THE NATIONAL PARKS SYSTEM 279 



Not only because of the summer warmth of her 

 valleys, suggesting escape, but as a natural result, 

 perhaps, of tourist example and highway opportu- 

 nity, California's restless permanent population has 

 itself taken ardently to the wheel. Automobile li- 

 censes equal in number a third of her total popula- 

 tion including babies. To these, and to the increased 

 permanent population which is expected to follow 

 the extensive advertising campaign now conducted 

 throughout the country, the cool altitudes of the Na- 

 tional Parks will offer irresistible attractions for re- 

 peated day and week-end runs. 



If we are to comprehend conditions of National 

 Park patronage in the Pacific states, and it is high 

 time that we did, considerations such as these must 

 engage our serious attention. We must understand 

 that the records of immense park patronage are 

 largely records of passers-by, dependent on the qual- 

 ity of the roads, and of neighborhood visitors out 

 for pleasure. To what extent the Federal Treasury 

 should finance new resorts for local patronage in 

 any state is one of the questions of the day. 



From this rapid touching of crowd conditions 

 a decade after dawn of the automotive age, many in- 

 teresting inferences may be drawn; and those per- 

 sonally not familiar with National Park conditions 

 beyond the roads and points of concentration may 

 easily foresee therein the certain doom of the Sys- 

 tem's precious primitive quality; but such a conclu- 

 sion, I feel sure, is far from warranted. It is true 



