The government at that time was trying to abolish Hokkaido Development Commissioner and dispose of all the government-run businesses to the private sector, and in connection with it Tomoatsu GODAI went to Hokkaido with Goichi NAKANO and Ichibee TANAKA to carefully inspect various places, and planned to receive the Iwanai coal mine and the Akkeshi forest as disposals from the government and export coals and wood to foreign countries to increase the national wealth, and also planned to harvest the marine products from the coasts of Hokkaido to answer domestic demand, and they applied to the director general of Hokkaido Development Commissioner for it in July, 1881.
当時政府はには開拓使を廃し、官有物一切を民間に払い下げようとする議があり、それと相表裏して五代友厚は、中野吾一、田中市兵衛とともに北海道に至り、つぶさに各地の状況を視察し、まず、岩内炭坑および厚岸山林の払い下げをうけ、石炭、木材を海外に輸出して、国富の増進をはかるとともに、北海道沿岸の海産物を採取して、内地の需要にあてようとし、14年7月このことを開拓使長官に出願した。