It deserves special mention here. Last sea- 
son, 12,563 cars registered at the portals 
of the various parks, and this year’s re- 
ports show that 19,848 cars, carrying 
78,916 tourists, passed through them and 
made tours of the parks. The number of 
tourists entering the parks in private cars 
is astonishing when one takes into consid- 
eration the fact that they have been opened 
to motor traffic only a few years and that 
one of the larger parks has only been open 
a season and a half. 
Much has been done, however, to en- 
courage motor travel to these two parks. 
Automobile maps have been issued under 
the direction of the superintendent of na- 
tional parks, Mr. R. B. ^Marshall, showing 
clearly all hotels, camps, and supply sta- 
tions, as well as roads in the parks. These 
also give information as to the roads and 
distances between points outside of their 
boundaries. For instance, the map of Yel- 
lowstone Park indicates the highways lead- 
ing to the various entrances of the park 
from the states of Idaho, ^Montana and 
Wyoming. 
Another feature of motor travel deserv- 
ing mention is the revenue that is derived 
from automobile fees for park purposes. 
This year, $65,311 was received from auto- 
mobile fees as against $42,589 in 1915, and 
$14,245 in 1914. Vigorous protests have 
been made against this direct tax on the 
motorists, but it must be maintained until 
larger appropriations are made for the 
construction and maintenance of roads 
suitable for motor traffic. Perhaps it should 
be continued indefinitely as a means of 
providing funds to repair the natural wear 
and tear on roads and bridges, the deteri- 
oration of which is unusually severe where 
they are used extensively by motor cars. 
It is natural and fitting that the rapidly 
increasing interest in national parks on the 
part of the people should favorably affect 
the attitude of Congress toward them. Ap- 
propriations for their improvement and 
protection for the current fiscal year were 
considerably larger than those of previous 
years, $511,300 for 1917 being appropriated 
as against $252,550 for the fiscal year 1916 
and $283,590 for 1915. For the first time 
also funds have been provided for the 
care and protection of the national monu- 
ments under the Interior Department, many 
f>f which have scenic as well as historical 
value. Twenty-one thousand five hundred 
dollars was appropriated for the fiscal 
year 1917. 
Recognition has also been given for the 
first time to the danger of destruction 
which has threatened most of the largest 
and noblest trees in the world, the Big 
Tree*- f Sequoia xt'ashiuf/tnuiajw j of .Sefiuoia 
National Park. These Big Trees stand on 
lanrl patented to citizens of California be- 
fore the creation of park, and can be de 
'troyed at any time by their owners. The 
stmdry civil act of July 1. 1916, which 
carries all national park appro[)riations for 
the current fiscal year, contains a provision 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
making available the sum of $50,000 for the 
purchase of the private holdings on which 
these splendid trees are growing. Negotia- 
tions with the owners of these lands in 
the Giant Forest, which this section of the 
park is called, disclosed the inadequacy of 
this appropriation to effect their purchase. 
Seventy thousand dollars was demanded 
for all of these holdings and all other hold- 
ings of the same interests, and no tract 
could be purchased unless all of the prop- 
erties were included in the transaction. 
The outlook for the perpetual preserva- 
tion of the Giant Forest was growing dark 
when co-operation in the safeguarding of 
the forest was tendered by the National 
Geographic Society. On November 10, the 
board of managers of the society arranged 
to apply $20,000 of the funds of their or- 
ganization to cover the difference between 
the purchase price of the forest land and 
the congressional appropriation ; and by 
this generous action we are now able to 
extinguish the largest private ownership of 
the great trees of the park, and insure 
their preservation for our generation and 
for posterity. The holdings purchased 
with this additional fund will be donated 
to the Federal Government. The members 
of the National Geographic Society may 
justly be proud of their participation in 
this national enterprise. Their contribu- 
tion marks an important step in the prog- 
ress of the science of geography, a science 
which has received such a tremendous 
stimulus through the activities of the 
society. 
The special legislation of greatest im- 
portance was the passage of the national 
park service bill, providing for the estab- 
lishment of a bureau in Washington to 
administer as a properly co-ordinated sys- 
tem all of the national parks and the na- 
tional monuments under the jurisdiction 
of the Interior Department. This substi- 
tutes efficiency for the former haphazard 
consideration of each separate park by a 
small force in the office of the chief clerk 
of the department, already burdened with 
numerous other important duties. 
This measure provides for the appoint- 
ment of a director and assistant director 
as the executive officers of the bureau and 
a small corps of clerks, stenographers, etc., 
all charged with the performance of duties 
relating solely tf) the administration and 
supervision of tlie national park svstem. 
It is an important step forward which 
renders possible the realization of the 
manifest destine of our national parks as 
one economic asset. 
Next in importance may be mentioned 
the creation of the new Lassen Volcanic 
National Bark in Californa, atid the Hawaii 
Natir)nal Bark which etnbraces the craters 
of the three great volcanoes, Kilaitca, 
.Manna Loa and llaleakala, on the I la 
w.'iiian Dlands. 
It has been your desire that ultimately 
the revenues of the several parks might 
be sufficient to cover the costs of their 
327 
administration and protection and that 
Congress should only be requested to ap- 
propriate funds for their improvement. It 
appears that at least five parks now have 
a proven earning capacity sufficiently large 
to make their operation on this basis fea- 
sible and practicable. They are Yellow- 
stone. Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Sequoia 
and General Grant. Accordingly estimates 
have only been submitted to Congress for 
appropriations for improvements of these 
parks. 
The revenues of Rocky Mountain, IMesa 
Verde, Crater Lake and the new Lassen 
Volcanic parks are covered into the mis- 
cellaneous receipts of the federal treas- 
ury. Legislation providing for the use of 
the revenues of these parks in their im- 
provement or for administrative purposes 
is earnestly recommended. 
Automobile travel in Yellowstone Park 
was very heavy during the season wdiich 
has just closed; 3,445 automobiles, carry- 
ing 14,980 tourists, entered and toured the 
park. The majority of these visitors pat- 
ronized the hotels and camps, thus ma- 
terially augmenting the revenues of these 
enterprises in a season when their income 
from regular sources w'as considerably re- 
duced by special conditions. To accommo- 
date those motorists who carried their 
own camp equipment, four large automo- 
bile shelter camps were established near 
the principal points of interest in the park. 
From the railroad terminus, the Cody- 
Syh'an Pass Motor Co. transported tour- 
ists to the Lake Hotel in the park, wdiere 
they were transferred to horse - drawn 
stages operating on the park “circle.” 
Still a fourth eTitrance, that on the south, 
is planned. It is my hope that it wdll be 
opened for regular tourist travel by next 
season. This gateway will afford an un- 
surpassed opportunity to view the Teton 
Mountains, Jackson Lake and the other 
distinguished features of Jackson Hole. 
The rairoad terminus nearest this entrance 
to the park is the town of Victor on the 
Oregon Short Line. \\’lien roads now 
l)uilding are completed. tra\cl by prirate 
motor car through Jackson Hole and the 
southern entrance will be heavy indeed. 
Because the stage horses on the lielt-line 
road were unaccustomed to automol)iles, it 
has been necessary to operate both horse- 
drawn and motor-driven vehicles on sched- 
ules th.'it prevented the two types of traffic 
from meeting anywdierc in the park. This 
was somewhat cumbersome and caused 
some inconvenience, but the schedule was 
;i vei'y reasonable one and was generally 
(ibeved implicitly. 'I'he time has come now, 
however, w lu n all trans[)ortalion lines in 
the i)ark must be motorized, and step' are 
to be t.iken ;it oiici' to bring the I'hangc 
about. 
I have no doubt that the antiquated 
method of handling tomist> in ^'ellow- 
stone Natiomd Bark was responsible in 
part for tlu- great reduction in railroad 
travel there this season. Visitor^ have al 
