Editorials
Thursday, July 17, 1997THE state Water Commission steered a course of compromise in drafting its decision on the disposition of water that has nurtured Leeward Oahu agriculture for decades through the Waiahole Ditch. This appeared to be the only reasonable approach to the issue. However, as with any compromise, it falls short of satisfying the demands of the disputing parties. Proposed compromise
on Waiahole waterThe decision isn't final; the parties involved can file written exceptions and oral arguments will be heard next month. After a final decision is made, the parties can appeal to the state Supreme Court. That means the issue is still far from final resolution. Yet the draft decision is an essential step in the process and could well survive to become the ultimate formula.
Under the decision, Leeward Oahu landowners would receive 10.24 million gallons a day; a total of 16.76 million would remain in Windward Oahu. Of the Windward share, 6 million gallons is guaranteed; another 10.76 million gallons would remain in the streams as an "unpermitted" reserve including 3.1 million earmarked for future Leeward agricultural use.
Windward advocates have urged a full stop to diversion of water to the Leeward side, arguing that the water is needed to restore Windward streams, expand taro farming and other traditional Hawaiian practices, and revive fishing in Kaneohe Bay. Leeward advocates have pointed to the efforts to establish diversified agriculture on former sugar lands that receive the full 27 million gallons from the Waiahole Ditch.
This is not a black and white issue. Both sides have merit, and the water must be divided accordingly. If diversified agriculture is to have a future on Oahu, it undoubtedly needs the cheap water that the Waiahole Ditch can provide, but probably less than sugar required.
The remainder should stay on the Windward side to provide a limited restoration of the water flow that existed before the construction of the ditch 80 years ago.
The difficulty is striking the right balance. The commission's plan to leave the way open for future increases in the allocation to the Leeward side as needed seems reasonable.
THE Korean War ended 44 years ago, but it was deja vu in the Demilitarized Zone yesterday as North and South Korean soldiers exchanged gunfire in one of the most serious border clashes in recent years. Certainly this was no way to signal a desire to talk with South Korea. It was the latest of many indications that North-South hostility remains strong. Washington can't afford to be lulled into complacency by the North's acceptance of the peace talk proposal. The warning of a prominent North Korean defector that Pyongyang is preparing for war must not be shrugged off. Clash in the DMZ
THE role of blocking children from indecent material on the Internet properly belongs to parents, with cooperation from the computer industry. The U.S. Supreme Court made that clear last month when it ruled that the 1996 Communications Decency Act improperly restricted free-speech rights of adults when it tried to protect children from such material. Parents' groups and computer organizations are taking steps to make it easier to shield children from cybersmut, which should discourage any more overreaching legislation. Smut on the Internet
Whatever agreement is reached would be preferable to government censorship.
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
