The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-05-11
FUNNY ENOUGH
IF NOT STRAIGHT
Credit For Work of Territorial Sur
vey Given to United
States.
CARRIERS MAPS ARE PRAISED.
Local Survey Department Congratu-
lated u)u Large Amount
of Data

"The New Naps of Hawaii is the
title of the following editorial in the
New York Sun of April 81. In the
first part it repeats a joke of an lint
local flavor, relating a condition of
things many ' ears antedating an TX
alton, also gives credit ostensibly to
the Federal authorities for the work
of a purely local government depart
ment:
"The King of the Hawaiian Islands
began the survey of parts of mis- do
main in 1871. His survey department
consisted of two men, two boys ana
a few laborers, and the work they did
vas slipshod and often ludicrous. The
head of the department, an old sur
veyor in the United States, objected to
the Hawaiian jungle and never entered
it except along well beaten paths il
he could help 1t. He was accus-
toned to send an assistant ahead out
of sight and almost out of hearing and
then the fellow who had beaten his
way through the vegetation would yell
at the top of his voice. The surveyor
would forthwith sight his instrument
at that yell. The chainmen would
then measure the distance in a go as
you please fashion; they took the
easiest route they could find to the
spot where the advance guard still
stood emitting supplementary yelps
for their guidance.
This is one illustration of the pio-
neer methods of island surveying, and
the results of course were very crude
and imperfect. The disputes over
property lines were endless, and con-
fusion was worse confounded in many
of the regions which had been sur
veyed when our flag was raised over
the islands.
LAS soon as the authority of the
United States was established it set
about bringing order out of the chaos.
The primary purpose was to ascertain
the exact areas and location of the
Government lands, but the public need
was so great that the work was eX
maps and all the exact measurements
and records needed for public pur-
| poses. The general result is now pro-
| duced on nine fine maps in colors show
ing each of the nine counties of the
Territory and appended to the govern
nors annual report recently printed
in Washington.
ITO make these maps the islands
were covered by a triangulation
scheme after the method of the Coast
and Geodetic Survey. The coast lines
were surveyed and maps were made Of
all the islands excepting a few rocks
and islets that are of no practical I'M
portance. Judged by the most retired
standards the work is not above criti-
cism but it is the greatest geographical
work yet accomplished IN Hawaii, Is
proving to be of the highest utility
and is receiving the wa'mest COM
at Washington.
1T is a pleasure to look at these
maps because they give so much and
such varied information. There are
plenty of areas in our home domain
of which maps as good as these cannot
yet be made because detailed surveys
have not been run.
THE position of every school house
and post Office in the island is given.
We see in green the distribution, the
shape and the extent of the areas OF
public land, in yellow the homestead
settlement tracts, in white bordered
with yellow the areas of grazing lands
and in white bordered with blue the
forest reserves. Other cOlors and sym
bols show the location and extent OF
the sisal and sugar plantations, the
unreserved forest lands, the Federal
reservations and the wet lands adapt
ed for rice and taro. From these
sheets we get a good idea of the dis.
tribution and extent of the agriculture
industries, the great resources of the
territory; and we are impressed with
the fact, which the maps clearly reveal
that an important part of the tota
area is not adapted for any kind of cul
tivation
"The Governors report says that the
land still embraced in the public do
main is about 100000 acres, most Of
which is not adapted for tillage, and
this only when roads, costly to con
struct, make the good lands accessible
The cream of the island areas anC
the most easily reached public land:
became private property long ago.
1.-THE survey department of Hawaii
is to be congratulated upon the large
amount of accurate information it has
collected. If the mechanical produc
ton of these data on the map sheets
does not represent the best of carlo
graphy it is at least well done; anC
the study of this product is recon-
mended to all who would like to see
for themselves that a really good MAJ
| is an admirable short cut to the &C