Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Volume XXXI, Number 4, 20 May 1936 — WOULD ENLARGE NATIONAL PARK [ARTICLE]

WOULD ENLARGE NATIONAL PARK

Samuel Wilder King, Hawaii's delegate to Congress, on April 15, introduced a bill in the house which provides for the Kalapana and Footprint auditions to the Hawaii National Park. Edward G. Wingate, superintendent of the park, commenting on the bill has said: One will note from an examination of the description of the boundaries that the Kalapana addition excludes all land in the vicinity of Kalapana village now occupied as homesites. The eastern boundary of addition is the existing boundary between the lands of Kahaualea and Kaunaloa. The present dirt road running westward from Kalapana ends at this boundary, also, all dwellings are to the east of this line. Should the bill meet with the approval of Congress and the included lands be transfessed to the Interior Department, it will be possible to then construct the long proposed road from Kalapana to the the National Park. I have provided for this construction in the six year development plan recently transmitted to the department covering the years 1938 to 1943 inclusive. The estimated cost of constructing the road is $532,000.

One feature of the bill includes several provisions designed to better the conitions of the Hawaiian people. It provides opportunities for Hawaiians of 50 per cent or more blood to occupy available land for subsistence home site purposes, to be given preference in employment on construction projects, restricts fishing in order this food supply. The choice of whether or not the Hawaiian people avail themselves of these privileges rests entirely with them. The Kalapana extension includes portions of lands at Kahaualea, Panaunui and Apua and all of the lands of Poupou, Pulama, Kamoamoa, Laeapuki, Kealakomo and Kahue, in the district of Puna and a portion of the land of Keauhou, in the district of Kau. The Kalapana extension involves 43,340 acres.

The Footprint extension would add 5730 acres to the park. The proposed legislation has been referre to the committee on public lands and ordered to be printed Honolulu Advertiser