The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-07-17

quenees may be ia another half century if immediate
precautions be Rot adopted Every tyTo in ancient
history is aware thst Asia Minor, Greece and the
Archipelago were formerly among the oost fertile
portions Of the globe, nourishing = ieeming popula-
ton; that the n0w desolate wilds Of Syria were once
styled a land flowing with milk ana honey; and that
the arid slopes that now extend from Mount Atlas 20
the Mediterranean constituted in olden times the
gransry which supplied the Roman empire Even
in cur own days, IN the fall blaze Of modern science
and with such = wealth Of experience, entire districts
Of the mountainous provinces situated TN the sides Of
the Alps and the Pyrenees have been depopulated,
and every succeeding year witnesses the number Of
Inhabitants decrease, Sc they grow weary Of struggling
TOR a precario1s existence. We might 60 further,
and in our own country point cut instances Of ex-
hausted springs, diminished rainfall and ether eli
matte changes which, Il hitherto unattended ey start
ling results, sdnaonish ms nesertheaess OF the conse-
ouences Which prolonged neglect may entail
One reason WHY the present may be considered an
exceptionally opportune period for appointing s Com
missioner Of Forestry lies in the fact that The Centen-
NAL Exhibition viii afford such an officer the Rmplest
opportunity of SECURING authentic information on
the various branches of the subject with which he il
required TO deal, and which he could not otherwise
procure without e heavy amount OF expenditure. At
the Paris and again at the Vienna exhibition DOT only
were the products Of the various European forests
largely represented, but the different governments
furnished voluminous reports relating to the manage
mept, the modes Of cultivation, with the results OBJ
tanned, meteorological experiments, and also the sys-
ten Of education impaired TO persons qualifying
themselves for the position of foresters. There can
be little doubt that those governments would again
willingly supply information which they have ready
at naad. The Dominion Of Canada and the various
timber producing states Of the Union viii not be
slow TO avail themselves Of the occasion TO display
specimens Of their produce in the natural and man
ufactured conditions, and q strenuous effort should at
once be made to induce the local authorities of this
country to provide at the same time reports contain
ing estimates of the extent of land bearing the differ
ent species Of timber, the average number of acres
cleared annually, the varieties Of soil and the power
Of production and reproduction. Were such details
ably and honestly furnished, the vexed question Of
the true nature of our timber resources would be
settled once for all, and an intelligent policy in re-
gard to the future might be established. There is,
in cur opinion, one flaw in the bill Of Senator Nc
Gowan: he requires q man Of special ability, TO carry
out an arduous investigation. involving considerable
expense, for the sum of $4,000. la the present
temper of the legislature we know that there Is a dis
position for retrenchment; il is always thus when a
discovery is made that millions have been reckessiy
squandered; but we think that the Governor might
well be entrusted to allow any reasonable expenses
which he deemed necessary to the success of the OBJ
jeet in view. 1t would not in all probability be a
matter of more than one or two thousand dollars adj
ditional, and surely that sum should not be allowed
either to delay the adoption or impair the efficiency
of a measure fraught with the highest social and COM
mercial Importance to this state, and, it may be added,
to the entire country.-N: Y. EUeniRg Post.