Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-11-20
MatheT Tells Of
National Parks

Before a crowd which filled the
hall Thursday evening, Stephen d.
Mather, assistant to the secretary or
the interior and superintendent in
chief of the national parks of the
United States, urged that Ashland
give every cooperation to the work
of providing better accommodations
at Crater Lake and transportation to
the lake. He told how the Portland
men of capital were beginning to see
the advisability of investment there,
how Mr.. Parkhurst had gone about
as far as he was able in building the
hotel there, and how, although the
department expects to secure a big
appropriation for Crater Lake, 1t can
not be spent on hotels, under the
law. Mr.. Mathcr gave a good idea
of the big increase in tourist travel,
| an increase which was larger every
year by far and which, with the COM
pletion of a national highway across
the continent, would be several times
b what it now is.
He had some very nice things to
, say about Ashland and dwelt upon
t the fact that Ashland was bound to
S profit from every tourist who visited
e. the lake who makes the trip by auto,
t as nearly all will visit this city.
S He told of the educational work
which has been started to interest
t people in the national parks, and
d stated that the big men of the nation
t were beginning to realize the fact
| that the national parks were most
s valuable from a hard-headed busi-
l. ness standpoint.
IS Mr.. Mather told of the use he had
made of impressions gained at a visit
to the Ashland auto camp, the
pioneer auto camp, two years ago.
He has told of the Ashland camp at
good roads meetings everywhere and
before the United States senate. He
l. pointed out many camps which had
been established as result of his
story of the Ashland camp.
:, He predicted that the national
~ park travel of the future would be
~ almost entirely by automobiles, quot
ing figures to prove that the auto
was displacing the, railroad for tour
list travel
." Crater Lake park is close behind
VI Yellowstone and Yosemite in roads,
although the roads are yet to be
" hard surfaced in this park" he stat
p ed. Gle told of the things which the
government was doing in building
y roads, trails, power plants, ETC., in
III the national parks, and also of the
hundreds of thousands which San
- Francisco men are spending privately
- in providing accommodations in fo-
semitic.
" " He stated that $125,O0 is to be
asked for Crater park at the coming
- session of congress and that $780,
600 should be spent by private capi-
tai in providing accommodations. He
urged that as many as possible be
- interested in the work. Get men OF
~ means to invest sums from a thou-
- sand dollars or so up-men who can
await returns which are bound to
~ come with the constantly increasing
travel"
- The park man told many interest
ing things regarding the various ma
tional parks, things which gave his
hearers a new understanding Of the
magnitude of the business of attract
n ing and entertaining tourists.
- B. r. Greer introduced Mr.. Math-
ers and told of the many magnificent
n accomplishments which Mr.. Mathers
50 had engineered and OF his undeviat-
H. ing devotion to his work.
to Mr.. Mathers was an interested Wis
lg itor to Lithia park while here and
IN walked over the entire park.