How Hawaiian homes lands can join irrigation projects

The Hawaiian homes commission may petition the board of agriculture and biosecurity to organize irrigation projects for any of the lands designated as "available lands" in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, whether or not the lands are occupied in whole or in part. If the lands for which the proposed project is to be organized are not occupied or are occupied by persons whose rights to occupancy will expire before the project water will be supplied to the lands, no notice need be published nor public hearing held as in section 167-16 required. Project water may be supplied to community pastures established by the Hawaiian homes commission within any project even though the pastures exceed one hundred acres in area. Before the board commences any irrigation project involving community pastures it shall require agreement from the Hawaiian homes commission that tolls for water supplied to and acreage assessments upon the pastures shall be paid by the commission. Before the board commences any irrigation project involving available lands which the Hawaiian homes commission desires to develop and open for small scale farming it shall require agreement from the Hawaiian homes commission that in the event the development and opening of the lands does not enable the making of acreage assessments sufficient to repay the costs of construction of the project that the same will be paid by the commission. The payments referred to in this section may be made by the Hawaiian homes commission from any of its funds designated or created by Congress for that purpose.