Canadian Fonsliij Journal, Aiiyusl, 11)1/ 



1237 



of people to a districi. As a rule 

 the tourist seeks the best available 

 but only where it is readily accessible 

 and where there is satisfactorA,' ac- 

 commodation. 



Develoi)menl and organization is 

 as necessary in the tourist business 

 as in any other. No matter how 

 wonderful our Rockies may be, the 

 majority of people would not care 

 to visit them inless assured of com- 

 fort, convenience and safety. 



What National Parks Mean 

 National Parks provide in the best 

 way the necessary organization. They 

 first preserve and protect the area 

 forever and then see that it is made 

 as accessible as possible to all classes 

 of people. The Dominion Parks 

 Branch concerns itself with the cjiial- 

 ity of service of whatever kind ren- 

 dered by these dealing with the tour- 

 ist: Character of accommodation; 

 avoidance of congestion; protection 

 against extortion; provision of minor 

 attractions to fill in between the na- 

 ture trips; the construction and main- 

 tenance of roads and trails of first 

 class character in order that the 

 various attractions may be comfort- 

 ably and' safely, reached; special care 

 in the matter of the dust nuisance 

 and the rough road nuisance; super- 

 vision over sanitary ccndiaons; water 

 supply, horses and vehicles, guides, 

 drivers, charges and rates; furnishing 

 of full and rehable information; and, 

 generally, in not only reducing dis- 

 comforts to a minimum but so ad- 

 ministering matters that the tourist 

 shall be as well satisfied with the 

 treatment received while in the parks 

 as he is with the natural beauty of 

 the scenery. 



Publicity Pays 

 Although comparatively little has 

 been done in the w^ay of organized 

 pubhcity for the Canadian Parks, 

 they attract each year an increasing 

 volume of traffic. The total number 

 of visitors at the two chief resorts in 

 the Rockies — Banff and Lake Louise 

 — during the 5 years from 1910 to 

 1914 inclusive, was 321,823, about 

 half of whom were foreigners. In 

 1915, the year of the Pacific exhibi- 

 tions, the numbers reached over 100,- 



000. Ll is difficult to es;imaie what 

 this traffic is worth. The Secretary 

 of the Interior at Washington esti- 

 mates that in 1915 over 8100,000,000 

 of the money which formerly went 

 to Europe w^as diverted to the United 

 Stales National Parks. It is only 

 within recent years that the United 

 States government has recognized 

 that national parks pay in mere dol- 

 lars and cents, and it is now entering 

 upon a very active and aggressive 

 policy of publicity and development 

 in order to reap as much as possible 

 of the commercial benefits of its 

 national parks. 



The Coming of The Motor 



\Mthin the last two years a new 

 factor has developed which promises 

 to increase enormously tourist travel 

 to the national parks of both coun- 

 tries. This is the automobile. For- 

 merly almost all of the L'nited States 

 parks were closed to automobiles. 

 About a year or so ago as a result of 

 very strong representations they were 

 all finally thrown open and the influx 

 of travel resulting has been remark- 

 able. 



In 1915, 12,563 cars entered the 

 various parks. In 1916 there were 

 19,848 cars, carrying 78,916 tourists. 

 Mr. Stephen T. Mather, Assistant to 

 the Secretary of the Interior, who was 

 specially appointed by him to look 

 after parks administration and de- 

 velopment, says in his recent pro- 

 gress report: "This tremendous in- 

 crease in automobile travel leads to 

 one conclusion only, and that is, 

 that in the early future, travel in 

 private machines will overtake the 

 increasing railroad travel and con- 

 stitute the greater part of all park 



New Auto Roads 

 ^NTotor travel through the Can- 

 adian parks is as yet small, compared 

 with that in the United States parks 

 owing to the absence of through 

 motor roads in this country, but 

 when once the new transmontane 

 motor road from Calgary to ^'an- 

 couver is completed, there is no doubt 

 that thousands 'Of people will wish 

 to take advantage of the opportunity 

 of seeing the mountains in this in- 

 timate and delightful way. For it 



