The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-01-04

A modern system of improved
roads and trails throughout the ma
tional parks and monuments is con-
tanned in a roadbuilding program sub
mitted to congress today and urgent
Iy recommended by Secretary of the
Interior Work
In a bill drafted and submitted to
the senate and house committees on
public lands an appropriation of ST.
100000 is proposed to be expended
over a period of three years for TINS
purpose by the department of the in
terror through the national parks
service. Practically all the existing
roads in the national parks, it is
pointed out, were originally built for
horse drawn traffic and with the adj
vent of the high-powered motor We
hicle travel have proven Inadequate
Enormous increases in the number OF
visitors to the national parks, most
of whom use automobiles as means
of travel, have made the reconstruc-
ton and improvement of the roads a
paramount necessity. The recommen-
dation of the secretary of the interior
to the senate and house committees
follows:
81 am submitting herewith draft of
a proposed bill authorizing the con-
struction, reconstruction and i'm
provement of roads and trails, inclu-
sive of necessary bridges, in the ma
tional parks and monuments under
s,,,~ seds Of tho dnna rf m ant nf /
the interior. The director of the |
budget has advised me that the con-
templated expenditure is not in con-
flict with the presidents financial |
program, and I recommend favorable
consideration of this important
measure to your committee.
Most Urgent Demand
'In my opinion the most urgent
demand of the national parks today
is for the reconstruction of most of
the existing roads within their bord-
ers to measure up to the high stand
ard constructed or being constructed
to their boundaries by the United
States, or by the various states either
with or without federal aid, and for
a few new roads. In recent years
the congress has given special atten-
ton to the construction in coopera-
ton with the various states of a net
work of roads throughout the entire
country Under this policy some
$54O,O00,000 for road work within
the national forests, considerable
part of which has been appropriated.
This has resulted in a system of we'll
constructed highways to few of the
entrances of the various national
parks and monuments, enabling mo-
florists to travel in comfort to them.
Since 1872.
'sBut since 1872 when the first ma !
tional park - the Yellowstone-w
created, total of only $3,042,300 has
been appropriated for the roads in the {
national parks under small annual ap- E
preparations by congress, of which {
sum $1,482,000, or about one-half, I
was expended for road development in t
Yellowstone National park, while the c
war department had charge of that {
park. This explains why the road '
SYSTEM III SliOWSIOu6 10 DCLIOl QO- '
veloped than in any other park. Prac- a
tically all roads in the national parks
were originally built for horse-drawn
vehicular traffic, and with the advent
of the automobile have proven in I
adequate. The travel to the national =
parks in the past years has increased
to tremendous total. Our records
show that since 1916, when the ma .
tional park service was created a
bureau of this department and took e
active charge of the administration of e
the national parks and monuments
under the jurisdiction of this depart
ment, since which time the popular d
ity of the park and monument system y
dates, travel to the park and monu- ie
nents has increased from 356, 097 Wis II
itors to the tremendous total of s
Nj