The Holly chieftain., 1922-05-04

two states created Palisades Interstate commits
sions III 1900 and Governors Theodore Roosevelt
and Foster NJ Voorhees, each appointed five com.
missioners The commissioners are unpaid and
non-partisan. Politics have been kept out of the
park. The development work has all been done
by the commissions own force and all park activ
ties are conducted by this force The commission
expects each separate activity to be self-support
Ing
The funds appropriated and contributed to date
are thus summarized: BY New York. in cash.
s5,7e3,525, in lands. $4,000; by New Jersey. in
cash, $727,9S3; by private contributors, In cash.
$4,735.144; in lands $1892765; total, $13,119. 400
Inc park now contains 1000 acres In New Jersey,
extending for II miles along the Hudson (the
Palisades; $50 acres in the Blauvelt tract west
OF Nyack; 7S0 acres in the Hook mountain Rock
land lake section and 33.708 acres In the Bear
mountain-Harriman section. Mrs e. H. Hartman
made one gift of 10000 acres and 100000
over one million people visited the Bear noun
tain-Harriman section last summer; every sum-
mer $4,000 poor children spend an average Of ten
days In the camps. Every possible facility for
every sort of recreation is provided. There are
even medical service, religious exercises and
cooked-food distribution. AS to the people who
used the 12-mile strip under the Palisades their
number can only be guessed at.
The Des MOnes conference wns attended nv
140 delegates from SO organizations In 25 states
The coming conference will be larger. This park
question is of interest to great variety Of organ
woods League of California; General Federation
of Womens Clubs; American Society of Land.
scape Architects; Wild Flower Preservation So
ciety of America; American Bison society: Amer.
lean Alpine club; American Committee on Preser.
walton OF Natural Conditions; American Civic
association: National Park-to-Park Highway nsso
citation; National Park Service.
The scope of this second conference is perhnns
best suggested by the report of the committee on
resolutions DR.. Henry c. Cowles, University of
alo otry,at, ,fnh
first conference This report includes the fol.
lowing:
"The National Conference on State Parks as
sembled in Des Moines, January 1O-11-12 1921
upon the call of the governor of Iowa, and at the
suggestion of the secretary of the interior and in
cooperation with the national park service de-
clares its belief:
"That the public parks. local, county, state and
national are necessary for the best developmept
of patriotism of efficient manhood and woman.
hood and of business and civic life In the IInited
States
THAT such parks should include not only annie
and organized provision for recreation, but also
for the preservation In their natural state of
liberal areas embracing the varied types of prai.
rle, forest lake, river and mountain scenery of
America as well the natural wonders that
distinguish country
"That 1t is incumbent upon our governments
local, county, state and national, to continue to
acquire sites until eventually there shall be public
parks within easy access Of all the people Of our
nation
"That this conference. recognizing the funda.
mental value of forest recreation, recommends
the establishment of further national state
county and municipal forests and that the recre-
ational use of such areas be correlated with
similar activities in other publicly owned areas"
AT the first conference special committee was
appointed to study the park laws Of the several
states and to confer with the executive committee
of the National Conference Of Commissioners on
Uniform State Laws. with view to the prepara.