The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-11-12
ecretary BaIIinger Cancels Mr..
SchIemmer's Guano
Lease.
TERRITORY NO AUTHORITY
Killing of Birds by Japanese
Roachers Cause of the
Federal Action.

Max Schlemmer is no longer the King
of Lhysan. He has been deposed; his
Z kingdom has been taken away from
him land he is now king without a
thro1e, monarch exiled from his land.
There has been no revolt among the
! subjects of King Max. His rule has
beenl mild and benefcent and his PEG.
pie pave always been well satisfied.
1t is only case of stronger power
stepping in and taking away his land.
Thief United States government is the
4 power that has deposed the King of
L%ysan and annexed his country.
YESTERDAY The Advertiser received
tine following cablegram from its spe.
\ eial correspondent at Washington
"Ballinger has Cancelled Max Schlem.
mer's guano lease, holding that the Ter
land of Laysan."
Laysan a Bird Reserve.
\ under the jurisdiction of the territorial
|lt This means that Laysan is no longer
w government of Hawaii but that author
III ity over it has been assumed by the
federal government. This is in con-
4 formity with the proclamation issued
by President Taft about the first of
b last February, creating a bird reserve
out Of the small islands that lie be-.
y yond Hawaii to the west. 1t was not
known at that time whether or not
hLaysan was included in this reserve,
but apparently it was.
Max Schlemmer's lease Of the island
was renewed February s last, which
4 was eight days after President Taft
z had Signed his proclamation. This how
u everJ was not known in Hawaii at the
n timei, the proclamation not being re.
ceiVjed here until after the lease had
bee}h signed.
Some doubts were felt both by Gov.
er5hor Frear and King Max at the time
iM regard to the validity of the lease,
Vnd lately Governor Frear, at the solic-
A ftation of Captain Schlemmer, wrote
4 Ito the authorities at Washington for
information in this regard. He has not
4 heard from them yet, but the cable
ingram received by The Advertiser set
tiles the question.
IA Effect of a Story.
AZ This cablegram, coming as it does
right on top of the one received the
] day before stating that the Kukui is
10 be sent to the bird islands to pro-
feet the sea fowl from japanese poach,
ers, and following within two weeks
on the story published in The Adver-
tiser to the effect that the birds of
the bird islands are being ruthlessly
slaughtered by Japanese skin hunters,
makes it appear that the publication
of the fact that the Japanese are kill
ing off the sea fowl of the islands has
reached Washington and has had imme-
date effect.
.Laysan is one of the islands where
the Japanese skin-hunters have been
doing their bloody and wasteful work.
Captain Schlemmer, when seen last
Jnight, stated that last year during his
iabsence from the island, parties of
i ,yskin-hunters landed there and not only
. \ killed thousands of sea fowl which they
despoiled of their plumage, but slaugh-
tered great numbers wantonly, making
no effort to remove the feathers and
skins He believes that this was done
ION account of jealousy among different
4 parties of hunters, who killed many of
the birds simply to keep Others from
getting them. They simply slaughter.
ed the helpless breeding fowl and left
them lying on the ground to rot. They
have virtually cleared the island of
birds already, and it would take only
another year or so of such ruthless
bird murder to drive all the birds from
Laysan.
Wanton Slaughter.
This, says Captain Schlemmer, has
already been done on other islands
Frigate Shoals has been absolutely
cleared of birds by the japanese, and
many other islands in that part of the
world as we'll.
Last year the japanese not only kill
ed the small birds whose wings they
want, but, for the first time, SO far
as is known, slaughtered the larger
birds as well. such as the goonies.
IL seems that, in order to put the
birds under the protection of the fed
eral government, the Washington au
thorities have decided to take Laysan
away from King Max. When he is
there, he can keep the japanese from
committing their depredations. But a
large part of the time, the King il
absent from his country, and unless
there il some one there 10 prevent them
the poachers work their own sweet will
Up TO this time the proclamation OF
the bird reserve has had little or No
effect for there has been no way OF
enforcing the provisions Of tho pro
elamation. There is no revenue cutter
& Ia these waters and no one 10 go after
-. the poAthrff,
But now that the Kukui has been
commissioned temporarily revenue cut
ter, there IL trouble In sight for "a,
bird killers, aud they will be forced
90 stop their bloody work.
King Loses His Throne,
nut King Mua has LOST his thfon,
aud his Kingdom, The little sand spit
~ lying lonely ln tho midst NJ the fa
H ellie, which has foF no long been hll
IL hlme ami ihe homo ~ lla fatally, ihi
3N nindssepi inls where W. las brought NJ
biz elildlen SAD 20 and fgom Wbieh h'