331 



"It might be possible, if the work were clone under careful 

 restrictions, .to remove some of the mature trees from the 

 Piihonua forest without detriment to its water conserving 

 qualities ; but to make lumbering profitable the operations 

 would have to be conducted on a large scale. This would 

 inevitably involve the opening up of considerable areas in 

 sections where A COMPLETE FOiREST COVER IS MOST 

 NEEDED. Such a policy on this particular watershed would 

 be fraught with danger. It is a risk which I do not believe 

 the Territory should take ; for the money to be obtained as 

 stumpage would in no way compensate for the injury that 

 would result were the regular flow of the Wailuku river 

 seriously interfered with. * * * 



UTILIZATIOiN OE TIMBER. 



"Second: The forest policy of the Territory has been, and 

 is, to create a chain of forest reserves that are essentially 'pro- 

 tection forests.' 



"ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE ISLAN,D, 

 WHERE, BECAUSE OF THE ABSENCE OE RUNNING 

 STREAMS WATERSHED PROTECTIO'N DOES NOT 

 FIGURE, I AM IN FAVOR OF UTILIZING THE MER- 

 CHANTABLE TIMBER. BUT O'N THE WIN.DWARD 

 SIDE OF HAWAII I BELIEiVE THAT THE FOREST 

 IN THE SEVERAL ESTABLISHED FOREST RE- 

 SERVES, SHOULD, FOR THE MOST PART, BE KEPT 

 INTACT, AT ANY RATE FO'R THE. PRESENT. * * - 



"Third: My third reason is from a professional standpoint 



"Forestry rests on a business as well as on a scientific basis. 



"In the consideration of such a problem as the lumbering of 

 the Piihonua forest, the factor of whether or not it would 

 pay is an essential one. 



"Even were it desirable that lumbering should be permit- 

 ted, it would, in my judgment, be necessary, in order to safe- 

 g'uard the favorable conditions of stream flow that now exist, 

 to load the contract with stringent regulations as to the area 

 to be logged, the methods to be used and the subsequent 

 treatment of the tract." 



Mr. Hosmer concludes that in the instance under consid- 

 eration these regulations would leave no margin of profit for 

 the contractor, and that, therefore it would be unjustifiable 

 to recommend foresting under conditions which could not 

 result in profit. 



