The Bismarck tribune., 1919-09-23
Speaking Before Editors Con-
vention, Herbert Cuthbert
Tells of Value Of Having Peo-
pie Visit the National Parks in
the Northwest Over Good
Highways.

"The value of tourist travel is
stupendous and is hardly conceivable
to the mind Of d man who has given
it no thought
That was one of the striking re-
marks made by Herbert Cuthbert, exc
cutive secretary Of the Pacific North
west Tourist association in an address
before the convention of the National
Editorial association at Seattle, Wash.
The tourist organization is maintained
and financed by the states Of Wash
ingtOn and Oregon and the govern
ment of British Columbia for develop
ment OF tourist travel through the i'll
ternational Pacific northwest.
'BOfore the war Americans spent in
England alone two hundred million
dollars year." said Mr.. Cuthbert; jr
France and Switzerland, four hundred
million dollars, and in our own coul-
try tourists spent in Maine forty mil
lions, in Florida forty millions, in the
New England States one hundred mil
lions, while in Cuba it was second only
to the tobacco industry, and in Colo-
RADIO it ranged next to mining and
agriculture. In California, from the
information supplied to me by the
United States bureau of statistics, it
was estimated that during the season
it was worth one million dollars pe:
day. Therefore the economic value of
our waste places, if calculated upon
the amount Of money American toul-
lists spend annually, is over billion
dollars a year. so far America as a
nation has given no thought to this
industry and has not done anything
even to make the people acquainted
with the magnificent scenery that is to
be found all around them.
Il have met many Americans in Eng
land and it was appalling to realize
how much more they knew Of the
showplaces Of Europe than they did Of
those Of their own country. 1t was
this fact that led to the use for the
first time Of the expression, "See Am
erica First"
'"rhe principal point wish to make
in this address is that by education,
and advertising the peop'e
of this country should be informed Of
their wonderful heritage in the mar
velous works of nature, and that they
are of great economic value.
DEVELOP NATIONAL PARKS
"This leads me to discuss the second
point in my address-hoW can we COM
pete with Europe for tourist travel in
the future.
"In the first place congress should be
impressed with the Importance Of keel'-
ing at home the money that is annuai-
ly spent in Europe, especially In view
of the fact that great many moe
people will be attracted there in the
future on account of the interest they
now have in the battletields Of France.
Congress should be asked, as the very
least it can do, to double or treble the
appropriations it now makes for the
development Of its national parks sys-
TEN. Much has been done through the
admirable administration Of this de-
partment Of the government during the
past few years to bring Americans to
the realiza tion Of some Of their scenic
wonders, but there has been woeful
lack of money with which to- do any
thing upon scale that is warrantef.
by their value to the nation. One rea-
son is that the exploitation Of the na-
tional parks has not been looked upon
as business proposition. I have
missed my point entirely if have not
demonstrated that it IS a vital busi-
ness proposition to keep hundreds Of
millions Of dollars in this country
which would otherwise go out Of 1t,
and that the development and exploit
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