The Coconino sun., 1920-11-05
OUR GREATEST ASSET OUR TOURIST TRAFFIC DECIDED
 AT PARK-TO-PARk MEET (Continued from Page 1.)

loOn UREA ESI ASSEl JUN
 TOURIST TRAFFIC DECIDED
 AT PARK-TO-PARK MEET
 Continued from Page 1.)
 of New York; R. M. Davis, of Denver; L. A. Shaver, of Shoshonie, Wyom- ing; M. w. Lusk, representing the White Motor Truck Co.,, Cleveland, Ohio; and A. G. Lucier, of the Inter- national Film service.
 Father Vabre was toastmaster. He introduced MT. Leavitt. The latter told how the caravan had left Denver on August 26, taking in the Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Glacier, Mt. Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake and Grand Canyon national parks, besides four other national parks in California. They will visit the Mesa Verde na- tional park on their way to Denver, which they expect to reach on the 76th day of the tour, in time to attend the convention of the National Park to-Park Highways association, to be held in Denver, November 11th to 18th.
 MT. Leavitt explained that the pur- pose of the tour is to acquaint the people all along the big loop of the project to get the government to ap- propriate $100,000,000 to hard sur face the entire route. He dwelt on the advantages that would accrue to every community on the loop, the stimulation of tourist traffic, the in crease in populations, the fuller de- velopment of resources. He called at tention to the fact that this project does not conflict with, but really CO., operates with all the great transcon- tinental highways. He spoke of the great national parks as group of magnets to draw tourists from all over the world, and showed how much more powerful in their attraction those magnets will be when chained together by the proposed highway.
 Mir. Burhans related startling facts regarding the influence that tourist traffic has on the growth in wealth and population of communities. He said that of the 600,000 tourists who now go to Denver from the east every year, only ten per cent go farther west. He said the tourist travel into | LHe eleNeH WeSttlE sCSulI SldtcS uS' gan really to increase only five years ago. Now the number of tourist: visiting each of the great nationa parks each year is from three to five times greater than then.
 To illustrate the benefits to the west of this great and increasing tour. ist traffic he cited Los Angeles, tho city that more than any other has made an endeavor to capitalize or that traffic. A few years ago Denver was larger than Los Angeles. But the increase in three years in Los An geles' population has amounted tc more than Denver's entire present population. In the recent homecom' ing week at Los Angeles, 101 ,000 ot the inhabitants of that city register. ed as being originally from the one state of Iowa. This proved that big proportion of the tourists settle in the west.
 He ascribed the fact that Arizona has shown greater increase in pop. ulation in the last ten years than any other state in the Union as largely due to tourist traffic. The two states showing next largest increases arc also western scenic states.
 The time will come, he declared when the real playground for the whole world will be our own west The least exploited asset we have is our tourist traffic. Before the war a half billion dollars year was car ried abroad by Americans to Euro, pean playgrounds. European coun- tries are again maintaining travel bu- reaus in our large cities in an attempt to rebuild this tourist traffic.
 In Denver, three years ago, an inves' tigation was made to learn the aver. age stay in that city of automobile tourists. They found it was from two to four hours. They got busy, build. ing Overland park, for auto tourists Now the average stay is four to five days. This year, 6O,000 cars have spent an average of $10 day ir Denver, total of at least .$2 400 ,OO0 The night before the caravan left or the big loop trip there were 5000 cars parked at Overland Park.
 Canon City, after checking up to find what auto travel meant there, al once provided two magnificent auto parks.
 He showed the parallel between railroad and highway conditions, how the railroads built depots for the ac- commodation and comfort of patrons; and declared that communities on tourist highways must provide depots in the form of auto parks for the con- venience and comfort of tourists, to attract them to stop and to make them stay longer. declaring that the more any town provides in this respect the greater will be it's income from tour ist travel.
 MT. Van Wyck assured the gather. ing that his chief, Stephen A. Math- CT, director of national parks, is heartily for the park-to-park high way. He said that this is an excellent time to get the matter before con. gress, as good roads problems will be more largely considered by the next congress than ever before.
 An appeal was made by the visitors for a deIeo fo he sent from Flap-