The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-08-22

ly thirty miles therefrom. Messages
have been sent to and from Auckland
for some two or three years past by
private individuals with SO much sue
cess that the attention Of the postal
authorities of the New Zealand Gov
eminent was attracted, resulting in the
setting apart of small appropriation
for the purpose Of investigating and
reporting on the advisability OF the
Government establishing regular pos
tai delivery between the two points.
The first step made by the postal
authorities was to obtain control OF the
birds used. This was easily accom-
plished by the Government agreeing to
pay the owner a large proportion of
the postage to be charged. The post
master general next authorized the is
suing of 600 special ''pigeongram
stamps as a trial issue, one OF which
was to be used on each message sent.
These stamps cost one shilling each
and are purchased and cancelled at the
two postofiices in the usual way. The
message is written in lead pencil on
thin but tough tissue paper the exact
size of the cut furnished herewith, the
stamp Is placed on the center and can
celled. The message Is then folded up
into small compass, tied under the
wing of a bird and in an hour is in
the hands of the person to whom it is
addressed.
The remarkable celebrity with which
these pigeongrams are received and
delivered and the simplicity Of the en-
tire operation makes one wonder why
similar means of communication be-
tween the different islands of the Ha-
waiian group have not been already
adopted 1t is true there have been
some futile attempts at 1t, but under
Government protection and conducted
through the business channels OF the
postoffice, a pigeongram service ought
to be as successful here as in New Zea-
land. There Is no place in the world
probably where 1t could be used to
such great advantage as in the Hawaii
an Islands. II the Auckland postoffice
authorities can send a pigeongram to
Great Barrier Island for one shilling
surely the Honolulu postofiice ought to
be able to forward a message to Kauai
and Maui for a dollar and to Hawaii
for two.
In this out-Of-the-way spot one hard
ly realizes the Importance of keeping
up trained homing pigeons for use in
case of necessity. Indeed, 1t was only
recently that Senator Hale called the
attention of the United States Senate
to the value of an effective pigeon SER
vice as a necessary adjunct to the ar
my and navy In case of war, and pre-
scented paper relating to homing pig
cons prepared by +. II. S. Morrison OF
Elizabeth. New Jersey, president Of the
National Federation OF American HON.
ing Pigeon Fanciers, from which the
following Is quoted:
II was during the siege OF Paris. dur
ing the FrancO-Prussiun war, that the
eyes Of all Europe. and, in fact, the
whole world. were opened To the fact
that the homing pigeon was not a mere
plaything, Constituting, as they did,
the only means Of communicating with
the outside world, they gained for
themselves warm place In the hearts
Oi the residents OF Paris ana the adj
miration Of all Europe.
During the Siege Paris was thus kept
In communication with friends and el-
lies Thousands NJ messages were con
yeyed Into the French capital, ana even
newspapers were reduced In size by be-
INF photographed and sent 10 Paris by
these aerial messengers,