Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-08-18
ADOPT hOSMtR'S IDEAS
HILO FOREST RESERVE
AND HONOMU HOMESTEADS
FORESTRY SUPERINTENDENT RE.
PORTS TO BOARD OF AoRi.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
DATiONS.


reported on by the Committee on For.
ostry at the meeting of the Board Of
Agriculture and Forestry at the King
street headquarters yesterday after
noon. The committee is in doubt as
to whether the establishment Of home
steads at Honomu is economically
practicable. Says the report:
Your Committee on Forestry have
had under consideration a permanent
forestry reserve line in the Hilo dis.
trict, and also the petition for homo
stealing certain government land In
Honomu, Hilo, Hawaii, now In forest.
In brief, the report Of the Superin.
tendent of Forestry Is in favor Of es-
tablishing forest reserve line at ap.
tproximately the 1750-foot level above
the sea, varying to meet local condi.
tons. All above this line to be made
O forestry reserve under the law Of
1908. The upper boundary to be fixed
later.
As to the Honomu homestead propo.
sition, your committee is in doubt as
to whether the establishment OF home.
steads in this locality is economically
practicable or not. The land Is over
three miles from the government road.
The only road to II is a dirt one con.
structed by the Honomu plantation. In
the rainy weather of Hilo teaming Is
impracticable over such roads, and
packing on animals Is difficult and ex.
pensive. A macadamized road only Ia
OF use. This is costly to construct, and
by reason Of the steep grades, costly to
keep In repair.
tofore been scarcely sufficient to keep
the one main road through the district
In repair. II Is questionable whether
under existing financial conditions a
macadamized road can be built or kept
In repair, II built. A further consider
alton IL, that the Hilo district is cut
al such frequent intervals by ravines
of such extreme depth that It is i'm.
practicable to build an upper road
above the plantations and parallel TO
the coast, as has been done In Kona.
A separate road must be built mauka
on every ridge, or approximately every
helf mile or so. BY reason Of this fact
the area opened by each road would be
comparatively small-so small as not
warrant the cost Of the road.
The board Is not the responsible au.
thority to decide upon the economical
availability Of the land for homesteads.
or concerning roads to get to them.
xpit hA Ian Lam ,tp .
and the legislature. The sole scope Of
this report is therefore. that SO far IA
this board is concerned. II does not oh.
ject to utilization Of the land In ques.
ton for homestead purposes.
Superintendent Of Forestry Hosmer's
report contains the following:
Whatever may be the influence Of the
forest on the precipitation elsewhere
In the islands. the question in the iiilo
district Is solely one of conservation
and utilization OF the water, which
reaches the ground. There Is natural
ly great fiuctuation In the size Of the
streams. and during times OF drought
the beds Of many OF them are almost
II not entirely. dry. The presence oil
the forest tends " regulate and main
l,ain Tho aow
I'm dooiding NM, tho loca,iop NJ IN,
, h,nas ., normanent forest reserve 1,
osaarv 20 oone,dor ,,,ure as wei
.a.an, ,oads A ,umher M con
s,,ara.ions 49, ,hus 20 no taken intt
. s"aorn, amorg which arc the beneat,
- he dsr,vad and the uses N which IN,
80 no,La mo mn, 4, c,earsd nh,
$3.50 have already hsan discussed
n, ,ha ,,,,ar IN tho Hno district ther,
~. nuao,,n.,,v on,v two. the turtle
xt.as,on ., ,,o c,ne acids and IN,
- =, ,ran,s ,or so,,,sment
A. nras.n, with tho excentiop n
,ha, e. r.isoa on the Homestead clear
&C.. conc 4. ,bo onIv cron grown sy,
.na,,oaI,v OF ,he higher elevation,
rhe MINER line of the cane fields yarie
,,i,. ar n,.rta,,on Al the wester
"a 90 ,ho d,s,r,c, owing m the steer
or Grade the cane rms nm TO abou
,... A.. a.