The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-05-24
Kilauea National
Park Project Up
To Secretary Lane
Visit Of Interior Department Head
VIII Be Urged To Take Action
In Matter After He Makes Visit
To the Volcano "" @...,.

49, ..r...
Kilsuea National Park may be added
to the list of Official government parks
following the visit to Hawai- next
month of Secretary Of the Interior
Franklin X. Lane and Assistant secre.
tray Bradley, the Hawaii Promotion
Committee and the Trail and Mountain
Club having already taken steps to
collect data and lay 1t before the
officials and to delegate members to
accompany them to the volcano. -.
The Kilauea National Park project
has had the favorable attention of the
interior department and IL has also
been the subject of congressional
committee discussion, but so far no
action has been taken by congress to
appropriate money to carry the pre-
liminGry plans TO the stage where a
bill can be introduced in congress
making IT park on the same basis
as Yellowstone, Yosemite and other
great tourist attraction federal do
mains. ~" r ,&E"U
VISIT Of Miss Peltz -
While. A. P. Taylor WIS secretary of
the promotion committee, considerable
correspondence was carried on by him
with the interior department., including
the secretary and the heads of the
bureau of national parks Of the depart.
ment urging the completion of the
park plans. This resulted in an in
formal visit here two years ago of Miss
Edna Peltz, then secretary to E. ].
Yard Of the national parks bureau, who
made a lengthy report to her chief
concerning her visits to Haleakala and
Kilauea. At that time Miss Peltz
undertook the trip to Hawaii partly as
vacation journey, at the same time
coming here to obtain first hand in.
formation on the park situation to lay
before Mr.. Yard in order that he might
more intelligently move the project
along The promotion committee great
ly assisted Miss Peltz in her trips to
the two volcano areas, valuable assist
ance also being given by the Mani
Chamber Of Commerce. and the Hilo
Board of Trade. 49,.
The entry of the United States into
the war has held up the park project
temporarily, but the visit of Secretary
Lane is expected to pave the way for
bringing both volcano areas into the
national park system. There are still
a number of land areas that are to be
procured from private owners, but the
territorial government is working on
thi plan and it is expected that
easements on such lands will be OBJ
tanned.
l.. A. Thurston, who was the main
spring in the organization of the
Volcano Research Association and
largely responsible for bringing scien-
fists here to make constant observations
at Rilauea, and who also was largely
instrumental in carrying on the plan
for a national park to include Kilsuea
on Hawaii, and Haleakala, on Maui, is
now on the mainland, and the local
organizations regret that he will not
be here to day the Kilauea Park matter
before Mr.. Lane.
The Hawaii Promotion Committee
will discuss the park matter at its
meeting today in connection with the
proposed visit of Mr.. Lane and will
take the plan up with him as soon
after his arrival as the secretary may
find time. The Trail and Mountain
Club will also hold a meeting this
week and in all probability J. A. Balch,
W. ICuI :" n. CdSIlt VIII Uc
named to get the data together on
behalf of the Club. A. H. Ford of
this club said yesterday that the club
will also ask Rev. w. D. Westervelt,
of the Volcano Research Association,
to participate with the Trail and
Mountain Club.
Military Guard
When the Kilauea National Park is
actually officially designated as a ma
tional park it will come under the
direct supervision of the bureau of
national parks at Washington, and in
all probability, aside from the local
civilian administration of the park,
representing this bureau, detachment
of United States military forces may
be permanently maintained as a patrol
in the park region. The entire region
and its use hy tourists and residents
of the Islands will be under specific
regulations as to how people can make
use of this public domain.