The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-06-23

trees. The line Of the grazing land
should therefore be m;tde TO include a
strip of the upper open koa forest,
where the trees are of small size, and
where the cattle are at present work
ing. This lower boundary OF the graz
ing land should be at about the eleva-
ton of Mr.. Maguire's dairy. Which is
about 5000 feet in aItitu6e. Such a
strip includes perhaps one-:ourta II The
land put up to be leased
While it is possible that the lower
tier of homestead lots could be opened
so that the venture would be a fnan-
cialIy successful one, it is exceedingly
Questionable whether the opening of the
upper lots could be made a success.
If the grazing land portion and the
lower tier of homesteads be not used
for these purposes the land should, in
my judgment, be included in the forest
reserve This reserve should be made
for the following reasons:
For the purpose of safeguarding the
desirable climatic conditions in North
Kona, for improving the same through
increased precipitation, and for regu-
lating the run off, it is highly desirable,
if not absolutely essential, that belt
of forest be maintained on the mour-
tain slopes above the settlements. This
forest belt should cover the slope be-
tween approximately the 5000 and $500
foot contour line; local notifications
being made dependent on local condi-
tons.
To insure the carrying out of the plan
to the best advantage, the Government
should set aside, as a forest reserve,
the land belonging to it lying within
this belt, and by example and other
wise should induce private owners to
cooperate in making the reserve. Sew
eral large areas controlled by the Bish-
op Estate are already set apart as pri-
vate reserves.
One of the most valuable portions in
the proposed reserve is the strip of
large size koa above described. With
the increasing possibility of putting
this valuable wood on the market, and
thereby adding materially to the
sources of the Territory's revenue, it
is distinctly inadvisabIe to let the di-
rect control of the land on which the
koa stands pass out of the hands of
the Government for a long term of
years. Notwithstanding the provisions
in the lease safeguarding the forest,
the grazing of this tract could hardly
help being injurious to the best con-
dition of the forest, and consequently
the deteriorating of the merchantable
value of the forest.
L therefore recommend that the land
of Honuaula between approximately
the contour line of 5000 and 5000 feet
the exact lines to be laid out later by
surveyor, working in conjunction with
the Superintendent of Forestry, be
withdrawn from lease, and set apart
as the first portion of the North Kona
forest reserve; that if it be found in
advisable to utilize the upper portion of
the land for grazing and the lower por-
ton for homestead, that these also
be included in the reserve.
I further suggest that if this report
be approved and acted on favorably
by the Board, that the Commissioner
of Public Lands be Informed that he
may notify Messrs. Comes and Hen
riques of the action taken and come to
some arrangement in regard to the can
collation. of the lease.
Concerning the question of roads in
the proposed homestead district, the sum
of $4,000 was mentioned in discussion.
Mr.. Giffard thought for bona fde home
there should be an income de-
rived by the government commensurate
to the cost of laying out the roads.
Mr. Holloway was of the opinion that
the best way to obtain bona fde home
steaders woul1 first be to lay out the
roads to the tracts.
Mr. Giffard was of the opinion that
many of the homesteaders in tracts open
ed up formerly did not do much in the
way of Improvement and said that many
residences" were merely tin-can houses,
and great inroads had been made into
tree sections for the building of fences
The report was finally adopted to be
sent to the Governor with the following
by the Board:
''As to this land laid out for home
steads, the Board is of the opinion and
would suggest that as this is principally |
a whole forest tract the same should |
only be opened for settlement when the
including suitable road to
and through the tract, promise bona fide
settlement and development"
Prof Hosmer asked permission to visit |
I1ilo in july in order to investigate the /!
forestation of Hilo district, and to hold |
with citizens concerning the j,
matter. The permission was granted.
In weekly report Prof Hosmer an
nounced that Miss Claire Kelley had re-
tired from the service of the Board |
and Prof. Haughs was now in attend |
ance on the plant nursery This change
was necessitated bv the general retrench- !
ment policy of the government.
The HsIeiws Limited.
In addition to the regular Sunday SER
vice, commencing Sunday, June 18th, |