The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-11-19
PACIFIC
Commercial advertiser.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10.


WAILUKU, November 10th, 1869.
Mr.. EDITOR In looking over some of the .4drer
tisers for October. I End an article signed 3D.
calling the attention Of our Legislature at its mex
term. to a subject Of vital importance. which he hopes
will not be overlooked; aud with him | hope tina,
there will be some provision made for the equitable
distribution Of water on lands which require irriga-
ton. He wonders why this has not been attended to
before. when half of the population of the islands are
bgether by the ears as often as the dry season re-
turns. II B. c. and d. take all the water. dry sea-
son and vet, belonging to others, when they have not
been accustomed TO take it, they have good reason to
be by the ears. Ii is an old saying, and a true one,
that the little fish are eaten up by the big ones.
"B." thinks that the reason sby nothing has been
done, cannot be because the Legislature has not had
time to attend to it, nor that it was = necessity I'M
known 10 them. (and il cannot be because it is a
point beyond the limits of Law. } when it is a matter
so seriously affecting the interests of nearly the whole
Of the population Of the islands. who are entirely
dependent on irrigation for all tseir living. That is
true. But If the Representatives, should authorize
any one to take old rights awt,y from others, and
thus make the old streams run cry, they are not in
their sober sensesL Selfiuteret. to which We all
lean, may desire them to so enaes. But in doing so.
they would take the rights Of Ot-ers away. and de-
prlSe Inem OF their living. Dc TAR a5 respects the
regulations Of water. that is well enough. But when
some take what don't belong to them. must we not
call IL thieving, L hope the Legislature will pass a
law, so that new lands cannot deprive old lands of
their rights.
Again 3 says, that the sources of our agricul-
tural wealth have shifted ground. kalo has found a
rival in sugar cane. and it would be folly to attempt
TO run the carriage on one wheel when there is a
balance point between the two. L do not see that
"B.' has any right to attach another wheel to the
carriage and turn over to rivals the rights of others.
l cannot see that the natives can go and pull a lot Of
cane as they can kalo aud make it into poi az they
can kalO, nor can I learn from the Oldest native, that
it will take any less water now to bring a loi or patch
Of kalo to maturity than it did before this cane rival
came. The native should have his ancient water
rights. and then if there is any left, let cane rivals
take IL.
Notwithstanding there has been abundance of rain
on the mountains, there has been great complaint
about water in this vicinity. because cane growers
took so much for their cane fields, that the Waikiki
creek has been dry or nearly so. There have been
numbers Of kalo patches next to the sea. dry, when
at the same time there were thousands upon thou
sands of gallons running to waste into the sand hills
from the cane fields.
Ii also speaks of n new piece of land close by,
that has not taken its share of water. So far as [
can learn from the oldest natives in the place, the
piece referred to never had "A share, only what fell on
TO it from the rain clouds But now the new rival,
cane, has slept into the country, and this piece must
have its share, whether il has 4 right or not. h.