482 
needs  of  the  situation  pointed  to  the  necessity  for  prompt  action 
but  owing  to  a variety  of  circumstances  the  actual  setting  apart  of 
this  reserve  has  been  again  and  again  delayed.  Chief  among  the 
reasons  for  the  delay  were  the  prolonged  litigation  over  the 
Parker  Ranch  and  the  difficulty  of  bringing  to  the  point  of  action 
the  various  interests  concerned  with  the  reservation  of  certain 
private  lands  in  Kohala  proper  that  are  needed  to  complete  the 
forest  reservation. 
In  October,  1908,  I submitted  a report  recommending  the 
reservation  of  the  summit  of  the  Kohala  Mountain,  embracing 
“the  area  of  existing  forest  not  already  included  in  the  Hamakua 
Pali  Forest  Reserve,  together  with  the  private  forest  reserve 
above  Kukuihaele,  and  the  two  forest  covered  gulches  at  the  west 
end  of  the  mountain,  Iionokane  and  Pololu,  a total  area  of 
approximately  27,160  acres.”  I recommend  further  that  as  soon 
as  paracticable  there  be  added  to  this  reserve  the  forested  section 
above  the  Kohala  plantations,  now  in  private  ownership,  and  the 
lands  of  Kehena  2,  Kahua  1 and  2 and  Waika.  On  the  3rd  of 
December,  1908,  the  Committee  on  Forestry  recommended  that 
this  area  be  included  with  that  originally  recommended,  and  that 
steps  be  taken  to  secure  a complete  description  so  that  the  whole 
area  might  be  set  apart  as  a reserve.  I immediately  requested  the 
Survey  Department  to  complete  the  survey  of  this  area.  The  field 
work  has  been  done  and  the  data  is  now  in  such  shape  that  a 
description  can  quickly  be  compiled.  The  description  has  not  yet 
been  furnished,  however,  because  in  the  meantime  the  question  of 
the  turning  over  of  the  private  lands  to  the  Government  has 
reached  the  point  where  it  seems  advisable  to  have  the  compila- 
tion of  the  description  await  the  definite  settlement  of  boundaries 
on  the  ground. 
From  a number  of  visits  to  Kohala  and  a careful  study  of  the 
situation  in  its  various  aspects,  it  is  my  judgment  that  for  the  best 
interests  of  all  concerned  there  should  be  permanently  maintained 
under  a forest  cover  the  area  that  for  some  years  has  b^en  treated 
as  a private  forest  reserve  above  the  plantations,  together  with 
that  section  of  the  Kehena  and  Kahua  lands  lying  within,  that  is 
to  the  east  of,  the  Hooleipalaoa  Gulch,  which  starts  on  the  north  • 
ern  slopes  of  Puu  Pili.  This  is,  I believe,  the  best  boundary  that 
could  now  be  selected  for  this  portion  of  the  forest  reserve  for 
much  of  the  way  its  banks  are  steep  enough  to  form  a natural  bar- 
rier, and  it  is  as  good  a dividing  line  as  can  now  be  selected  be- 
tween the  land  that  should  be  held  in  forest  and  that  which  is 
proper  to  be  used  for  grazing. 
All  the  area  proposed  to  be  ac.ded  to  the  Kohala  Mountain 
Forest  Reserve  is  in  private  ownership.  Because  of  the  beneficial 
influence  which  I believe  this  area  of  forest  exerts  on  the  adjacent 
lands,  I have  always  held  that  the  plantation  interests  should  bear 
the  major  portion  of  the  cost  of  its  reservation.  In  so  doing  they 
would  only  be  acting  as  have  private  interests  in  other  districts 
in  the  Territory.  I believe  that  it  would  be  fair  for  the  different 
