Arizona state miner., 1925-08-22
GRAND CANYON
M|SHANDL|NG

Washington, Aug 9.-Charges in
vOlving the administration of the
Grand Canyon National Park and
other Federal lands in Arizona were
made public today by representatives
of the Senate Committee on Public
Lands, which is soon to begin an in
vestigation of the public land prob
lem. The charges are based on an
investigation made by Senators Ash
urst and Cameron of Arizona, who
were delegated to hold the hearings
by the committee. The investigation
was preliminary to the field hearings
which the committee will start in
Salt Lake City next week in which
every phase of the problem involving
the public domain of 431 100000 acres
will be gone into.
In the report, parts of which were
given out today, it is asserted that
the concessions in the Grand Canyon
Park have been monopoliZed, that the
tourist camp is a disgrace to the SER
vice, that money has been squandered
in the matter of roads, and that con-
ficts between private land owners
and the Federal authorities are fire.
Quent.
Various other allegations more or
less grave are made. Against the In
dian administration it is charged that
Governments tribal herd policy has
resulted, not, as the government ex-
pected, in the Indian himself, but
the white Indian agent, going into the
cattle business.
Stephen T. Mather, Director of the
National Park Service, who left for
the West a few days ago, declared
his opinion that the investigations of
the Grand Canyon was open to severe
criticism. He made it plain that he
peheVed grudge was in it some
where, and he did not deny that he
had Senator Cameron in mind.
CAMERON INVOLVED IN SUITS
Senator Cameron has clashed many
times with the Park Service in the
matter of the Grand Canyon, and
suit involving certain placer mining
claims in the Grand Canyon country
is now pending against him in Ari-
zona. Recently the Government
brought another civil suit, involving
claims on the Colorado River, in
which 1t named as defendants the
senator's wife; Ralph Cameron, Jr.,
MS son; Mrs. S. E. Quieroz, whose
first husband was John B. Stetson of
Philadelphia; c. H. Stetson of Phil
adelphia; Mrs. H. B. Stetson of Elkins
Park, Pa; H. r. and NJ. Gillett of
New York City; E. H. Hopkins of
Hollywood, Cal, and e. w. Campbell
the Senator's private secretary.
Senator Cameron was not made a
party to this suit, which was filed in
the Federal Court at Phoenix bv Har-
old Baxter, who acted for Attorney
General Sargent. The Government
asked cancellation of the claims on
the grounds of fraud.
Ihe preliminary report of the Ari-
iona investigation, which is addressed
10 Senator Stanfield, of Oregon.
chairman Of the committee, saws in
part:
The committee made a personal in
spection of the park. The committee
found that the accommodations for
tourists coming by automobile and not
stopping at a hotel were very bad
Only one camp is provided for such
tourists, and tourists are not hermit
ted to camp elsewhere This camn
~ ANN"INo q AOAA6 ways from the rim
of the canyon, the chief attraction of
the park. 1t is located near a rail-
road and near an open sewer. and
near the place for disposing of gar
bage. No shelter is provided for these
tourists. No tents can be rented in
the park. The ground is bare of
grass. Fuel is furnished by the park. !
The only water available must be pur- |
chased from the Santa Fe Railroad.
PARK SERVICE CRITICISED.
"Fhe Park Service does not operate
any facilities providing for the care
of visitors. The only concession of |
any Importance in the PaN is the |
Fred Harvey concession. Fe has q |
twenty-year concession of ali park fa-
cilities providing for the cars of Wis
Itors, with the exception of small
general store and small photograph
shop. Thus he has the hotel, lodging
houses, meeting house and transp0rta-
tIon concessions.
The Park Superintendent testified
mat ne had not made an inspection
OF the books, records or accomoda-
1l0nS of the Harvey COMPANY. he
knew of no inspection that had been