National Parks. 



231 



Extracts from Report of the Secretary of the Interior. (1911.) 

 Bureau of National Parks. 



There are twelve national parks, embracing over 4,500,000 

 acres, which has been set apart from time to time by Congress 

 for the recreation of the people of the Nation, While public 

 interest in, and use of, these reservations is steadily increasing, 

 as shown by the growing number of visitors, adequate provision 

 has not been made for their efficient administration and sufficient 

 appropriations have not been made for their proper care and de- 

 velopment. At present, each of these parks is a separate and 

 distinct unit for administrative purposes. The only general sup- 

 ervision which is possible is that obtained by referring matters 

 relating to the national parks to the same officials in the office of 

 the Secretary of the Interior. Separate appropriations are made 

 for each park and the employment of a common supervising and 

 directing force is impossible. Many of the problems in park man- 

 agement are the same throughout all of the national parks and 

 a great gain would be obtained and substantial economics could 

 be effected if the national parks and reservations were grouped 

 together under a single administrative bureau. Bills to create 

 a bureau of national parks have heretofore been introduced in 

 Congress, and in my judgment they should immediately receive 

 careful consideration so that proper legislation for this purpose 

 may be enacted. Adequate appropriation should also be made 

 for the development of these pleasure grounds of the people, 

 especially through the construction of roads and trails, and their 

 proper care and maintenance. In several of the national parks 

 there are large private holdings which should be acquired by the 

 Government. 



National Parks and Reservations. 



Public interest in these national reservations, not only in this 

 country, but abroad, is constantly increasing, as is indicated by 

 the number of visitors thereto. During the past year the total 

 number of visitors to all these parks aggregated approximately 

 224,000, as against 198,506 in 1910. There is every reason to be- 

 lieve that travel thereto will be greatly augmented in the future, 

 especially during 1915, when the Panama-Pacific International 

 Exposition will be held in San Francisco, and the various trans- 

 continental roads will doubtless provide a transportation rate 

 calculated to attract visitors to the various reservations as well as 

 to the Exposition. 



