The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-14
HTLo WATER WORKS AN URGENT
NECESSITY.
Roards In Hamakua and Bridges in
Hilo IN Bad state Of Repair-scarcity
OF Water.

BOyu, who has just returned from his
official visit to Hawaii received the
alohas and congratulations of his
friends this morning in the home office.
Mr. Boyd has managed to get healthy
coat Oh tan durug his peregrinations
on the Big Island"
Mr.. Boyd did not seem to con-
slider that he had ever been out of
harness or that the trip was to be re-
Barded in the light OF a holiday iaunt
at all The commissioner was kept
busy listening to the wants and COM
paints of ali kinds and conditions Of
people from the urbanites in Hilo TO
the more rural inhabitants Of the out
I lying districts. The hardest part Of
the whole proposition lay in the en-
deavor 70 satisfy eager reformers with
the bare statement that what could be
done should be done as soon as there
was any money to do it,
/ 4 think the greatest need at present"
said Mr.. Boyd this morning, lis that
of proper water works for Hilo. OF
course the commercial part of the COM
munity Is after new bridges and there
is no denying that they are greatly
needed but the health of the whole
community comes first. At present
there is one reservoir fed by a spring
some little distance away and connect
led with piping. and another larger one
nearer the town which is fed by a
spring existent i'm the reservoir itself.
Between the two reservoirs is a flour
ishing Portuguese colony the establish
ing Of which results in the lower reser-
svlr being contaminated with the see
page from their earth closets. Ferti-
lizer from the surrounding plantation
lands Is also washed from the soil by
the rains and does not contribute to
healthy state of affairs. Just before
we left Hilo, we plugged up the pipe
leading from the lower reservoir into
town and ran the water directly from
the upper spring through an eight in
stead of a six inch pipe. The resulting
depreciation in the amount of water
was of course appreciable but the di-
minution was not alarming. / feel con-
vinced that this should be the first
matter to be looked into.
"OVer in Hamakua, the roads are i'm
a terrible state and in Hilo the bridges
need looking after badly. They have
been allowed to gradually run down
and get out of repair until very radical
Improvements are necessary. l expect
to go back shortly in a week or two and
take in the remaining districts OIaa
land KOna way. The fire at Hamakua
J is entirely beyond description as far as
giving any idea either OF the grandeur
of the sight or the utter desolation
wrought i'm the country. Nothing can
, stop the fire beyond "a tropical DOWN
pour, which there seems to be but slight
[ prospects Of, or an unlimited supply Of
water with a Gordon of steam fire en-
Iglnes You see the trees blazing on top
and stick thrust into the ground dis
closes evidence Of the fires beneath.
= THE damage is irreparable, not only
: are the trees themselves destroyed, but
: the ground is burnt out The top layer
of natural fertilizer made by the leaf
i mould and deposits Of years to the
. depth of six or seven feet is burnt out
, land denuded of all its value. The little
a rain they have had has amounted to
- nothing more than the effect a child $
. watering pot would have upon burn
= inc lumber yard, and It seems as If the
- fire was fated to burn as long as there
a Is fuel to feed it and until damage IN
:. comparable is done to that region
There was some sort Of rumor ABOUT
lexperimentalists who were going IL
create explosions or send for rainmak-
Iers but nothing definite has apparently
! been done on that score.
y Definite lines of demarcauon should
. be established as soon as possible to
;, show where the government forest DOT
. ders lie and where the limit FOR grow
a ing cane ends. Something has got TO DC
= done in the matter of fencing on the
u forests and ] have always advocated
,, such action. AS soon as these lines are
, Iestablished the affair will come undel
the administration of this department
and / can have the necessary notices
placed and cause the arrest of those
who maliciously set fire to the forests
70 llet the cattle roam in them or III any
N way damage them. To show the value
n of the forests a glance at Halawa Ia
= sufficient. DR.. White has always pre-
a served a section of the forest above
"a there and the consequence is that h'
70 runs back into the trees and gets
"a plentiful supply of good water iron
a the springs there that furnish him
a never falling source of supply.
10 Water is terribly scarce. AT Ookal'
for instance they are using the waite
over and over again through the poll
ers to other uses. Rain is eagerly mop
y ed for and, unless it comes, matters
will soon be in desperate straits II
many places. Often water has to D.
Il Icarted for a dozen miles and II can D
D. Imagined that scarcely drop can D
wasted on superfluous luxuries that J.
= rainy times would be termed necessl
ties.
THE WEATHER.