6 
development side. But both sides are intensely practical. Even 
forests are not created or maintained merely for aesthetic or 
sentimental reasons. They are maintained to increase and con- 
serve the rainfall and for commercial purposes. 
Natural resources are usually classified into forests, waters, 
minerals and lands. To these, in this sea-girt Territory, we 
may add fisheries. Public health also is fast coming by general 
acquiescence to be included in the list. 
I need say little in regard to fisheries, except that it is a ques- 
tion to be carefully considered, especially in view of the im- 
portance of fish as an article of diet among certain portions of 
our population, whether the supply cannot be increased through 
the establishment of fish hatcheries. Nor need I dwell on the 
question of minerals, although we produce some lime and build- 
ing stone and may in a few million years produce iron. Dr. 
Hobdy, I believe, is scheduled to speak on health. Mr. Hosmer 
is to speak on forests, which, although highly important, are, after 
all, mainly incidental to water. Air. Gartley, ]\Ir. Smith and Dr. 
Hitchcock are to speak on various phases of water, which, in 
turn, although more directly important than forests, is after all 
mainly incidental to land, which, in the last analysis, is Hawaii's 
prime natural resource. When we get to the subject of land in 
this conservation problem, we get down to bedrock or hardpan — 
of which, I regret to say, too much of our land is composed. 
This land question has many phases, such as those of trans- 
• portation facilities, methods of cultivation, irrigation, suitability 
of crops, protection from pests, marketing, finances, etc., but I 
shall confine myself to one, namely, that of area and with special 
reference to two present problems. 
There are a little more than four million acres of land in this 
Territory, of which, perhaps, a quarter of a million or so are 
under cultivation and perhaps another quarter of a million of 
public land and a third quarter of a million of private land may 
be capable of being brought under cultivation, but not all of it 
under existing conditions. One of the most important questions 
is how to make as much as possible of this area available for 
cultivation, that is, how to utilize it to the best advantage. I will 
suggest only two methods at this time. 
There are perhaps a hundred thousand acres that can be re- 
claimed by irrigation. An equal area, or about one-half of the 
present sugar lands, has been thus reclaimed through private 
enterprise, and this produces about two-thirds of the sugar crop. 
The additional hundred thousand acres probably cannot be re- 
claimed through an extension of the Federal Reclamation Ser- 
vice to Hawaii, because there is too much reclamation work to 
be done on the mainland. This must be done, if at all, by the 
Territory or by private enterprise and probably through the issu- 
ance of bonds. It is doubtful whether the Territory should issue 
bonds in sufficient amount for this purpose, especially in view 
