provided by law, none of these parks will be established until the prescribed lands have been donated to and accepted by the Secretary of the Interior for park purposes. In handling matters in connection with these eastern park projects, Associate Director Cammerer has been the personal representative of the Secretary of the Interior. Under appropriations supplied by Congress, the Geological Survey has been engaged in topographical mapping of portions of the proposed park areas, particularly where more detailed topographic mapping of the portions inside the park lines were involved, and excellent progress has been made. Unfortunately, some of the available maps, prepared many years ago, upon which the laying out of the boundary lines had to proceed, were found inaccurate and unreliable in important respects, necessitating a complete rechecking and resurvey on the ground.

PROGRESS ON SMOKY MOUNTAINS PROJECT

Measuring up to their responsibilities, the States of North Carolina and Tennessee by adequate State laws created responsible State Park commissions to handle all problems affecting the acquisition of lands for the proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including the handling of funds. Furthermore, by appropriations by the two States and pledges from their citizens, over $4,500,000 had been made available toward accomplishing the creation of the park. Impressed with the high scenic qualities of the area involved and the efforts made locally to establish the park, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, " in memory of Laura Spelman Rockefeller," contributed not exceeding $5,000,000 toward this purchase fund, agreeing to match dollar for dollar contributions by the two States and their citizens. The total amount thereupon available for the acquisition of the minimum area for the proposed park was considered sufficient, upon expert appraisals, to acquire the acreage of 427,000 acres, which was the total minimum area within the taking lines prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.

At this writing actual land acquisitions and options for land requiring only search and establishment of fee simple title to pass payment have been acquired by the States amounting to more than half the total minimum acreage of 427,000 acres. One hundred and fifty thousand acres will soon be tendered to the Secretary for administration and protection under the terms of the organic act but not for development. Not until 277,000 acres additional have been accepted by the Secretary of the Interior may the development of the area as a national park begin. Under the terms of the act the park may be expanded from the minimum of 427,000 acres to anywhere within 704,000 acres, depending upon the availability of funds.

It is believed that with the progress made on the proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park project recently, all of the necessary lands will have been acquired within about two years.

In the acquisition of such a large area for national-park purposes, no laws or precedents were available to these States, and the pioneer work they have been doing along these lines is subject to the highest praise. Especially praiseworthy were the efforts put forth by the respective State commissions to stop all timber cutting within the area as quickly as possible in order that the wonderful forest growth might be preserved.

THE SHENANDOAH PROJECT

The boundary line to inclose the minimum of 327,000 acres required for the Shenandoah National Park was, at the request of the State of Virginia, studied and laid out on the ground. At this writing more than half of the total amount estimated as necessary to acquire this minimum area has been pledged, and it is hoped by the State officials in charge of the project that the remainder soon will be forthcoming from public-spirited citizens, so that the work of actually acquiring the land may be undertaken speedily. President Hoover, in order to provide a summer camp in the mountains that would be easily accessible to Washington, purchased a site within the proposed Shenandoah National Park. This, I understand, he eventually plans to turn over to the park as his personal contribution.

THE MAMMOTH CAVE PROJECT

Through the efforts of the Mammoth Cave National Park Association in obtaining subscriptions for use in purchasing lands in the proposed Mammoth Cave National Park area, I am informed that approximately $800,000 in funds have been obtained, in addition to promises of donation of cave properties and lands valued at between $300,000 and $350,000. Among the latter, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. has agreed to donate Colossal Cavern, one of the great cave units of the Mammoth Cave region, together with about 3,400 acres of contiguous lands. The Mammoth Cave National Park Association informs me that it has already purchased for park purposes a two-thirds interest in the original Mammoth Cave property, in fee, covering the original and vast Mammoth Cave system and surface lands. The cost of this two-thirds interest was about $406,000, and negotiations are under way for the acquisition of the other one-third interest in the original Mammoth Cave property. In addition to the above, another area of about 10,000 acres has been acquired by the association for national-park purposes. Summed up, there has been subscribed in money and property thus far something like $1,100,000.

INVESTIGATIONS OF OTHER PROPOSED PARK AND MONUMENT AREAS

Congress has been following the policy of providing by legislation for investigation of certain areas suggested for national-park status before passing laws actually establishing the parks. In line with this constructive policy, an act was passed and approved during the year providing for an investigation and report by the Secretary of the Interior on the advisability and practicability of establishing a national park in the Everglades of Florida. Another bill under consideration contemplates a study of the highlands of the Mississippi in northeastern Iowa and Wisconsin.

It has not yet been practicable to make an investigation of the proposed Tropic Everglades National Park in the State of Florida, first, because of lack of funds, and later, because when funds became available climatic conditions were unfavorable to making the inspection on the ground. It is planned to undertake this investigation during the coming winter.

Under instructions from the Secretary of the Interior, Associate Director Cammerer recently joined representatives of the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa in a brief informal inspection of portions of the Mississippi River Valley and adjoining bluffs in the State of Iowa, the area outlined for investigation in Representative Haugen's bill now pending in Congress, with the idea of including it in the proposed Upper Mississippi National Park. Mr. Cammerer has recommended that when this bill is submitted to the department for report it be amended so as to include for inspection territory along the Mississippi River in adjoining States. He believes the study of the park project should include in one unit a typical cross section of the Mississippi River from Bellevue, Iowa, to Lake Pepin, near Red Wing, Minn., and also many of the bluffs and some of the still primitive prairie land adjoining the bluffs on top.

Authority of Congress was granted by the Seventieth Congress for the establishment of a Bad Lands National Monument in the State of South Dakota upon the conditions that certain private lands within the proposed boundaries are donated to the Federal Government and the State provides a road satisfactory to the Government.

Investigation was made during the late spring of an area in the vicinity of the Moapa and Virgin Rivers in southwestern Nevada which contains interesting prehistoric ruins. Pending the investigation and final report 144,000 acres of land in the vicinity were withdrawn from settlement. Formal report on the area has not yet been submitted, owing to the desire of the investigators to secure additional data. Preliminary reports indicate that at least a portion of the area containing the ruins known as the Pueblo Grande de Nevada, or Lost City, will be recommended for monument status.

THE OUACHITA PROJECT

The Ouachita National Park project is still pending through a bill introduced in the first session of the Seventy-first Congress by Representative Wingo, of Arkansas. The area proposed for inclusion in this park project was examined on the ground jointly by representatives of the National Park and Forest Services, and later was investigated again by a special representative of this bureau. Both these investigations proved that the area contains no distinctive scenic or other features within national-park standards. An adverse report on the project was submitted to Congress by the Secretary of the Interior. The bill, however, passed both Houses of Congress and was submitted to President Coolidge for approval, but it failed to receive executive approval before the close of his administration. It is my earnest hope that this area will not become a national park. That it is interesting and even beautiful, with its combination of streams, hills, and forest cover, is not denied. It has not, however, that distinctive character which is so essential to all nationalpark projects if the national park system is to retain its position of preeminent importance in the scenic world. I believe the area should be considered for State park development.

TRANSFER OF MILITARY PARKS AND MONUMENTS NOT AUTHORIZED BY SEVENTIETH CONGRESS

The proposal to transfer 10 national military and other parks and 9 national monuments from the jurisdiction of the War Department to that of the National Park Service, as agreed upon between the Secretaries of War and Interior, was not reported to the House of Representatives by the Committee on Military Affairs during the last session of the Seventieth Congress, so failed of accomplishment. As mentioned in the last annual report of the National Park Service, this bill passed the Senate during the first session.

It is believed to be a logical development of the National Park Service to include the national historical parks and monuments as a part of the national park system, and to manage these areas under a uniform policy and a single administration. It was because the Secretaries of War and Interior believed the present divided responsibility for the management of park and monument areas under the two departments fundamentally unsound that the transfer was originally suggested, and I heartily recommend that the question again be taken up upon this basis. The National Park Service was established to preserve for all time areas of historic, scientific, and scenic importance, which most assuredly would include the national military parks and monuments under consideration for transfer.

THE PRIVATE LAND SITUATION

The private land situation has been one of the most serious problems facing the National Park Service during the past few years. Of the 19 national parks in continental United States, 12 contain a certain acreage of private-land holdings which are a distinct menace to good administration and future development. This situation came about through patents having been issued for lands in these areas before they were considered for national park purposes. Naturally the owners were protected in their rights when the parks were established.

In the early days of park development, when visitors were few, the importance of eliminating such private holdings was not realized. Since the automobile has come into such general use, however, and travel to the parks has grown so tremendously, the private-land problem has assumed serious proportions.

In Yosemite National Park alone, as originally established in 1890, there were 50,000 acres of privately-owned lands, which were concentrated largely along the western border of the park and consisted of lands principally valuable for timber. Realizing even then that such extended private holdings constituted a serious obstacle to effective protection and administration, the Secretary of the Interior in 1904 appointed a commission to study the park boundaries. Acting in accordance with the recommendations of the commission, Congress in 1905 eliminated approximately 500 square miles from the park, including 30,000 acres of the private lands. The remaining 20,000 acres, mostly in isolated groups, did not seem at that time to be in danger of logging because of comparative difficulty of access, but improved transportation facilities soon brought them within easy reach and again the problem arose.