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tie plates are expensive, besides being not entirely satisfactory in 
other respects. Tie plates made of ohia lumber have recently 
come into use in Hawaii. These consist of boards about an 
inch thick, a foot long, and as wide as the tie, grooved to receive 
the rail, and provided with two holes for spikes. The hardness, 
strength and durability of ohia are qualities which render it a 
suitable material for tie plates. Great care should be taken, 
however, that the wood used for this purpose is thoroughly sea- 
soned, for otherwise the plates will warp or break. 
Camp of Japanese loggers.’ 
Every effort should be made to introduce ohia lumber to the 
coast. It is by far too good a wood to be sawed into ties. It 
should be able to compete with almost any hard wood at present 
on the market for purposes in which strength, hardness, dura- 
bility and attractiveness are the leading requirements. This in- 
troduction can be accomplished by wider advertisement, and es- 
pecially by introducing into the market the finished products. 
The importance of having these products properly manufactured 
and free from defects cannot be emphasized too strongly. 
