this past year directed that the Hot Springs revenues should also be turned into miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury, where all our revenues are now deposited.

The success of the national park system is primarily proven by the appeal it has to the people of the country evidenced by the actual number of visitors the parks annually draw. Consequently over a million visitors to the parks during the tourist season tell the story with unimpeachable clearness and force. These figures point to the wisdom of developing the parks by adequate appropriations to the highest degree of perfection in accessibility and facility of movement by proper roads and trails and by the more extensive spreading of information regarding the beauties of the parks. Certainly the Government can enter into no more important project as a great national popular movement than the fostering of the appreciation of the country's great scenic beauty spots by developing them to such a standard that annual appropriations for adminístration, protection, and maintenance alone will be necessary.

PRESERVATION OF WILd life.

The national parks and monuments play a very important part in the conservation of wild life, for in them all animals, with the exception of predatory ones, find safe refuge and complete protection, and live unhampered in natural environment.

But in the winter many of the wild animals drift over the park borders, and it is at that time that wanton destruction occurs. There are "sportsmen" who in the open seasons have lain in wait just outside a park boundary until a buck, perhaps one petted and fed by a little child during the summer, might cross the park line into the danger zone outside. If, as in the case of Zion in Utah, a State game preserve adjoins, and there are entirely too few of these, the animals are safe from hunters, but if they range outside into a State whose laws are unfriendly, they meet with disaster. It is with much regret that we have found some of the States apparently indifferent to appeals to cooperate in the establishment of these refuges.

Generally, however, the States have been quite ready to assist in the apprehension of poachers in park territory by the appointment of our rangers as deputy State game wardens, which enables them to pursue and arrest poachers outside of park limits. The States of Maine, California, Wyoming, Montana, and Washington have extended this helpful cooperation.

The close attention given to this feature of national park administration is not without its reward, and with one or two exceptions we have experienced the gratification of seeing our wild animal population steadily increase in numbers. The exceptions noted may be confined entirely to Yellowstone and limited to the elk and antelope herds that range therein.

In the report of last year we referred to the disaster to the elk herds of several seasons past, but I am happy to say that since that time conditions have been so favorable, and this is particularly true of last winter, that the elk have been able largely to overcome the losses that almost decimated their ranks. This is merely a fortunate circumstance. The welfare of the Yellowstone elk will remain a

constant worry until sufficient winter range outside the park is provided for them.

This matter has been the subject of considerable discussion but no definite steps to this end have yet been taken. Under present conditions the safety of the elk depends almost entirely upon favorable weather in the summer producing an adequate supply of natural forage for winter use. Past experience has demonstrated that this element of risk is too great and should not be depended upon.

SAVING THE ANTELOPE.

Well up into last winter the antelope herd in the Yellowstone, one of our most prized possessions, was in unusually fine shape, having doubled in size over a brief period of several years, and then numbering some 400 or more animals. We had been very hopeful that these animals would come through the season of usual bad weather with a minimum loss. This hope was shattered later with the coming of such unfavorable weather conditions for these animals as probably will not be encountered again for a long time. The weather warmed up just enough to cause the snow on the ground to soften, later to form a crust when the temperature went down. Through this the sharp hoofs of the antelope broke, but it proved to be hard enough to support the ever watchful wolf and coyote, who took their toll despite the most extreme efforts on the part of our ranger force. The spring opened with the herd reduced about 25 per cent in number, from which setback it has somewhat recovered during the past

summer.

BUFFALO HERD.

For the third time in the history of the tame herd of buffalo in Yellowstone Park an outbreak of hemorrhagic septicemia occurred among the younger animals during the month of March. Experts of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture stationed in Montana were immediately called upon to render aid in checking the epidemic, and their efforts were successful, but not before 52 of the animals, or about 16 per cent of the herd, had succumbed. Several theories have been advanced as to the source of infection, but none of them has been confirmed.

Notwithstanding this loss the herd is well over the 500 mark at this time, including the calves of the 1922 season, and still presents the problem of what to do with the surplus males. An effort will be made during the coming winter to effect a solution, which will give first consideration to utilizing the bulls for propagating purposes. At this writing a similar situation, although on a much larger scale, is receiving the attention of the commissioner of the Canadian national parks.

BETTER PROTECTION FOR MOUNT MCKINLEY.

For more than a year Mount McKinley Park has been in charge of a resident superintendent who has given a most satisfactory administration to this vast area with the small amount of funds available. Protection of the large bands of caribou and other animals, native to this region, has been one of the main accomplishments, the superintendent and his assistant having greatly reduced illegal killing of game. Patrolling this park is a man's job. In winter the

only practicable method of travel is by dog team, and to make the rounds requires arduous journeying for days away from the base of supplies.

SPORT FOR THE FISHERMAN.

In line with our effort to make the national parks an angler's paradise much important restocking work was done during the year in cooperation with the United States Bureau of Fisheries and the fish and game departments of some of the States. In Yellowstone a substation, to supplement that which has been conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries on Yellowstone Lake for some years, was erected by the National Park Service in the northeast section of the park near Soda Butte and put into operation early in the season by the Fisheries Bureau. This hatchery is necessary to safeguard and maintain the supply of native trout in this corner of the park. Glacier is the only other park in which a Federal station is located, and Rocky Mountain the only one having a State-operated hatchery. Stock for all the other parks is secured from outside sources.

INADEQUATE SUPPLY.

This latter arrangement is not entirely a satisfactory one, especially in Yosemite where the planting is inadequate to keep pace with the rapidly increasing demand. I am convinced that the only satisfactory plan to take care of the Yosemite situation is to establish a hatchery in the valley from which the waters in the upland country can be supplied. It is hoped that the United States Bureau of Fisheries may be able to install such a hatchery.

At the rate the national parks are being used by the people it is by no means inconceivable that in the course of several years hatcheries in most of them, especially those enjoying a large travel, will be essential to the maintenance of a proper supply of fish. This plan has much to commend it.

SANITATION IN THE NATIONAL PARKS.

Twelve hundred thousand visitors to our parks and monuments in the course of a three-months' tourist season, or an average of 400,000 a month, is accompanied by serious sanitation problems. When it happens that 12,000 visitors congregate in an area of about 7 square miles in one day as occurs yearly in the Yosemite Valley, or twelve to fifteen hundred motorists camp in one public camp ground overnight as often happens in the Yellowstone, it will be seen that sanitary problems rivaling those of small cities arise in our national park work. This being interstate travel, and travel from State jurisdiction into United States jurisdiction and vice versa, the United States Public Health Service has rendered most effective cooperation in study of sanitation problems in the parks, including the furnishing of medical service in a number of parks. Their thorough attention to these matters during the past two years has given their representatives an intimate knowledge of the sanitary problems encountered, and as a result we are in a position to go ahead with confidence to make the larger improvements as Congress furnishes the money. Sanitary Engineer H. B. Hommon has had general supervision over the work and was assisted by Junior Assistant Sanitary Engineers A. P. Miller and L. D. Mars, and Sanitary Inspector

Carl Benson. Acting Asst. Surgs. W. E. Crawbuck and Harry Schnuck were on duty at Yellowstone and Grand Canyon Parks, respectively.

The work carried out by Mr. Hommon during the year included: (a) A comprehensive report containing estimates of costs for and description of a system of collecting, cooling, and distributing the hot water at Hot Springs, Ark.

(b) Design of a sewerage system and treatment plant for the Upper Basin at Yellowstone.

(c) Laying out sewerage systems and treatment plants for Sequoia and General Grant National Parks.

(d) Design of a sanitary privy for the parks in cooperation with D. R. Hull, landscape engineer of the Park Service. These privies are being tried out in three parks and if they prove satisfactory they will be used as a standard design for all the parks.

(e) A special report on the supervision of automobile camping grounds and the sterilization of the contents of privy vaults. This report was approved and recommended to the superintendents. Sterilization by compound cresol solution has been generally practiced and it has practically eliminated danger of typhoid fever carried by flies.

(f) Preparation of plumbing ordinance for Yellowstone in cooperation with William Wiggins, master plumber of park.

(g) Special report on method of handling water supply at Grand Canyon. The recommendations of the report were carried out and the canyon now has an excellent water supply.

(h) Cooperation with the superintendent of Yosemite in the operation of the sewage treatment plant in the valley and with the Yosemite National Park Co. in the operation and improvement of the treatment plant at Glacier Point Hotel.

(i) Collection of data on types and cost of garbage incinerators that will be suitable for burning garbage in the parks.

(j) Special reports on problems of general sanitation at Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, General Grant, Crater Lake, Mount Rainer, and Grand Canyon National Parks.

Junior Assistant Sanitary Engineer, A. P. Miller, was located in Yellowstone during the entire park season. His work consisted of inspections of kitchens, dairies, and other places handling food, and examinations of all the water supplies used for drinking purposes in the park. He also made the surveys for the sewerage systems at the Upper Basin and the Canyon and prepared the plans for the treatment plants. Work was also started under Mr. Miller's direction to eradicate mosquitoes from the Upper Basin and the Lake Junction.

Junior Assistant Sanitary Engineer, L. D. Mars, visited Rocky Mountain National Park and submitted a report giving estimates of cost and methods of eradicating mosquitoes from certain sections of the park. He also assisted in the laying out of the sewerage systems and treatment plants at Sequoia and General Grant National Parks.

Sanitary Inspector Carl Benson was on duty in the Yosemite from May 15 to August 26. His principal duties were assisting in the operation of the sewage treatment plant; inspection of kitchens and food supplies; examination of water and milk; inspection of automo

bile camps; and collecting data on the amount and character of garbage produced in that part of park located in the valley.

From this brief review of the effective work of the Public Health Service the visitor to the parks may feel assured that his health is as zealously guarded as in the town or city whence he comes. Due to

the constantly increasing numbers of visitors to the parks from year to year larger demands for adequate water supply, garbage and sewage disposal, and general camp sanitation are made and must be met. With the cooperation of the Public Health Service we know what is essential to establish a satisfactory standard of sanitation; it depends only on the amount of funds furnished by Congress for this work how rapidly this standard can be attained from year to year. At Hot Springs National Park, a clinic for the treatment of venereal diseases is conducted in the free public bathhouse by a physician of the Public Health Service, assisted by a staff of local physicians. The superintendent of the park is also a passed assistant surgeon of the Public Health Service detailed by that service under appointment from the Interior Department as superintendent.

This work by the Public Health Service furnishes one of the outstanding examples of effective cooperative work on the part of one bureau of the Government with another, and assuredly is conducive toward the most efficient functioning of each bureau, including the wise expenditure of Federal moneys for the work involved.

WINTER SPORTS IN THE PARKS.

Too few people appreciate the unexcelled opportunities offered in the national parks for winter vacationing, and particularly for winter sports. I am reminded of an instance, during the Christmas holiday week of 1918, when a group of California business men made a trip to Yosemite Park to get acquainted with winter conditions. Yosemite Valley at that time lay under a deep mantle of snow, and these men, most of whom were strangers to it under these conditions, were struck with its unexpected beauty and impressed with its wonderful possibilities as a winter playground. It occurred to them that not only the people of California but the thousands of eastern visitors who annually winter in the State, should be given a better opportunity to enjoy the valley's winter wonders. As a result they combined in an effort to secure by Federal and State cooperation an all-year motor road into the Yosemite Valley, a project which is still being pushed with vigor and promises eventual consummation. Due to this visit the valley received excellent publicity on its winter offerings, especially during the Christmas holiday season, and people in increasing numbers each year take advantage of existing railroad connections to enjoy the unequaled winter scenes, and participate in skiing, snowshoeing, and tobogganning. The Sentinel Hotel, in Yosemite Valley, electrically equipped throughout, is open during the winter, and the Mountain House, at Glacier Point on the heights above the valley, is ready all winter to receive visitors piloted over the beautiful trail by competent guides. At Glacier Point are found opportunities for winter sports far surpassing the offerings of foreign winter resorts. But not only in Yosemite is an awakened interest in winter enjoyment to be found. The advantages of Rocky Mountain Park