Nuhou, Volume II, Number 12, 22 August 1873 — Our Water Supply [ARTICLE]

Our Water Supply

j 1-6 Tumiing »iiort. und il' tlic rtuthoritios iio not j exercise a thoughtful provision tho mterests of | tliib totMi anu port uiay be seriously crippl(\l In ' the future. Tho presorvation, nmī increaso of I thc water supply should be ono of tho first eoneidorations of an inteUigent govormnont. Seo how Franoe, Gerninny, and ītaly look to sueh an csseutiul intoresr of the countvy. l ? raneo will aot ullow a man to eut down a treo on his own laud, without tho of eommlssioncrsj whose di\xy it i> to $ee that thoro ehaHhe 110 loss ot fbrestj whieh ean po?siWy nffect the vrater fmpply of the eountry. Those dry and windy ielnnds preeminently neod sueli ovorsight on tho pnrt of govci : iiment. Xo lan<i shoulci be leased without eouditions being imposed that loōk to the presemtiou of the natural c\nor of the laud. We should havo u of forests 4 main!y iu ,the iutere«?t o( watc,r $upfly. We wlll uot undortako at t!mo to disons> t !)0 ipiestion as i " i *} .. - - i- - • -

to \vhothei' athaot laln or ijot. Hain r doubt wou!d fall, if a!l the ani eve:; raonntain side and t6p wer<' as bare Bowl; but in such a state how long \vould yoi" itfater remain in the land? Vou know it woi«!' rush in one grand torrent to the sea ; an»l then a few days youi* land \yould be paiehe'l and bur: uatil another shower and torrent euine, ' In view uf tliis we say, it Is t!.-. the supply of the' !Suuanu streams ean ho •« nbundn.nt nnd bteady us they weve Hfty yt.-;n\s u'g. When so sarge a porilon of the vallev was almoBt impassable for£st, The niL>isture has si>v, no shelter, no dense |shrubbery 5 and "roots ar ieav2s, and soft porous mold through wliio:i : gently ooze and percol|;ite, and so maintain a Culti,nued and uniform distribution, The grour." being bare, the water 'eoon evaporates, and «h:-.- * off: and if the destruetion of forest and''elimhh.e:; gbes on, whieh is now Jtaking plaee r,n goveniiiī'e: lands at the head of pur water supply, we tu:r have the growth of; our eountry endanger»; by a short sighted that rents mountai raiige for a few liuiidred dollars, to be strippe<] _ it|s cover, wlueh if enplosed and be wortli to the eountry inealeulahle weaHli, i the future.

1 For heavensake—look to the water scpj; of the furure, and doiv t let us live aod mull iike some ignorant riatives we bave seeo, wL. wbuld cufc down the|eover of their le: tfyeir horees tramp it, into mud, and when drie up, would toil fe> the|mountain top, and spen> r the day in getting a *upply whieli, but for the'.bijutal short-sightedne«fs, they woukl lmve l.ii-l, ;• their doors. | ! We hear sad aecovmts of the destruetion J forest on Kauai, and indeed on all the lsland* ; catfcle ehiefly> and by goats and ehaieoal burnei> We know of distri<efs many square mlles :: e^tent that were covered with a live forest whe: wq iirst eame to the whieu is uow aee.J aqd the land is only eojvered with deeajing skel; - tobs of trees. The de6truetion of forest throug; - oiit this arehipelago is most lamentable; at»d the:\ is not a finger raiscd|by those in authenty ■ stay this \vasteful desolation of the ho[>e of tu country, A few enlighteued men» sueh as th. proprietois and mauagprs of Ulupalakuiu Uniki Makawao,rLihue, and others whom * have not the lionor tp kuow, are tryiug t j d, sopiethiug in the \vay of forest eultlvation i. eompensate for this wasteful destructton } aud . en T t atrai \ve hwe p!anted t!i:\. trees for every one we eut down, yet we must tlrat the work of destruetion pivvaits; aud i more enlightened and|energetie men do not se-; get control of the affa|irs of this eouutvy it \\ i: heeome by-and-by like a used up raneti ni exjnration of a long Chinese lease