w i° iRATIVE o0NlR °L OF PEARL AND 
HERMES REEF BY W* R. FARRINGTON 
GOVERNOR OF HAWAII. 
Fish- for 
Honolulu 
mark e t• 
Some months ago, the attention of the Territorial adminis- 
f 
tration was called to the status of the control of the land or 
reefs, west of the principal islands of the Territory of Hawaii. 
These reefs are a part of the Hawaiian group, but only recently 
v> 
have they figured in the economic scheme of Hawaii. 
A group of Honolulu business men organized to carry on 
fishing operations in that vicinity. They sought an additional 
supply of food fish for the Honolulu market. The first enter¬ 
prise was not a success. A few months ago, another group pur¬ 
chased the ship and arranged to finance the fishing operations 
on a more extensive scale. This contemplated the housing of a 
number of their fishermen and equipment on one of the islands of 
the Pearl and Hermes Reef, so that there might be a permanent 
4 
Bird Re- 
servation 
executive 
order. 
» 
establishment on the fishing grounds while their vessel was 
making the trip to Honolulu. 
An executive order issued by President Roosevelt, on 
February 3, 1909, placed these islands under a bird reservation 
for the protection of bird life. A citizen residing in Honolulu 
has served for some years past as Bird Warden* His police authori- 
ty was largely psychological* He had no way of visiting the reef 
and was therefore unable to exercise police authority. It had 
been presumed, generally speaking, that the police power, authoriz- 
ed under the executive order, had reference Ao the destruction of 
/ 
birds but did not necessarily include the control of the land 
" *. ... . • i. . -4 [ -y ' '. '•'* • • ...... 1 . ' 
for industrial purposes* 
' 
