H3~
N5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ii~,,
i~~~~~~ tp~~~~~~~~~a  ~~~~H 
N mw,:
IN~~~~~~~~~
j3        -sii~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~y




i.  1     I~~~~~
_1:. _ d 
Sax~-~6 ~-. -I. ~-~ K ~ i~~"l.  K<*>z. X ffi<  &>  <z 




~    *,;


t E/3
14 <
-A              -


C
V


N


4< 7
^-p^ ^ 
+11
^f^N
k, W —y;
~~~s; ~~~~4
~Sl


N


N ^'
k


-P      A


r
lx*


~v


I

A


4r


4


I


-\


*J 


k


4<'


I


4a
a 4    A


V


F4
^   ^


^ ^ v


f4- 44
"I,,~'
-- 44 44*,    e


6: 
S




^'t 4
N              V
4y*     'IV     -
44 kff   le
-17~  "rr  * Y
-1 "P


N
A r ^


Al.
0 
q
-1?




s










- -—  --- —- III ~ I


CONSERVATION
O F
HAWAII'S NATURAL


RESOURCES
BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE, 1909
ADDRESSES
BY THE GOVERNOR AND HIS CONFEREES WHO
ATTENDED THE GOVERNORS' CONFERENCE
WITH THE PRESIDENT IN WASHINGTON, D. C.,
IN MAY, 1908; AND BY OTHERS.
HONOLULU
HAWAIIAN GAZETTE CO., LTD.
1909


I
I


-------








House of Representatives,
March I, I909, 2:15 P. M.
Hon. R. W. Shingle (in the chair).
Ladies and Gentlemen: The House has invited Governor
Frear together with several other gentlemen who attended the
governors' conference in Washington held at the invitation of
President Roosevelt in May last, at which was taken up the
conservation of natural resources of the country; and the
Senate is sitting in session with the House to hear these gentlemen in order that they may gain from their remarks certain
knowledge which will guide them in the matters which may
come before the present session of the legislature
I will introduce Governor Frear, who will open the meeting
with a few general remarks covering the situation.
Governor Walter F. Frear. Mr. Chairman, Senators, Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen: The administration of
President Roosevelt has been marked by an extraordinary
number of not only remarkable events and achievements but
great movements for reform and advancement, which could be
instituted only by a man of his courage and energy, breadth
of view and farsightedness. It is difficult to say which of these
events or movements future historians will select as the most
notable, but a great many believe that it will be the movement for the conservation, the development and the better
utilization of the natural resources of the country. The people
are becoming awakened as never before to the gravity of the
situation, to the fact that the national prosperity is dependent
upon the proper conservation and use of the natural resources.
They are coming to realize as the result of recent investigation
that the forests of the country will be exhausted in a single
generation if the present wastefulness is not checked; they
are coming to realize that there is very little public land left
for settlement; they are coming to realize that in only a few
generations the iron and the coal mines will be exhausted.
Now, this movement for the conservation and development of
the natural resources, while it has been preparing in one way
and another for many years, has grown with wonderful rapidity in the last few years. It had its origin in many causes,
but it came about principally through the feeling that the
transportation facilities of the country were wholly inadequate.
Many organizations had been formed to promote the development- of various water ways in the country for purposes of


193143




4


transportation, and about two years ago the President attended
a meeting- of one of these, and as a result of that meeting and
many requests made to him, lie appointed a conmmission known
as the Inland Waterways Coimmissio n, consisting, I believe, of
nine persons, distinguished in their several lines of work, to
investigate the subject of the inland waterways with a view
to affording the necessary transportation facilities, which the
railroads could not furnish. The farmers had not only to pay
high prices for getting their products to market, but they
actually could not get them to market at all in many instances
because there were not railroads enough. This commission
began work, but before it got very far, it found that the problem was larger than that of mere transportation facilities. It
found that although there were 5o,ooo miles of inland water
ways in the United States which were navigable or could be
made navigable, that the United States was far behind European nations in the development of such water ways. It found
that the water resources of the country had to be developed
and utilized in a way to meet other needs than those of mere
transportation, such as those of irrigation, generation of power,
and domestic and municipal use. They found that the public
lands were becoming very scarce and that in order to provide
homes for settlers, expensive irrigation works would have to
b)e constructed for developing the dry or arid lands. They
found that the forests were being wasted so fast that it would
be necessary to do something in order not only to supply the
nation timber but to regulate the water supply. In those
streams which were desired for purposes of navigation, at times
there would be great floods doing great damage; at other times
there was very little water. If the forests were deplelted, this
condition would becomle even worse, while if they were preserved and extended, there would be an even flow of water for
purposes of navigation. And they found too that on account
of the destruction of the forests, the soil was being washed
away into the sea, the most fertile portions of the soil, thus
destroying the land for purposes of production, and at the
same time fouling the streams for purloses of dlomestic use.
They found that the iron and the coal mines were becoming
exhausted and that there was need of increased navigation b1)
water so that the railroads would not have to draw upon those
mines so much for furnishing transportation by land; they
found also that both the national government and the state
governments had to do with most of these matters and that
they must cooperate in order to accomplish the best results.
Accordingly, they advised the President to call a general meeting at which all the States as well as the nation should be rep



5


resentcdl, to consider the who-le subject in all its phases. Such
a meeting was called known as the Conference of Governors,
which was held at the White House last M;Jay.
The President opened the meetinge, with a stirring address.
TJ'here were present the Governors of nearly all of the States
andl Territories also the members of the P-resident's cabinet
and the Suipreme Court of the tunitedl States, andl the Senators
and Representatives of Congress. Each Go-,vernior brotiugfht
three conferees. There were invited also representatives of
a.bouti seventy of the grea~t professional, scientific and industrial
organizations of the nation, and other (listinguishe(l citizens,
such as Mr. B-ryan and Mr. Carnegie. For three days there
were addresses by the mIost em1inent men in the coutntr\r upon
all the different phases of this subject. It was a m-iost impressive coniference. One of its best results was the removal in
large measure of the feelinig, which biad previously existel on
the lart of manyv of jealouisv a2-ainst the encroachment of the
national grovernment upon the functions of the state governments. It was fouind that the national government on the one
side and the state o-overnn-etts on the other each hadI their
ownil peculiar functioins, btut that in ortler to accomiplish the
necessary results they had to coiIerate, and that there was no
dlesire onl the part of either to encroach tupon the functions of
the other, except in so far as the other dlesiredl.
One of the recomni-iieidations of this conference wvas that the
IPresident should appoint a pe-rmanemit national conservation
commission, and that each of the governors shouild also appoint a conservation commission for local p)urlposes, anil for
the purpose of codperatingc with the conservation commllissiolls5
of the other States and with the National Conservation Conmission. At this conference my conferees were Mlr. W. 0.
Smith, M\r. Ho,-smer and Mr. Gartlev. After the conference I
alppointed as the conservation commission for lHawaii these
three gentlcmen and, in addition, Doctor Jareul G. Smith and Mr.
'V. F. Dillingham. 'T'he President appointed a national comm-ission of a large number of men, which has been suibdivicedl
Into cotimmittees on the subjects of lands, waters, forests anwl
mninerals, and this national coinmmission in cooperation wvith
the state and territorial commissions has been at work since
then m-aking an inventorv-of the natural resources of the entire
country, and makino' recommmendations as to what shouild be
(lone to prevenit the waste of these resources and to facilitate
their (evelopment. They reported in December at a joint
conference of this com0mission antl the grovernors. The meeting was openel by addrv,,;scs by President Rosoevelt and by
Prisfj4nt-elect Taft.




6


Since tlen anotler step lhas been taken. The President
called anotlher meeting, which has leen held during the last
month, of representatives of the great countries of the whole
North American continent, the United States, Canada and
M exico. I believe he is now considering the calling of a still
greater conference, a world or international conference, to be
held in the near future at wlich shall be represented all civilized nations.
Now, I have given an outline of this movement. It is a
movement that is growing; it is a movement that is already
holding the attention of the people of the United States as
scarcely anything else is. The magazines andl the papers are
full of it. It is something that we here in Hawaii may
take home to ourselves. The problems here are just as serious,
although on a smaller scale, as they are on the great mainland.
We have no mineral resources here to speak of, and so do
not have to concern ourselves about those to any great extent.
Fortunately our natural resources are of a better kind, for
when mines are exhausted, as they will be sooner or later, they
are gone forever; but other resources, such as those of the
soil, the forests and the waters may be so used as to be
developedl and actually improved. Those are the kind that we
fortunately piossess.
We lhave no inland water ways to develop. We need not
trouble ourselves about those, which present so important and
lifficult a 1)rol)lem on the mainland. Here there is a group of
islands. We have water ways already male for us. Our
population is mostly along the shores and we can have water
transportation by sea. We need harbors, however, but here
agiain we need trouble ourselves lbut little, except to present
our needs to Congress. Congress is developing our harbors
for us at a rapid rate. The intention is to have at least one
good harbor on each of the islands. WVork is already well
under way for Honolulu harbor and Hlilo harlor. Congress
is now appropriating for a harbor on the island of Maui and
one on the island of Katai, and it is planned in the near future
to take action in regard to another harbor on the island of Hawaii, on the Kona side, and a harbor on the island of Molokai.
()Or natural resources are chiefly those of the soil and of the
forests and of the sea. The resources of the sea have so far
received but little attention. We have a great variety of the
finest quality of fish, but there are not enough of them. A bill
is pending now inl Congress for establishilng a fish hatchery for
tHawaii with a view to increaising the (quantity of fish in the
sea, to supply the wants of all. It may be that we shall need
to do something in that respect ourselves. Congress in general




7
believes in helping States and Territories that help) themselves.
It is now helping us in many ways. It is beginning to help us
in the matter of forests which is one of our most important
natural resuorces, not merely for the purpose of the timber,
but mainly for the purpose of conserving the water, for lurposes of irrigation and power and domestic use. We need to
experiment with a view to obtaining new varieties of trees
which will be good for timber and which will grow at our
high elevations, particularly where now scarcely anythingi will
grow. Mr. Hosmer probably will tell you 1more about this; but
the Federal Government has just begun making contributions
to the Territorial Government for this purpose.
Our main natural resource is the soil, the land. You know
as well as I that we have very little public land and that very
little of that is suitable for purposes of settlement. A great
deal of it which is suitable can be opened for settlement only
at great cost by the construction of roads. We shall have to
construct roads ourselves and probably out of the proceeds of
the sales of public lands which are opened for settlement.
Provision is already on our statutes for that purpose and( a bill
is pending now in the legislature for increasing the mleans for
constructing roads. But there are other ways in which we
may obtain more land for the purposes of settlement. We
have great stretches of arid land, the most valuable of all land
provirded we can get water on to it. \Ve need to 1lring water
on to this arid land and malke it suital)le for settlemlenlt pilrposes. There are perhaps ioo,ooo acres that can be brought
under cultivation in this way. You know what the l)lanters
have done. Ohe-half of all the sugar land in the Territory has
been reclaimed at great expense by irrigation works, and yon
know that is the most productive land. You know how much
more productive taro land is, which is irrigated, than kula land,
which is not irrigated. N,ow, if we can get the United States
to extend its reclamation service to these islands, we caln Irobably bring under cultivation Too,ooo acres of land which is now
practically useless. This land will go a good deal further than
land which is not irrigated, because it will pro(duce so much
more that each person will not nee(l so large a tract. It will
also be much easier and less expensive to open it, because it
is now comparatively free from rocks and from forest and it
will be comparatively inexpensive to construct the roads. But
it may be that, in order to bring this about, we shall have to
do something in the way of a hydrographic or water survey,
which is preliminary to reclamation work. It is the practice
for the Federal Government to help the different States and Territories in the matter of a hydrographic survey when they also




8


contribute to that work. It is comparatively inexpensive and
if we can contribute something for that work we will probably
receive help in that line from the Federal Government, and besides we shall receive benefits in many ways which will come
from that. It will show us what water we have, where it is,
how it cal be got at and how it can be utilized for the various
purposes for which it is needed.
This is not all. We need not only more land but we need
to know what to lo With the land, what kind of crops to raise
on it, how to cultivate it, how to make the best use of it.
Many people seem to think that al-most any one can farm. But
this is a day of scientific farming. It requires the scientist to
ascertain what kind of crops can be raised, to analyze the soil,
TO experiment with crops from different parts of the world to
find out where the best seed can be obtained and how it can be
obtained, to instruct the people how to cultivate. Any one
going about these islands can see how nmuch need there is of
scientific investigation and instruction.
We have but to look at the planters' experiment station to
get a lesson in this respect. There is an experiment station,
perhaps the finest private experiment station in the world,
maintained at an expense of $70,000 a year, but saving the
planters or makiig for the planters probably several million
dollars a year through their experiments and investigations
which cover not only these slubjects to which I have just referred, but the comlbattinc of the insects and diseases and
pests of one kind and another. We need something in that
direction for the small producer. We want to enable him to
profit by scientific investigation and instruction just as much
as the sugar planters are profiting through their experiment
station and through lines of scientific work. A large industry
can do things for itself, but many small industries find it hard
to combine and act together. The government often must act
for or with them. A gSreat deal has been done. a great deal is
being done in this respect tlrough the Hawaii Experiment Station,-of which lprolbably Doctor Wilcox will speak,-through
the tlureau of Agriculture and Forestry and in other directions.
The Federal Government is helping. It contributed $30,000
last year and $35,00ooo this year and will contribute $5,o00 additional each vear until in a few years it will contribute $50,000
a year for the Collegoe of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. It
is contributing for -the Hawaii Experiment Station,-at first
Si 5,ooo a year and vradually increasing it until it will soon be
$30,0oo a year. It is helping now, as I have said, also in forestry work. It is helping in other lines of work, but it expects
tls to do our part. Hawaii has generally taken an advanced




9


position, as, for instance, in health matters and in school matters and it has grown in political ways. It is taking hold of
these scientific matters in connection with agriculture, but
more shouldl be ldone. As little as possible shouldl be spent
for the actual machinery of government, so that we may have
more to put into these other things which will add to the
material prosperity of the country. There is a great (leal that
can be done yet and at comparatively little expense. Prolably
an additional $ioo,ooo would result in the saving or the making of millions of dollars for the small producers in the very
near future.
I have talked longer than I intended. I have talked in a
general way. Those who follow me I hope will speak in more
particular ways.
The Chairman (Mr. Shingle): Professor Ralph S. Hosmner,
the Territorial Forester and also chairman of the 'ITerritorial
Conservation Commission, will be the next speaker.
Mr. R. S. Hosmer. Mr. Chairman, Mlemibers of the Legislature of Hawaii, Ladies and Gentlemenl: Governor Frear has
said that the four main classes of natural resources are forests,
land(ls, waters and minerals. The investigations of the National
Conservation Commission during the past year have shown, as
the Governor has also )pointed out, that many of these resources are not inexhaustible as we have fancied in the plast,
but that the end of the resources of the lUnited States is in
sight unless steps are taken to adopt far sighted and( coml)rehensive plans for their proper mana-gemeint and( wise use.
'Therefore, conservation has become one of the paramount p1robllems of the hour, one in which Hawaii has a peculiar interest.
There are few places in the world where the principles of conservation can be seen to be at work so readily as here in these
Islands. Let me recount hriefly the reasons why this is so.
Hawaii is essentially a country dependent upon agriculture.
Lying in the sub-tropics as this groupl does-mountainous islands in the trade wind belt-it follows that Hawaii has a
climate characterized by extremes. In the windward districts
is heavy rainfall; on the lee side of the mountains dryness,
even approaching aridity. On each island it is the same:
Hilo and Kau; Hana and Kula; Halelea and W aimea. But it
does not follow that the rich land is necessarily in the moist
districts. There is in the dry districts, even in the districts
which approach aridity, much rich soil which with watei
can be made productive. Hence it follows that irrigation is a
natural consequence in order to make some of the beSt lands




I0


in the dry districts productive. Without moisture these lands
are of little value and so it follows that where water is not to
be had naturally, it must be got artificially-which means irri
gation.
The Governor has already pointed out how the large plantations at very considerable expense have brought out watei
from the windward side to irrigate their fields. Fortunately
on the windward side of the Islands there are numerous
streams, which, with the artesian water in other places, are
sufficient to supply most of the needs for water if the forests
and the streams are handled in a judicious manner. Because
of the steep, short water sheds, it is essential that there be
maintained a cover of vegetation on the catchment basins of
the water sheds. Without such a cover of vegetation, the
water quickly runs away, not only being lost to human use,
but doing considerable damage through the erosion of the
upper parts of the valleys and the flooding of valuable lands
below. The Hawaiian forest is admirably adapted to act as
a protective cover on the water sheds. When the water shed
is covered with vegetation the dense tangle of trees, shrubs,
vines, ferns and moss retards the runoff, prevents erosion and
stores up the rainfall. The water is then gradually given out
to feed the springs and streams, which results in a fairly constant flow. The native forest is the best possible cover for the
water shed. Consequently, in view of the value of water to
the Territory, the only wise course is to protect the forest
cover on all the streams that are or may be needed for econoinic use. The preservation of the forest saves the waters.
The assurance of a dependable supply makes possible the
development of land that could not otherwise be turned to
useful account. In Hawaii, lands, waters and forests are interdependent, so that a policy of conservation is essential.
The Hawaiian forest is easily damaged from fire, cattle and
from other causes and it is essential in order to get the best
results that the forests be protected. That the forests may
be better protected and more easily handled to the end that
the waters they safeguard may be used in economic ways,
forest reserves have been created and will continue to be set
apart.
There have now been established sixteen forest reserves on
the four main islands of the group with a total area of 444,116
acres. Of this 6I% is government land. It is probable that
the creation of forest reserves will go on until eventually about
three-quarters of a million acres will be so included, and these
forests should be maintained and kept intact so that the water
from their streams may be turned constantly to human account.




TI


At this point I may say that the relation of the forests to
the streams is essentially thle feature of Hawaiian forestry and
that wherever there are streams, the forests should be'protected. In some of the leeward districts, there are forests
which may be treated from a commercial standpoint, because
in those localities there are no running streams and only a
few springs to be conserved. But far and away the most important use of the Hawaiian forest is that it protects the
streams. Wherever there is a water which may be turned to
account this is the chief value of the forest.
The Governor has also pointed out that there are other
uses to which forests may be put. The waste land, especially
at the high elevations on the greater mountains of the Territory can be made to grow trees which are not native to Hawaii, yielding valuable commercial timber, such as the timber
which we have to import from the coast. The Federal Government, through the Forest Service, has this year given the
sum of $2,000.00 for experimental work in planting pines,
spruces and firs at high elevations on Mauna Kea and Haleakala. Inclosures are now being made in which experimental
lots of these trees will be set out. This is a step that should
lead in time to the afforestration of those mountains.
The relation of forests, waters and lands is of peculiar importance and interest in Hawaii. These three natural resources
are interdependent. The essential need at the present time is
for the careful study and investigation of the local water
problems by trained men-the experts of the United States
Geological Survey at Washington-as a preliminary step to
the extension to Hawaii of the Reclamation Service. The Federal Government is willing to co6perate with the States and
especially with Hawaii, provided the initial move is made from
this end through the appropriation of a comparatively small
sum. The Federal Government will go more than half way,
but the initial move must be made here. It is for this reason
that it is so important that some action be taken by this legislature to get this work started, for there is no way in which
the Territory can be so developed as through the intelligent
application of the principles of conservation.
The Chairman. The next speaker will be Doctor Jared
G. Smith, who will talk on conservation as related to Kona forests, waters and lands.
Dr. Jared G. Smith. Mr. Chairman and Members of the
Legislature, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The conservation of natural resources means the saving of
money, the saving of property, that we, the people of Hawaii,




12


own, for the benefit of our children and our children's children.
The resources in the way of forests, of timber already existing on public lands and on lands in private ownership amounts
to an enormous figure, provided you can translate standing
timber into terms of merchantable timber.
As you know, I am living in Kona, and have been taking note
of what we have in Kona, both in the way of standing forests
and of water. A stretch of virgin forests, untouched by the
hand of man, extends from Kahuku, or from near Kahuku, to
the slopes of Hualalai, a forest some fifty miles long and at
its widest point considerably over five miles in breadth. The
standing timber on this land, magnificent trees of large diameter, containing a good many hundred feet, or in some cases
nearly a thousand feet of merchantable timber, approximately
estimated, amounts to ~about 150,000,000 feet, board measure.
So you can see that the Territory and the people actually own
a great deal of property which unless they take very good care
of it may be destroyed. I have seen, and you have all seen,
much forest land destroyed by fire. There must be protection
of this money, of this property, that belongs to the people of
the islands-it not only belongs to us but belongs to those who
come after us. There must be action taken to protect it from
destruction. Much of this forest is on land (irivately ownel,
but a very considerable amount of forest of hip-h money value
as property exists on government lands and belotnrs or should
belong to the people of the Territory and should in course of
years to come provide a great deal of revenue for the support
of the government.
Besides preserving the forest because of its actual money
value as property, there are other good reasons why we should
preserve our forests. The chief one of these is that of conservin!g the moisture, preventiniz the too rapid run-off of water.
I have made a hurried calculation of the rainfall of that forest
belt, which I know or which I know in part, that in the Kona
district on the Island of HIawaii. Taking a rainfall-an estimated rainfall-not an unreasonable one-say iOO inches a year
(there have been private records taken some time back, some
10 or 12 years ao., showing that the average rainfall at about
the lower edge of the forest is considerably more than that)but taking the rainfall of that Kona forest as being Ioo inches
a year, we will say that there are 200 or perhaps 250 square
miles of forest, and Too inches of rain per acre amounts to
something over 2,000,ooo gallons of water. The rainfall, the
actual amount of water that falls on a square mile of land at
the rate of Ioo inches a year amounts to I6,ooo,ooo gallons of
water for every inch, I believe. The actual amount of water




13


that falls in that Kona forest-and that forest is on the dry
side of the island-amounts in the course of a year to
400,00o billion gallons of water, an amount that is absolutely
beyond comprehension. And yet no effort has been made to
conserve that water. We have just had a drought affecting the
whole dry side of the Island of Hawaii. We had to buy water,
but during years past and for all time there has been this
enormous quantity of water that could have been, much of it,
conserved for the benefit of agriculture, not only in the Kona
district but elsewhere on the island. Not I per cent., I think
not one-tenth of I per cent., of the water supplied by the rainfall is now preserved for use by the plantations or by the
farmers. It is a money proposition; it is a business proposition.
In New England they have found that it pays to buy lalnd
and plant it in forest, plant it in varieties of trees which will
not yield merchantable timber for fifty years to come, and
yet such plantings, some of them, have already yielded an income of 2'/2 per cent. per annum for the entire term. The
government can do that kind of work and should (ldo it. Much
of this property belongs to the governmiient, belongs to the.
people. It is proper, it is right, it is "good businless; in fact, it
would not be good business not to do it, to begin to take care
of some of the property belonging to the peolle. There is
water and abundance of it to spare. There is,timber to last for
many years, that which is not standinr, merchantable timber.
lust one day last week I was up in the forest. I saw great
koa trees six feet in diameter, thirty and forty feet high, nothing being done to protect them, because there was no money
to pay for the protection of this valuable property.
Without the forest to retard the run-off, there follows flood
and destruction. We have all of us seen the ocean reddened
for miles from the land with the surface soils from our cultivated fields. We have seen fields, the entire surface, swept
into the ocean. This loss is not simply a loss to the individual
plantation or the individual farmer affected, but it is a loss
to the Territory-it is taking away from the natural resources
of the Territory some of its capital. Besides the actual conservation of water, in order that we may use it, besides the
actual preservation of forest in order that we may use it, and
besides, well, besides both these, we must conserve both the
forest and the water in order to save our soils. Water is
necessary for the growth of plants, it is necessary for our domestic stock. If any one of us discovers that he has a hole
in his money pocket, he mends it; it seems to me that the
Territory has a hole in its money pocket, and the Legislature




14


should see that there is a hole there and try and stop it, in
order that loss of actual property resources shall no longer
continue.
Senator Fairchild. May I ask a question in regard to one
matter? That is in regard to the Kona district. There has
been a bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Baker, I believe. I want to ask if that is the same district which this
bill will cover.
Senator Smith. Yes, it does; Kona and Puna-the same district.
The Chairman. I think it does. The Forest Committee of
the House was very much pleased when Judge Dole consented
to address you. I am going to call on the Tudge now. He will
address you on forests as affecting rainfall.
Judge Sanford B. Dole. Mr. Chairman, Ladlies and Gentlemen:
Mr. Hosmer has, I think, sufficiently dealt witl the sul)ject
of forests as affecting conservation of water f:r f r iriati ln purposes and for purposes of power. Mr. Jared G. Smithl has carried on the discussion of that proposition a little further and
brought up the matter of conservation for the collection of
water in districts where there are no streams for the purposes
of irrigation and domestic use. Hawaii is a large island with
a pretty dry interior, and between this lar,-e Interior and the
outside slopes of the island are large and extensive forerts.
Hawaii has never been explored thoroughlv. but it is beinc
explored at the present time in regard to its forest assets from
a commercial standlloint. Those of us who have grown 1up)
in these islands and have seen the clouds pass wooded rildges
and over the dry slopes bevond have noticed how the cloudls
disappear, lessen, and finally are zone, and how in some parts
of the islands, as in Haiku on \Maui, rains will exist all dlay
over the forest in that region, the trade winds carrving the
clouds along past the forest, over the dryer lands where the
different plantations are cultivating cane by irrigation, and
how these showers gradually disappear as the forest areas are
left behind-we cannot help believing that forests have an
effect on rainfall, in these islands at least. The operation is
observable to the eye, and the effect of forests in that relation is not limited to the actual area of the forests. It is, I
believe, ascertained that the air from forests is cooler than
the air from lands devoid of vegetation, and this is one reason
why clouds appear above forests and not over surrounding
regions that are devoid of vegetation and where the air above




'5


them is saturated, is full of moisture; the cooling air is more
likely to produce showers than the air from other regions
which are bare of vegetation. It may be saidl perhaps more
correctly, not that forests create showers or produce them, but
rather that they allow the showers to come down. They remove the obstacles. The islands, as has been said, have all the
problems of conservation except those that relate to miines.
And it is probable that we have suffered almost as much as
the United States in the loss of forests, for since the time
that cattle were introduced in these islands by Vancouver
and have increased, forest destruction has gone on mainly
through their ravages, which has destroyed the undergrowth,
thus causing the forest to recede. It is in the memory of not
very old people how the forests between here and Waialua
came nearly down to the road, how the large forests on Mauna
IHaleakala came nearly down to the mission, and that all over
the islands recession of forests has been very noticeable. And
the forests that are left are the merely commercial assets or are
something to be preserved permanently for the protection of
the agricultural and dlomestic interests of these islands. I was
just talking wilih Mr. Herbert as I came in. Mr. Herbert is
very strong against destroying forests for any purpose. He
believes that it is a mistake. I aim under the impression that
forests to be taken care of according to the most mo(lern
scientific methods must be taken care of with a view of receiving some revenue from them. The government gets tiredl
of giving out money p)erpetually to protect a forest. If the
forest can only pay its own expenses, or yield some revenue,
the probability of its being taken care of is much better. The
proposition is up to the government now in regard to the
forests of Kona and Raun. lEnterprising companies are asking
the government to allow them to cut (lown some of these big
old forests that were hardly known to exist a few years ago,
and the government don't know exactly what to do. If forests
have no affect on the rainfall, they might just as well cut those
forests down and sell the lumber and make what they can out
of thenm; but if the forests (lo affect the rainfall, as I believe
they do, then it is up to the government to see that those
forests are maintained. The lumber may be cut down and
sold, but it is up to the government to see that those forests
are mainainined an(l that new trees are allowed to grow and
be cultivated and protected fronm cattle. Now, the reason of
this is mainly for the small landholder, I think. Kona, North
Kona, has the beginnings of a sugar plantation, but there are
great areas of land there that are populated by Hawaiians
mainly, the best community of the native Hawaiian that is to
be found on these islands, having large families, people who




are healthy as a rule. I say that the question of the protection of rainfall is something to be considered in view of the
interests of those people, the small landholders; that if
possil)le the droughts which sometimes occur and drive them
away from their homes, which make water an article to be
supplied by the quart for drinking purposes and sometimes
not obtainable even then, should be lessened-that the conservation of forests there in that region reaching from North
to South Kona, Kau and in the Puna district, is something to
be considered from the standpoint of the small landowner.
The same condition exists in Kula on Maui. It was a terrible
hardship to those people last year to have to leave their homes
because they had no water and had to drive their livestock
miles away every other (lay to get water to keep them alive.
In Kau the ground was strewn with cattle which had starved
to death for want of grass and water. For the protection of
the graziers this policy of conservation must be considered.
And with it goes the preparation of reservoirs for retaining
large quantities of water. I am afraid that the progress of
the conservation of water in dry regions like Kona and Kau
will be slow. There are no streams there. The soil is very
porous. It takes a very heavy rainfall to send a stream down
the slope into the sea, and the conservation of water in those
places will mean much outlay of money in order to make a
reservoir. To make it water tight the whole area of the reservoir will have to be cemented. The expense is great, and in
view of the expense and the time which will be taken up before such kinds of conservation can benefit that communitythe small landholders-I think it is most important for the
government to consider the relation of forests in that part of
the country to the rainfall. I need not refer to the prosperous
Island of Kauai, an island of wonderful streams, but of neglected forests, however, in parts of it, forests diminishing
steadily, but which can be easily protected and restored with
a little expenditure of money and intelligent care.
The Chairman. On the opening day of the session there
was introduced in the Lower House a resolution by the Honorable Mlr. Affonso of Hilo, which provided that the Governor
appoint, as soon as may be after the adoption of the resolution, a commission of three to look into the question of farm
products and the marketing of the same, both between the
islands and on the mainland. That resolution was adopted by
the House and adopted by the Senate, and was signed by the
Governor a (lay or two ago. There was later introduced a
bill by the Honorable Mr. Furtado which called for an appropriation-a subsidy-of $50,ooo a year to a steamship line




I7


which would give better trading facilities between here and
the mainland for farm  products, etc., that grow on these
islands. The Committee on Forestry, Agriculture, Promotion
and Immigration of this House saw fit to table or recommend
that the bill be tabled, and that tile clerk be instructed to send
a copy of this bill to the colmmission to be appointed by the
Governor. The House of Representatives saw fit to adopt
the collmmittee's report, and it looks as though this commission, which the Governor in due timle will appoint, will
have something to (lo. Prior to the appointment of the commission, however, I am going to call on Dr. Wilcox to address us, and he will speak on the products and marketing of
farm crops.
Dr. E. V. Wilcox. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
In the few minutes tlat I have I want to call attention to a
very few specific matters regarding the possiblity of the marketing of a whole lot of things which we now produce more
or less for which we seem to have no market. Whether or
not that is the logical way to discuss the matter, however, I
wAish to speak of marketing first because I think you will all
realize and agree witl me that there is very little use in pro
ducing large quantities of crops which now do not appear on
the market.
It has been frequently brought to my attention that there is
no money to be male in the marketing of certain things, but I
wish to call to your attention that continually inquiries are
being made at the Experiment Station from men on the mainland, and even from p)eople here in Honolulu, regarding the
possibility of securing more of certain things raised here. I
have had considerable correspondence recently with a man
on the mainland, for example, who wished to get ten tons of
(lrv roselle, for which he is willing to pay eighteen cents a
pound here in Honolulu. Much difficulty has been met with in
learning whether the cultivation of roselle could be increased
sufficiently to supply the quantity required by this one man.
The party in question would be glad also to get the article in
three or four times the quantity mentioned. Inquiries have
also been received for the names of parties who deal in tare
products in order to introduce these products to mainland
markets. The two matters mentioned are sufficient to show
that there is a demand on the mainland for some of our products. The two matters mentioned above happen to be the only
ones xNhich have come to my attention.
The success attained by the sugar planters of the islands is
due as much to their organized and systematic efforts in se



18


curing and exploiting the market for sugar as to their actual
production of it. In order to secure markets for any product
it is necessary to organize in a systematic way and make
known to the public what you have to sell. Now, there is one
way by private effort of securing markets for produce, and
that is by means of cooperative organizations of producers,
such as have been formed in nearly all parts of the mainland
and in various foreign countries. The chief difficulty with
such an organization is getting it established in a community
which is unfamiliar with that method. One of the first difficulties lies in the mutual jealousies between men who are producing any given crop. This leads to a lack of confidence in
the men who are chosen as officials of the organization and in
the efficiency of any constitution which might be adopted for
regulating the business of the organization. It should be a
very simple problem to adopt rules which will put everyone
on the same footing. In the absence of definite plans for a
cooperative organization among producers of various small
crops, it seems desirable that the Territory should render assistance in establishing an effective system of marketing. It
is hoped that Territorial assistance will be necessary only so
long as it must be required to set the scheme in operation.
In the meantime the proper men will doubtless appear to
take over the management of the business and organize it as
a cooperative association of producers. They ougcht then to
get along without further Territorial assistance.  In these
days of large corporations, agriculture is not exempt to the
general rule; the small producer with a small quantity of
produce brought to market at irregular intervals cannot satisfy
the demands of the dealer, nor secure any business concessions
from transportation agents. The only way to avoid the inconveniences met with by the small producer is to organize
so that the products of the organization as a whole total in
time a large amount. Transportation companies can then look
upon the freight proposition in the same way they consider
the freight business of large corporations.
In encouraging diversified agriculture the first step necessary
would seem to be that of learning the names of dealers who
wish to handle agricultural products, and the quantities and
kinds of such products which they can handle. It would also
be necessary to get a list of the producers who are raising
such material and who can reasonably be depended upon to
furnish it. It will undoubtediy be necessary in the adottion
of such a scheme to have a sort of commission house or landing place where such articles can be received and from which
they can be distributed to those who need them. In this
way it is hoped that enough producers can be found to send




19


their products to this coimmon center, and thus to have a
constant supply of products which will satisfy local dlemands.
Not only will this marketing organization have the effect of
bringing in a constant supply, but opportunity will be had to
keep the producer informed as to the kinds of farm products
which are actually needed and as to the best methods of
packing and shipping this material.
There is at present a local demand for sweet potatoes far
in excess of the supply. The local demand is not only for a
large quantity, but for a more uniform article, so that the consumer will be able to call for a definite variety and will be
assured that he will oltain what he desires. The local sweet
potato market could be greatly extended by the development
of those varieties which are most in demand. Now, if there
is one lesson which California, for example, has taught the
world, it is the lesson that it pays to give attention to the
product before you send it to market. The very fact that
California has sent oranges three thousand miles across the
country and put them into the market in competition with
local products proves the value of careful methods of lnarketing.
We come now to the question of scientific protllems connected with crop production. At present the H-awaii fE1xperiment Station has its work organized around one chief problem,
namely, that of preserving soil fertility in(lefinitely. Tt is to be
accomplished by determining the best system of crop rotation
and treatment of soil by fertilizers, so that to make the operation of farm mlanagement fit in with the plan of raising one
particular crop as the money crop. The present plan involves
the demonstration of best methods to accomplislh these results
with pineapple, cotton, rubber, taro and in the production of
forage and rice. The plan of farm management, in order to
be scientifically correct and successful from a business standpoint, must be such that the vield of the money crop will be
maintained at the highest point rather than dimiinishe(l as each
rotation comes around. Some of the crops whi-h must be used
in rotation with the chief money crop can thus be sold, while
others will be used as forage for farm animals and for benefit;ng
the physical and chemical condition of the soil. The need of
such rotation has been felt most keenly by the pineap)l)le
growers, but it is necessary with every crop. It is impossible
to secure maximum yields of pineapples when this crop is
grown continuously on the same soil. The interruption of
continuous pineapple plantings with other crops will not only
produce the profits but will permanently maintain the fertility
of the soil.




20


The necessity for the production of more forage on ranches
is evident from the great loss of cattle which was suffered
(luring the present season of drought. There is no possible
way of increasing the carrying powers of the grazing lands
and putting the business of ranching on a solid foundation
except to produce enough forage to tide over the animals during the period of drought and thus relieve the overstocked
ranches.
The Chairman. The chairman has been informed that he
was in error when he stated that Honorable G. F. Affonso
introduced the joint resolution referred to. The resolution was
introduced by Honorable A. I). Castro. The chairman finds
that its list of speakers has been materially diminished. We
have one other gentleman, the Honorable W. 01. Smith, Presi(lent of the Senate, however, whom I will now call on for a
few remarks.
Senator W. 0. Smith. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlelenl:
The hour is late and there is little I wish to say except that
I wish to add to what Governor Frear has said in regard to the
impressiveness of the meetings of the Conference of Governors
in Mav last. During those three (lays not only were the
Governors, the President and many of the high officials of
the great country brought and gathered together there, hut
in addition there were also many of those great master minds,
the captains of industry, who came and eave the most intense
attention to the subject of the conservation of the natural resources. It was a matter of pride to me that what little we
had to say of Hawaii was so much to the credit of Hawaii. We
had very little opportunity to speak in public. But what has
been (lone in Hawaii for the utilization of water is a matter
which is a cause for pride, as is also the matter of our forest
reserves. Many of the States did not even have forest laws,
but over one-tenth of the whole area of these islands is now
under forest reserves. There is a little less than four million
two hundred thousand acres of land in the whole of the islands
of the group. Ohe-tenth is under forest reservation, and with
a provision that they should be free from taxes. Much has
been done, but we have much more to do. I think that together with the matter of conserving and saving the forests,
there is the question of development of the products along the
lines of the work that Dr. Tared G. Smith is doing in Kona.
The experiments being made in tobacco culture is one of the
hopeful things for the future. And at no time since the ex



21


periments, way back in the fifties, on Kauai, has there been
so much to be hoped for from the cultivation of marketable tobacco which is now being done at Kona by Dr. Smith, and
those associated with him. W\e must have products beside
sugar. While we also have the small farming, the truckfarming and all that, we do want to have other products
which the world's markets call for. For illustration, take
Sumatra, Ceylon, Java, Cuba, the Philippines, and Porto Rico.
What do they grow?    In the Philippines, sugar, tobacco,
hemp. In Java the main industry is sugar, and they are to
have other products, and so we find it in Cuba. Now the
time may come when we shall need another crop besides sugar.
Our salvation is to have other things than sugar, and I hail
with great pleasure and with great anticipation the experiments that are being made in such directions, and I think
that some of the help that we in the Legislature can give, as
far as we are able to with the means that can be spared,
is to assist the Federal Experiment Station, and to assist in
the matter of a hydrographic survey-that is, the water survey; and the soil survey, and the experiments with products
which will have world's markets, products which a man with
but a few acres and small capital can engage in. The most indepedent man in this world is the man that owns his own land
and makes his living on it. He is a king. He is a sovereign.
A man whose living depends upon a salary or wages is some
one's servant; but the man who owns his own few acres and is
al)le to produce enough to support himself and his family is
a king, he is a sovereign, he can defy anybody as long as he
pays his taxes and has no debts. It is a thing that we must
work for in this Territory more and more. There is no use in
bringing small farmers here unless there is something that
they can produce at a profit; unless there is something that a
man with a few acres of land and small means can make a
living on, and so I hail the work which men like Dr. Smith and
Dr. Wilcox are doing.
The Chairman. This concludes the speaking. The Senate
and House desire to extend thanks to the Governor and the
other gentlemen for their remarks.




-A-,




'*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~








\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ L
h~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i~~~~~~~~~~~~~




I,
i
r
cu
I
t
r

I.,,,
r
i




UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 04878 5128




E
i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rf