454 
crystalize  in  investigations  that  will  produce  the  results  desired. 
The  members  of  the  Rubber  Growers’  Association  are  in  position 
keenly  to  appreciate  the  benefit  that  it  would  have  been  to  the*m 
had  there  been  available  three  years  ago  a soil  map  of  this  Ter- 
ritory. In  the  interest  of  a further  extension  of  this  industry 
and  in  anticipation  of  other  agricultural  industries  which  ought  to 
be  established  here,  I bespeak  your  interest  and  assistance  in  back 
ing  up  those  of  us  who  are  endeavoring  to  get  Federal  and  other 
assistance  in  having  this  important  work  got  under  way. 
Not  to  get  too  far  away  from  the  text  of  my  remarks,  tree 
planting  on  otherwise  waste  land  is  an  example  of  the  wise  use  of 
a given  area.  From  the  investigations  of  the  Federal  Forest  Ser- 
vice and  of  others  connected  with  the  broad  movement  that  within 
the  last  few  years  has  come  to  bear  the  name  “Conservation,”  it  is 
apparent  that  in  the  future  there  is  going  to  be  a decided  scarcity 
of  wood.  Just  how  serious  this  will  be  and  whether  or  not  it  can 
be  truly  called  a wood  famine,  remains  to  be  seen,  but  it  is  beyond 
question  that  the  present  sources  of  supply  will  be  depleted  before 
provision  can  be  made  for  the  replenishment  of  the  stock.  When 
the  time  of  stress  comes,  Hawaii  will  not  be  immune  from  the 
pressure.  In  this  Territory  we  already  have  to  pay  higher  prices 
for  lumber  and  other  wood  products  than  are  customary  in  many 
parts  of  the  country.  It  behooves  us,  as  far  as  we  may,  to  pro- 
vide a local  source  of  supply.  Many  of  the  local  needs  for  wood 
can  be  met  from  island  grown  trees.  At  present  the  special  de- 
mand is  for  posts,  ties,  bridge  timbers  and  the  like,  and  in  some 
districts  fuel.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  native  forests  are 
needed  for  water  shed  protection,  for  it  is  more  important  that 
they  be  held  to  protect  and  safeguard  the  headwaters  of  the 
streams  than  that  they  be  used  for  any  other  purpose.  With  the 
stricter  administration  of  the  Territorial  Forest  Reserves  and  the 
exhaustion  of  the  stands  of  native  forest  outside  the  reserve  boun- 
daries, the  local  sources  of  wood  will  be  lessened,  which  will  lead 
directly  to  a rise  in  price  and  also,  incidentally,  to  better  stumpage 
rates  for  those  who  have  wood  to  sell. 
The  argument  which  I wish  to  make  to  the  members  of  this 
Association,  as  well  as  to  all  persons  in  Hawaii  who  have  land 
suitable  for  the  planting  of  trees,  is  that  they  take  serious  thought 
of  establishing  forest  plantations,  that  they  may  be  prepared  when 
the  time  of  stress  comes  not  only  to  reap  good  returns  themselves, 
but  also  to  be  able  to  relieve  what  I believe  will  then  be  a serious 
situation. 
From  the  experience  of  the  planting  which  has  already  been 
done  during  the  past  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  we  know  that 
forest  planting  in  Hawaii  is  not  only  a good  thing,  but  an  invest- 
ment yielding  a fair  profit.  We  are  not  yet  able  to  measure  this 
profit  in  exact  percentages,  but  we  do  know  that  the  account  will 
come  out  on  the  right  side  of  the  book.  In  connection  with  rubber 
growing  it  may  or  may  not  be  possible  and  advisable  to  establish 
plantations  of  eucalyptus  and  other  trees,  but  the  thought  that  I 
