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ment and excavating the fossil remains of a dinosaur for exhibition at the monument, for constructing, reconstructing, and improving the Gardiner-Livingston Road, the northern approach to Yellowstone Park, authorizing the exchange of lands in Glacier National Park, transferring certain lands of Yosemite National Park to the Sierra National Forest for reservoir purposes, establishing an auxiliary fish-cultural station in Yellowstone National Park, and repealing the inhibition on appropriations for maintenance of more than $10,000 annually for Mount McKinley National Park.

Two bills of especial interest to conservationists that are now pending are S. 311, "A bill for the erection and maintenance of a regulating weir across the Yellowstone River in the State of Montana," and S. 313, "A bill authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to cause to be made a survey of the shore of Yellowstone Lake, in Yellowstone National Park."

Joint resolutions were also introduced authorizing the appropriation of $10,000 for the investigation of the possibility and cost of securing lands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains suitable for national park purposes, and changing the name of Mount Rainier to Mount Tacoma and to Mount Lincoln. The resolution to change the name of Mount Rainier to Mount Tacoma passed the Senate, but not the House.

H. R. 6133, while not mentioning national parks, provides that in the case of any State containing unappropriated public lands in which the population, as shown by the latest available census, does not exceed 10 per square mile of area, the proportion payable by the United States of the cost of construction or reconstruction of any primary or interstate highway embraced in the system of Federal-aid highways may be increased to any percentage up to and including the whole cost thereof, upon request to the Secretary of Agriculture from the State highway department of such State. This will of course affect approach roads to the national parks.

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATIONS

Presidential proclamations affecting national monuments were issued as follows:

October 25, 1923, creating the Carlsbad Cave National Monument, N. Mex., which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior.

April 18, 1924, creating the Chiricahua National Monument, Ariz., which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture.

May 2, 1924,10 creating the Craters of the Moon National Monu ment, Idaho, which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior.

July 2, 1924,11 increasing the area of the Pinnacles National Monument, Calif.

No. 1679. See p. 158.

10 No. 1694.

9 No. 1692. See p. 158.

11 No. 1704.

See p. 160.
See p. 159.

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EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Executive orders affecting national parks and national monuments were issued as follows:

January 21, 1924,12 withdrawal of lands in Alaska pending legislation. These lands are needed for use in the administration of Mount McKinley National Park.

March 22, 1924,13 withdrawing public lands on Isle Royale, Michigan, pending determination as to the advisability of including such lands in a national monument.

April 1, 1924,14 withdrawal of lands in Alaska pending determination of advisability of establishing Glacier Bay National Monu

ment.

April 2, 1924,15 withdrawals of land pending determination as to the advisability of enlarging area of the Carlsbad Cave National Monument.

April 25, 1924,16 withdrawal of land pending legislation. This land is needed in connection with the administration of the Grand Canyon National Park.

May 9, 1924,17 modifying proclamation of December 12, 1919 (No. 1547), establishing the Scotts Bluff National Monument by eliminating from this reservation certain sections, thus reducing the area of the monument to 1,893.83 acres.

CONCLUSION

This concludes my report of the operations and accomplishments of the National Park Service for the travel year 1924, with incidental observations on other matters of pertinent interest. I am confident you will consider the showing a satisfactory demonstration that our great national park system is effectively serving as the recreation grounds for the Nation. The heavy attendance points a healthful redirection of public interest toward larger use of the outdoors that will have its returns in the enrichment of every phase of our American life and manner of living. It has been the pleasure and duty of the National Park Service to serve the public that has been invited as guests of the Republic to these wonder areas, and I believe that our efforts have met with general approbation. No more pleasing expression of appreciation has come to me than in a letter I recently received from a world traveler, who writes:

We visited the parks as a finishing touch of our tour around the world, and it was a real finish, I assure you. We saw nothing like them anywhere, and I question if they are equaled anywhere. It was a real homecoming to talk and ride in our playgrounds where men of far vision have laid deep and abiding plans for the future recreation of our people in keeping with the highest ideals of our generation. Such a relief from the narrow, contracted ideas of the Orient, where untold generations have laid heavy hands on every inch of territory!

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I have visited 13 national parks, including 4 of the Canadian national park system, this season, and in all I have found only the most enthusiastic approbation on the part of the tourists. We must continue our efforts, however, to make the parks more comfortable and useful for all our guests. Because of financial limitations we have not been able to build as quickly or as well as we desire, having had to mark time with many important improvements. We arekeenly aware of the needs of the national parks, and at times it is. quite discouraging that we can not at once do the things necessary to operate them on what we know should be the proper standard. Larger use of the parks inevitably requires expansion of activities and facilities. In that larger development the most urgent needs are reconstruction of existing roads and bridges which have for years been subjected to heavy wear from the motor travel going over them, expansion of the public camping grounds, and installation of modern sanitation at points where large numbers of people congregate. Granted adequate funds for these purposes I am confident that we could, with our efficient forces, raise them within three years to the standard that should mark the maintenance and administration of the national parks system of the United States as the leader of the countries of the world in this splendid development of national outdoor recreation.

But even with these things to be accomplished we find that Americans are testifying in enthusiastic, commendatory manner to the potency of our parks as places of rest and recreation, and this magnificent demonstration proves the soundness and reality of the work in which the National Park Service, under your direction, is engaged.. STEPHEN T. MATHER, Director.

APPENDIX A

THE NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS

Page

The national parks administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior___.

The national military and other parks administered by the War Department_.

75

The national monuments administered by the National Park Service,
Department of the Interior__.

The national monuments administered by the Department of Agriculture_
The national monuments administered by the War Department__
Organization of the National Park Service__.

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NATIONAL PARKS ADMINISTERED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR [Number, 19; total area, 11,372 square miles, or 7,277,709.45 acres; chronologically in order of creation]

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