National Forest to that corporation in exchange for lands and timber owned by it in the park and forest, the exchange values in each case to be equal. This contract is now being carried into effect under supervision of the representatives of the department in the park. The act of Congress approved May 13, 1914 (38 Stat., 376), for the purpose of preserving scenic features and consolidating certain forest lands belonging to the United States within the Sierra National Forest and the Yosemite National Park, Cal., authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, on the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and after obtaining and accepting for the Government of the United States a valid title to the land to be acquired, which title shall be approved by the Secretary of the Interior, to exchange lands belonging to the United States within the Sierra National Forest for privately owned timberlands of approximately equal area lying within the boundaries of said national forest and the Yosemite National Park. Under this statute an exchange of lands has been consummated which will result in the addition of 160 acres of land to the park. Senate bill 5433, which passed the Senate on June 5, 1914, authorized the Secretary, for the purpose of eliminating private holdings within the Glacier National Park, and to preserve the natural timber along the roads in the scenic portions of the park on patented and park lands, to obtain for the United States a complete title to any or all lands held in private or State ownership within the park "by the exchange of dead, decadent, or matured timber that can be removed from any part of the park without affecting the scenic beauty thereof, or from Government lands within the metes and bounds of the national forests within the State of Montana," and also to exchange for patented lands in the park Government lands of equal value within national forests in said State, the lands in the national forests to be offered in exchange to be determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. This bill, however, failed to become a law. Jurisdiction.-The United States has exclusive jurisdiction over the lands in Yellowstone Park within the State of Wyoming and also over the lands within Glacier National Park, Mont., and Platt National Park, Okla., and Congress has provided a means of enforcement of the laws and regulations pertaining thereto. In the other national parks, however, over which the laws of the States in which they are located obtain, great difficulties in administration have been encountered, owing to the fact that the department has no jurisdiction to punish offenses in violation of the regulations relating thereto, and especially in the matter of preventing depredations on game and the selling of liquor therein. Conservation of wild animal life.-The national parks, free as most of them are from all public lumbering and private grazing enterprises, and protected by law from hunting of any kind, alone have the seclusion and other conditions essential for the protection and propagation of wild animal life. Eventually they will become great public nature schools to which teachers and students of animal life will repair yearly for investigation and study. The enormous increase of wild animals in the Yellowstone since it became a national park in 1872 points the way. Deer, elk, moose, bison, and antelope here abound in greater numbers no doubt than before the days of the white man; and many of them have become almost as fearless of man as animals in captivity. From here many State, county, and city parks have been supplied, under proper restrictions, with surplus animals for propagation purposes. When interfering private holdings are extinguished in other national parks and United States laws made to supersede State laws, these, too, will become centers of animal preservation as effective as the Yellowstone. Increasing park areas.-Congress so carefully cut the boundaries of the national parks to the express purpose for which each was created that, in some instances, scenic features of the very first order were excluded. In the careful study which the department has since made of each such territory it has become apparent that, in several instances, outlying territory should be added to these reservations. The most distinguished of these instances is Sequoia National Park, the boundaries of which should be extended to include the superb Kings Canyon on the north and on the east the Kern Canyon and the west slope and summit of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain under the American flag; also other instances are the Continental Divide for a few miles south of the new Rocky Mountain National Park, together with several small outlying features of extraordinary beauty. New national parks. Of the 10 or more scenic neighborhoods claiming national-park status the most distinguished is the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, now classed as a national monument. This is one of the greatest natural show places of the world. It demands and should have immediate recognition and development as a national park. Other proposed national parks have scenic value and availability of high degree and will be considered as they come prominently before Congress through the desires and activities of the people of their respective States. It is the policy of the department not to actively seek the creation of new national parks but to develop and administer all such reservations accepted by Congress and intrusted to its care. General superintendent of national parks.-Mr. Mark Daniels, general superintendent and landscape engineer of the national parks under this department, made inspections during the year of the Mesa Verde, Platt, and Wind Cave national parks and the Hot Springs Reservation; supervised the enforcement of the regulations in the parks, the laying out of roads and trails, designing of buildings and structures, and the planning of general improvements; provided for the establishment of a unit cost-keeping system in the Yosemite National Park which has resulted in considerable saving, supervised the construction of a concrete bridge in the Mount Rainier National Park, and wooden bridges in the Yosemite National Park, and supplied plans and specifications for several different types of concrete bridges for other parks; replanned the road sprinkling system in Yosemite, established an automobile schedule therein, designed a complete road and trail system for five of the parks, prepared plans for a new village in Yosemite, installed a purchasing branch for the several national parks in San Francisco and purchased through the same materials for most of the western parks, and gave attention to many other details of park administration. Proposed national park service.—In the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior for 1911, in discussing national-park affairs, he stated: 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 development. At present each of these parks is a separate and distinct unit for administrative purposes. The only general supervision 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 management are the same throughout all of the national parks, and a great gain would be obtained and substantial economies 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 a special message to Congress, dated February 3, 1911, President Taft stated: I earnestly recommend the establishment of a bureau of national parks. Such legislation is essential to the proper management of those wondrous manifestations of nature, so startling and so beautiful that every one recognizes the obligations of the Government to preserve them for the edification and recreation of the people. A bill (S. 826, 63d Cong., 1st sess.) to establish the national park service, and for other purposes, was reported favorably from the Senate Committee on Public Lands, but failed to become a law. There are hereto appended tables giving the location, date of establishment, area, private holdings, if any, and number of visitors, and the special characteristics of the various national parks under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, the appropriations made by Congress for the protection and improvement thereof during 1915 and nine years prior thereto, as well as revenues derived from leases, privileges, and concessions in said reservations received during said period; also a statement of the automobile receipts during 1915. NATIONAL MONUMENTS AND PRESERVATION OF AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. By an act approved June 8, 1906, entitled "An act for the preservation of American antiquities," the President of the United States is authorized, "in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments." Under such authority the President has created 30 monuments: National monuments administered by Interior Department. 3 Originally set aside by proclamation of Apr. 16, 1908, and contained only 120 acres. Administrative conditions.-The supervision of these various monuments has, in the absence of any specific appropriation for their protection and improvement, necessarily been intrusted to the field officers of the department having charge of the territory in which the several monuments are located. As stated in the last annual report, the administrative conditions continue to be unsatisfactory, since no appropriation of funds has yet been made available for this important, protective, and preservative work. Such supervision as has been possible in the cases of a few monuments only has been wholly inadequate and has not pre vented vandalism, unauthorized exploitation, or spoliation of relics found in those prehistoric ruins, whose preservation is contemplated by the passage of the act of June 8, 1906. An estimate in the sum of $5,000 for protection of these monuments was submitted in 1913, but no appropriation was made by Congress. This amount was desired, not so much for the purpose of preserving by restoration the objects reserved in the national monuments as to prevent the removal of valuable relics and vandalism. Monuments suffering from these causes should be provided with a custodian or superintendent, and in this way a small general appropriation can be made most useful and its expenditure will be wholly in the interest of the public. The protection and preservation of the national monuments as public reservations are of great interest and importance, because a great variety of objects, historic, prehistoric, and scientific in character, are thus preserved for public use intact, instead of being exploited by private individuals for gain and their treasures scattered. These reserves should be administered in connection with the national parks, which they strongly resemble. It would be difficult to define one in terms that would exclude the other. The renewal of the estimate for an appropriation of $5,000 has been made for the purpose of keeping this class of reserves intact until such time as Congress shall authorize the creation of some administrative unit which shall take over both the parks and monuments and administer them under a general appropriation. No new monuments were created during the year. National monuments under other departments.-The following national monuments are not administered by the Secretary of the Interior: National monuments administered by Department of Agriculture. |