Editorials
Friday, June 20, 1997IN a rare public appearance, a spokesman for the Robinson family has declared that the family has no intention of selling Niihau, which it purchased 133 years ago in the era of the monarchy. That statement by Keith Robinson is welcome because the family has made a unique contribution to the preservation of Hawaiian culture by banning most outsiders from Niihau and providing livelihoods for its Hawaiian residents. The family should be encouraged to continue its stewardship of the island, not harassed by unreasonable criticism. Niihau’s owners have
protected HawaiiansThe family statement was prompted by the Navy's announcement that it is considering a missile launch site on Niihau in conjunction with a new testing program at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai. The Navy already has a small installation on Niihau.
Robinson didn't commit the family to approving that proposal, but he asserted that it would resist any interference by Hawaiian activists in its decision and would defend its right to do business on its property as it sees fit.
The family says it has lost money on Niihau for decades and is searching for ways to generate income to make possible continuation of its role there. Robinson said it was possible that the family could be pushed into selling the island if it encountered too much interference with its affairs. However, a sale is not under consideration and is no more than a highly remote possibility, he added.
After 133 years, there can be no doubt that the Robinsons have acquitted themselves laudably as owners of Niihau. They have demonstrated that they can be trusted to make decisions for Niihau in the best interests of its native Hawaiian residents. Their critics have no comparable credentials.
IN an event loaded with symbolism, the outgoing British governor of Hong Kong made his farewell appearance before the colony's legislature as the July 1 turnover to China grew close. Gov. Chris Patten made a difference few could have anticipated in leading Hong Kong toward a more democratic government in the years before the turnover. Patten's farewell
Despite official assurances that China will leave Hong Kong alone, there are already signs that the freedoms of Hong Kong residents will be curtailed with the turnover. The changes may be small at first, but in the years to come China may gradually turn the screw until Hong Kong comes to resemble Singapore -- prosperous but rigidly controlled.
TODAY'S youngsters are known to be precocious about the emerging world of high technology but are given little credit for aptitude in dissecting the past. Enter 3-year-old David Shiffler, who unearthed a thin green rock with his toy backhoe and understood immediately what he had discovered. "I knew it was a dinosaur egg," says David, now 4. He was right. Little David's egg
We venture it's only a matter of time until the producers of "Jurassic Park" and its sequel, "The Lost World," get hold of David's story and find a way to make another dinosaur movie.
However, David's find, remarkable as it was, is not likely to result in thousands of dads taking their preteen sons and daughters to the country hunting for fossils. It came at the wrong time. Most fathers are preoccupied this year with guiding their toddlers through their first golf lessons in hopes of producing the next Tiger Woods.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
