Blanket relief applications under section 1 of act of May 9, 1924-Payment of construction and operation and maintenance charges listed below extended for a definite period, not beyond March 1, 1927, interest at 5 per cent [Data as of October 16, 1924] UNCOMPAHGRE, COLO., PROJECT Uncompahgre Valley Water Users' Association (number of water users, 1,459; BOISE, IDAHO, PROJECT Payette-Boise Water Users' Association (number of water users, 2,250; acreage, 105,267): Charges unpaid 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. 1921. 1922 1923. Total. Black Canyon irrigation district (number of water users, 125; acreage, 6,873): 1922.. 2,325. 72 Total. 8, 124.08 Charges unpaid, 1923. Nampa Meridian irrigation district (number of water users, 780; acreage, 40,255): 165,954. 35 North Platte, Nebr.-Wyo., project (Number of water users, 1,290; acreage, 103,970). 49, 147.87 Application North Platte Water Users' Association pending. Umatilla, Oreg., project (number of water users, 400; acreage, 28,500). Applications by Hermiston and West Extension irrigation districts pending. Yakima, Wash., project: Application Sunnyside Valley irrigation district disapproved, as charges for which relief requested became due after Mar. 1, 1924. Relief under section 2 of act of May 9, 1924-Salt River Valley Water Users Association, Phoenix, Ariz.-Computations showing application of annual payments The foregoing is a statement of what has been done under the relief acts of February 28, 1923, and May 9, 1924. I firmly believe that had the return payments been definitely fixed and based on production, payable at the beginning of the irrigation season and locally managed by a legally organized body of water users on their respective projects, these delinquencies would not have occurred. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1924 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STATEMENTS OF ARNO B. CAMMERER, ACTING DIRECTOR, AND A. E. DEMARAY, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Mr. CRAMTON. Before taking up the items for the National Park Service, and preliminary to the discussion of the individual items in the bill, we will be very glad to hear from you with a brief general statement as to the activities of the bureau if you care to make one, leaving the particular items until we reach them in the bill. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr, CAMMERER. Thank you Mr. Chairman. I have with me a concentration of data regarding the activities of the National Park Service that would be interesting and valuable to the members of your committee in considering the estimates that are before you. The National Park Service functions under the provisions of the organic act of August 25, 1916, which prescribes its duties as follows: The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. Under those directions by Congress we now have 19 national parks established by separate legislation, and 30 national monuments which we are now administering as under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. Out of those 19 national parks 17 are functioning with our representatives on the ground. Sullys Hill National Park receives no appropriation from the Government as such, being maintained primarily as a game preserve under the jurisdiction of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture. The administration of Lassen Volcanic National Park has not yet been undertaken, although under the small annual appropriation heretofore granted we have been able to employ a few rangers during the summer months for protective patrol work. I am handing you as Exhibits 1 and 2 statistical review of the visitors to the National Parks from 1909 to 1924, inclusive, and of the visitors to some of the national monuments from 1919 to 1924 Visitors to the national parks, 1909 to 1924, inclusive. Indicated loss in travel from 1921 due largely to better methods of checking and estimating employed. 'Actual park visitors; many miners and prospectors passed through park. Visitors to some of the national monuments in 1919–19241 You will see that since 1918 the visiting list to the parks has seen a gradual increase from 451,661 in 1918 to the tremendous total of 1,280,886 in 1923, and again an increase this year to 1,422,353. Travel from such of the national monuments as we have kept records of has increased from 54,377 in 1919 to 212,826 in 1923, and again to 248,555 during the 1924 season. The total figures for national parks and monuments for 1923 are 1,493,712. For 1924 they are 1,670,908, or an increase of 177,196 in 1924 over 1923. Yosemite and General Grant National Parks in California have shown a decrease, which is directly traceable to the quarantine restrictions. imposed by necessity in that State due to the prevalence of the hoofand-mouth disease and also the reports of the extensive forest fires in that State that were circulated around the country. We figure that had the year been a normal one in California our California parks would have seen 75,000 more visitors, which would have put our total visiting list during the 1924 season around 1,750,000. We feel that after all the test of popularity and success of the national park system is in the extent to which they are being used bythe people of the country and we therefore consider the showing an unusually satisfying and gratifying one. I am handing you herewith Exhibit 3 which indicates the number of private automobiles that entered the parks in the years 1917 to 1924. Automobiles entering parks with or without licenses to and including Sept. 30, 1924. No license required. Estimated. We figure four and a half people to the car, although the proportion is slightly less, and this would give us about 1,200,000 people arriving in the parks with their own cars, compared with about 200,000 that would have come by train. Exhibit 4 that I am handing you is the summary of appropriations for the parks from 1917 to date. |