BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND  FORESTRY. 
DIVISION  OF  FORESTRY. 
REPORT  FOR  MARCH. 
Honolulu,  Hawaii,  April  7,  1909. 
Board  of  Commissioners  of 
Agriculture  and  Forestry, 
Honolulu. 
Gentlemen : I have  the  honor  to  submit  the  regular  report 
of  the  Division  of  Forestry  for  the  month  of  March,  1909. 
INTEREST  IN  CONSERVATION. 
The  most  notable  happening  from  a forest  standpoint  dur- 
ing March  has  been  the  popular  interest  that  has  been  aroused 
locally  in  the  conservation  of  natural  resources  through  a 
series  of  public  and  semi-public  meetings  that  have  been  held 
to  consider  this  important  subject. 
Following  the  Special  Conservation  hearing  before  the  Leg- 
islature on  March  1,  and  the  College  Club  meeting  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Governor  Frear  on  March  2,  of  which  mention  was 
made  in  the  report  of  this  Division  for  February,  there  have 
been  several  other  meetings  of  which  conservation  has  been 
the  subject.  Most  important  was  the  public  hearing  held  be- 
fore the  Legislature  on  March  8,  for  the  discussion  of  the  pro- 
posed special  income  tax  to  create  a fund  for  assisting  immi- 
gration and  for  conservation.  Many  prominent  business  men 
spoke  in  favor  of  the  bill  and  there  was  a unanimous  expres- 
sion of  opinion  as  to  the  necessity  for  the  conservation  of  the 
forests  and  the  wiser  use  of  the  streams.  This  meeting  was 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  hearing  on  a proposal  to  increase  the 
Territorial  revenues  through  raising  the  general  tax  rate,  held 
some  days  earlier,  when  many  of  the  same  men  who  favored 
the  immigration-conservation  measure  had  strongly  opposed 
any  increase  in  the  general  tax. 
On  March  8,  in  company  with  other  speakers,  I gave  a short 
talk  on  Conservation  before  the  Teachers’  Association,  at  the 
McKinley  High  School.  On  March  31  there  was  a meeting  of 
the  local  branch  of  the  Women’s  National  Rivers  and  Harbors 
Congress,  at  which  several  ladies  read  papers  on  forest  pro- 
tection and  other  conservation  topics.  Through  this  organiza- 
tion, and  largely  as  a result  of  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Augustus 
F.  Knudsen  of  Kekaha,  Kauai,  a number  of  local  organiza- 
tions have  become  affiliated  with  the  conservation  movement. 
One  of  these  new  societies  is  the  Conservation  Club  at  the 
