preliminary work has been completed); 5. That an appropriation be obtained for the completion of the work of widening, straightening, improving the grade, and metaling the El PortalYosemite Village road; 6. That the western boundary be fenced; 7. That a permanent army post be established in the park; and 8. That a law be enacted for the government of the Yosemite Park similar to that provided for the Yellowstone Park. WM. W. FORSYTH, Major, Sixth Cavalry, Acting Superintendent.

REPORT OF THE ACTING SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SEQUOIA AND GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARKS.

FISH.

Fish were planted in a great many places this year throughout this region, and some were planted in the park waters, chiefly by Mr. S. L. N. Ellis, representing the State Board of Fish and Game Commissioners. Fishing with bait was prohibited in the park, and in some of the adjacent waters was prohibited entirely, yet numbers of places were quite fished out. The fish should not all be taken from the streams every season, as is now the tendency. The mad rush to clean up the fishing grounds can be partially checked by prohibiting fishing on selected streams at and near the bridges and at crossings of roads and trails. A valuable contribution to the park's usefulness would be the establishment of a hatchery on the Middle Fork, and an estimate has been made for an appropriation for this purpose.

ANIMALS.

Predatory wild beasts are increasing and provision should be made for their destruction. Six deer were found this summer killed by lions near the roads or trails in various parts of Sequoia Park and the footprints of lions can be daily seen in the road, though beasts of prey themselves are rarely seen. Many applications are received to hunt and trap the harmful animals. It is recommended that this be made a part of the park service by the employment of a man to do the work, or by contract. In this connection it is respectfully suggested that the department consider the propriety of arranging for organized lion hunts. Guides, hunters, trappers, packers, and cooks can be engaged in this vicinity on short notice. Lions, badgers, coyotes, foxes, wolverines, wildcats, civet cats, and skunks are increasing and their destruction of the deer and other smaller animals and game birds is a matter of serious concern. Bears give little trouble

when they are not fed and encouraged to prowl around camp kitchens. The small herd of elk is increasing. The deer are increasing and are very tame.

EXTENSION OF PARK.

The Kern-Kaweah-Kings country with its abundant water supply, good natural feed, wide range of altitudes and wild and varied conformation practically inaccessible in many places, is well suited to the propagation of game, and all this mountain country should be included in the park by reason of its comparative unimportance as a cattle range, its scant indications of valuable metals or other minerals, its extensive areas without merchantable timber or with such timber scant or inaccessible, its unsuitability for settlement or agriculture, its importance in conserving water, its groves of big trees now standing outside the parks, its unrivaled trout streams, numerous beautiful lakes, and magnificent scenery, including Mount Whitney, long held to be our highest mountain.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

MISCELLANEOUS RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS.

Hunting, killing or destroying game at any season of the year in any national park, national monument, or game preserve should be made a criminal offense; police jurisdiction in national parks should be conferred on United States commissioners; and section 53 of the penal code of the United States (35 Stat. L., 1908, and 36 Stat. L., 856) should be amended so as to insert therein after the words "public domain" the words, "national parks, national monuments, and other reservations." This legislation is necessary in order to protect these reservations from forest fires and to provide a penalty for failing to extinguish fires therein.

NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVATIONS

Congress is to be commended for setting apart vast areas for national parks, over 4,500,000 acres being now embraced in national reserves of this class. John Muir is authority for the statement that Professor Hayden, above all others, is entitled to the credit of securing the dedication of the Yellowstone as a national park, for he led the first scientific exploring party into it, described it, and urged upon Congress its preservation. The creation of the Yellowstone Park by the act of March 1, 1872, marks the beginning of these national institutions which now demand more than a perfunctory policy. The setting apart and dedication of our national parks for the people is the only

practical means of preserving their wild grandeur from human desecration; "specimens of the best of nature's treasures have been lovingly gathered here and arranged in simple, systematic beauty within regular bounds."

Of the national parks that have been created by congressional action, the following are entitled to rank as worthy of being called national institutions: The Yellowstone, the Yosemite, the Sequoia, the General Grant, the Mount Rainier, the Crater Lake, the Glacier, the Mesa Verde, and there should be added the Grand Cañon of the Colorado, for the creation of which a bill is now pending in Congress. The areas of these and other parks, together with dates of establishment, are shown in the following table:

The interest of the public in the parks has been greatly augmented of recent years, as is evidenced by the increased amount of travel thereto and the many demands for literature relating to these reservations. The interest in these national parks is not confined to the people of the United States, but extends to foreign countries. The Swiss Government, at its request, has been supplied with reports of the superintendents in charge and laws and regulations governing the various national parks. Similar information has been furnished the forestry branch of the department of the interior of Canada; also the Verein Naturschutzpark of Stuttgart, Germany, an association the object of which is the establishment of parks or reservations for the preservation and protection of the game, fauna, and flora of Germany and Austria, to be modeled after the Yellowstone National Park, though on a smaller scale. Information on the subject of the Yellowstone Park in particular has been furnished

the superintendent of the New Zealand tourist and health resorts, the United States consul at Sydney, New South Wales, for the information of the secretary of national parks in that country, and the secretary of the Royal Geographic Society of Australasia at Melbourne, Victoria.

In view of the facility of reaching our national parks from the Atlantic and Middle West States, through improved rail connections, and the convenience of travel by tourists through them, which is being rapidly improved, the comment is a natural one, "Why do so many of our American people spend their time and money touring abroad without knowing their own country?" The scenery and natural wonders found in other countries frequented by our people are insignificant compared with that of our great national parks and the mountain ranges in which they are found. It has been broadly estimated that over $100,000,000 has been spent in some years abroad by American tourists; only a fraction of this amount is spent by Americans in visiting the great American parks and resorts.

One of the advantages of popularizing the national parks by eastern tourists would be the display of greater interest in their improvement by Congress, in liberal appropriations to increase their accessibility by roads and other establishments for public convenience and pleasure.

The Wind Cave National Park, containing 10,522 acres; Sullys Hill National Park, containing 780 acres, and Platt National Park of 848.22 acres, created by Congress at different times, may be said to be local parks having no sufficient national characteristics to warrant their development as such. The policy should be, in my estimation, to retain none of the national parks heretofore dedicated which will not warrant development as national institutions as distinguished from municipal or state parks or resorts. If it is desired that they be retained for public purposes and so improved, I would recommend that they be conveyed to the States for that purpose.

As regards the national parks which have been created and are capable of development as national institutions, a definite policy for their maintenance, supervision, and improvement should be established, which would enable them to be gradually opened up for the convenience and comfort of tourists and campers and for the careful preservation of their natural features. Complete and comprehensive plans for roads, trails, telegraph and telephone lines, sewer and water systems, hotel accommodations, transportation, and other conveniences should be made for each of the national parks before any large amount of money is expended. The treatment of our national parks, except as regards

the Yellowstone, has not had heretofore the benefit of any wellconsidered or systematic plans. In all of them the road and trail problems for public travel and convenience to enable tourists to obtain the benefits of scenic beauties are primary, but sewage, water, and electric-power problems are after all of equal importance.

The patrol of the national parks is also a matter of prime importance in their supervision. The system of maintaining regular troops in the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant parks has proved entirely satisfactory as a method of patrol. The moral effect of the troops in protecting against malicious mischief and enforcing regulations, and the saving of expense in administration by their use, justify their assignment. I believe, however, that civilian superintendents should have charge of the administrative government of all of the national parks, with military supervision confined to the enforcement of regulations pertaining to public travel and preservation of game and natural curiosities. Outside of the Yellowstone National Park the administration of all of the parks is embarrassed by the fact that they contain within their bounds certain areas of private lands, which should be acquired by the Government, and all private interests, including toll-roads, extinguished. The private holdings are as follows: Yosemite National Park, 19,827 acres; Sequoia National Park, 3,716.96 acres; Wind Cave National Park, 160 acres; Crater Lake National Park, 1,337 acres patented land, and 1,121.11 acres unperfected bona fide claims; Mesa Verde National Park, 400 acres patented lands and 480 acres unperfected bona fide claims; Mount Rainier National Park, 18.2 acres patented lands; Glacier National Park, 8,864.40 acres patented lands and 7,803.71 acres unperfected bona fide claims.

In order that creditable progress may be made in each of the national parks, after the development of all necessary plans for road and other construction for the convenience of travel and tourists, liberal appropriations will be required and a departmental organization for administrative purposes perfected, capable of efficient field administration and of careful inspection of all public work and the conduct of concessionaires. It will doubtless be necessary in the accomplishment of these purposes to create a bureau of national parks and resorts, under the supervision of a competent commissioner, with a suitable force of superintendents, supervising engineers, and landscape architects, inspectors, park guards, and other employees.

The creation of such a bureau and the planning under it of a consistent and broadly considered scheme for national parks