The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-02
GOV, CARTER DECLARES
KAU FOREST RESERVE
Immense Tract of Land Set Aside After a
Public Hearing and the Proclamation
Will Be Issued at Once.

| F'There being no objection present
ed from anybody interested said
| Governor Carter at the close of the
| meeting of the Board of Forestry yes
! terday, 81 hereby declare that forest
| reserve exists in the Kau district in
sented here, and a proclamation de-
| fning the reserve will issue forthwith. -
! The land set aside for the new for
est reserve is a vast tract of 65,s75
| acres situated between the highest sum-
mits of Mauna Loa and the sea front
at Honuapo and Punaluu, and com
prises 59,618 acres of government land
the balances being the mauka ends of
tracts now leased to plantations, but to
go into the reserve at the expiration
of the leases and now fenced off by
the plantation people to preserve the
forest growth. OF this reserve, about
5000 acres will become forest at once,
the balance being taken in hereafter
from time to time until the whole tract
is covered.
The declaration of the reserve was
made at meeting called at the rooms
of the Board of Forestry yesterday to
hear arguments from those interested,
fOr
were present Governor Carter, who pre-
sided, Superintendent of Public Works
Holloway, Chief Forester Hosmer and
Mr.. Alfred Carter of the Board. Hen
ry E. Cooper was on hand to represent
the interests of the Hutchinson planta-
ton, George Robertson of Brewer 6
Co. represented the Hawaiian Agricul
tural Company, and Richard Ivers look
ed after the interests of VIM. G. Irwin
& Co.
Governor Carter called the meeting to
order, and asked Mr.. Cooper to pre-
sent the views of his clients. The at
torney said that Hutchinson plantation
had no objection to the lines of the
proposed reserve, as laid down in the
map, provided the Board would put on
record it's agreement that the plantation
company could go into the reserve and
secure the water that it had developed
on it's own lands and partly on lands
under lease and that would become a
part of the reservation. If the Board |
would make such a recommendation to
the Commissioner of Public Lands, who
generally was guided by its recon-
mendations, the plantation people would
certainly favor the reserve.
CAN ALL GET WATER.
Speaking for the Board of Forestry,
Mr.. Alfred Carter said that the body
certainly had no intention of depriving
the plantations of water. 1t was not
the object of the forest reserve law,
nor of the Board, to shut off the lands
below from their water supply. For
est reservation meant the conservation
of water, and it's subsequent use in
agriculture as matter of course The
ueNSlOplnenC Oh water WILH1n 1OFeSt
reserves would be encouraged, rather
than retarded.
Under this understanding, Mr.. Ivers
had no objection to the declaration of
the reservation, nor had Mr.. Robert
son.
Governor Carter emphasized the
points raised by Alfred Carter, saying
that the whole object of forest reserva-
tion was to increase the water supply,
and to make forestation profitable. |
And of course it followed that the
increased water supply was meant to
be used.
The Governor then read the follow
ing letter, which was the only thing
that appeared at the Board in the
way of an objection-and it was rather
an argument for reservation than not:
A SETTLERS LETTER.
Kaumana, Hilo, Hawaii,