a land conveyance for a federal detention center in Honolulu, U.S. District Judge David Ezra used strong language in urging authorities to take action. An investigation opened by the state attorney general's office should be completed without delay. Judge’s welcome blast
on false land claimsDonald Lewis' Perfect Title Co. conducts title searches dating to the monarchy and then challenges property claims based on probate will and property transfers over the past century. State judges have rejected Lewis' assertions, but Lewis has ignored those rulings as coming from "a court that doesn't exist."
Ezra went a step further by branding Lewis' challenge of the state's ownership of the detention center site as "a sham piece of paper" that is "utterly and completely without merit." Nor did the judge limit his remarks to the question of ownership of the detention-site property. "I don't like to see the people of Hawaii victimized, and that's what's happening here," the judge said, in reference to other claims made by Perfect Title.
Lewis' repeated lack of success in court has not deterred him. He said after Ezra's outburst that he plans to continue conducting title searches, for which his company charges clients $1,500. Ezra said the elderly and others who cannot afford lawyers are most vulnerable to the risk created by Lewis' claims.
In fact, there are people who are faced with loss of their homes because they have stopped making payments on their mortgage loans and have been judged in default. The judge was fully justified in his remarks about the victimization of the people of Hawaii. We hope those who have listened to Lewis will take heed.
Lewis should know by this time that the claims he is making to property as a "native tenant" are unacceptable. His business practices should be examined by both the attorney general's office and federal authorities to determine if they are in compliance with the law. If not, appropriate charges should be brought against this bizarre operation.
THE concept of year-round schools is attracting more interest as a way to deal with America's educational problems. Nationwide, 2,460 public schools with 1.8 million students in 41 states now operate on some sort of year-round schedule -- that is, with the traditional three-month summer vacation scrapped. Year-round schools
In Hawaii, growth in year-round schooling has been dramatic. As the Star-Bulletin's Debra Barayuga reported, the number of schools on year-round schedules has tripled since 1995.
With education dollars in short supply in Hawaii, it makes sense to use them to hire more and better qualified teachers, purchase equipment and materials and extend preschool programs rather than to put up more buildings. Multi-track programs are a possible answer.
IT'S been seven years since Fiji adopted a constitution barring Indians from holding high office. The constitution was introduced by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who as an army colonel had overthrown the newly elected Indian-dominated government in 1987. Fiji's constitution
The constitution assigns seats in parliament on a racial basis, but it is nevertheless a step forward for Fiji after a deplorable descent into tribalism.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
