33 



Mr. Blatnik. Getting back to the desirability, the attractiveness 

 of these areas, the attraction will be tliere and it will keep on drawing 

 like a magnet, more and more people. You can have industry ; you will 

 have commercial uses; home uses, preparational uses. Take all the 

 uses you can think of. The demands and pressures will continue. How 

 are you going to control that ? 



Secretary Hickel. No. 1, when I talk about national land use policy, 

 I envision in the next 10 or 20 years, in all the public domains — public 

 lands and public waters — that comprise the coastal zone and Conti- 

 nental Shelf; that we are going to have to set out an inventory and 

 catalog what is the wisest use of that piece of public water. Maybe it 

 is for marine life ; maybe it is for recreation ; maybe it is for naviga- 

 tion ; maybe it is for development. But I think we have never had a 

 real wise use of our lands in America. 



I am not saying that it has been wrong; I am just saying when you 

 look to the year 2000. is it going to be the wisest use of public domain 

 to graze a cow on 40 acres, or to do something else. And I am not 

 against grazing cattle. But, I am saying : is that the wisest use ? Is it 

 the wisest use of a piece of seashore to use it for a total residential 

 area ; to dump garbage in ; or is the wisest use maybe for a fishery or 

 for recreation or maybe even for mineral development ? 



But we liave to face the problem. The States can't face it. The public 

 demands it. 



I think we have to come up with some sort of a national land-use 

 policy for these public areas, these areas that really belong to the, 

 public. 



"We accept restrictions on our land. "We accept it when I buy a lot 

 or you buy a lot. "We accept the fact that we can use it for certain 

 purposes. I think it is a responsibility of ownership and the Govern- 

 ment has the ownership of these various vast areas. I think it is their 

 responsibility to come up with a plan. 



IVIr. Blatnik. "Wliat I am trying to emphasize — I am not question- 

 ing — is that your objectives are absolutely sound. I agree with you 

 on the utilization as well as th.e preservation. I agree with that. 



'\Vliat I am trying to say is that I am beginning to feel and to believe 

 more and more that there is something awesome about this population 

 distribution and no matter what we do, we are going to be behind with 

 evei'ything. This goes back to the core of the problem of our cities. 

 "We can't keep up with the traffic congestion, the air pollution, the 

 water pollution, the crime, the lack of educational facilities, recrea- 

 tional facilities, open spaces, drug control — you name it. No matter 

 what the activity is, we are behind. 



Now, say in water pollution, no matter how great our efforts are, 

 we are falling further and further behind. 



Secretary Hickel. I agree. 



Mr. Blatnik. No matter how good our intentions are or how knowl- 

 edgeable a few people may be as planners, I still don't see how we are 

 going to put into effect a workable program and to be able to discuss 

 it and put it into effect. 



Let me read one paragraph from an article: "Can Anyone "Want a 

 City," by Gus Tiler, assistant president of the International Ladies' 

 Garment Workers in the Saturday Keview of last November 8. I 



