Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26
By ISABELLE FLORENCE STORY.

BY ISABELLE FLORENCE STORY.
w YITH the approach of Sum.
v ington is the National Park
Service of the Department
of the Interior. To this bureau Uncle
Sam has intrusted the business of run
ming his great national Fairgrounds,
the national parks. Several of these
reservations, such as the Grand Can
yon and Yosemite Valley, are open
all year, but the Yellowstone and most
of the others open to travel during
June. Now the finishing touches are
being put to the preparations made
to handle the largest tourist travel in
the history of the parks, and the bu-
reau huns with cheerful activity.
Managing the national parks is a
real business enterprise. and Stephen
T. Mather, the first and only director
of the service, is first and foremost a
business man. When called upon to
correlate and build up the national
park system of his country, back in
1915, he brought to the job n wealth of
practical business knowledge and ex-
perience, combined with an innate
idealism and love of the outdoors that
exceptionally fitted for the work be-
fore him. His success speaks for it
self
THERE are now 10 national parks
and 30 national monuments ad-
ministered through the Department of
the Interior, instead of IA parks and
IS monuments as when Mr.. Mather
. took charge. In 1916 there were $685.
! 299 visitors to these reservations,
while last year there were over two
million, and still more are expected
this year.
The Washington headquarters Of
flee is small, with only &c per-
! manent employees to handle the
work of administering the 81
| parks and monuments. The finan-
| cial end of this work alone is a big
| job During the 1926 fiscal year funds
| totalirg $3,25S ,4c9 We're appropriated
| by Congress for administering and
| improving these reservations, as
! against 1924, 400 in 1915. This in
volved preparing detailed estimates of
i the funds needed for submission to
the Bureau of the Budget and Con-
! gress and the keeping of accurate cost
/ records to show how every cent Of the
| money appropriated was spent. In
addition, the parks during the same
period produced a total revenue of
! S618,530.72, and this had to be handled
| through the Washington Office and
placed in the Treasury of the United
| States in fund called miscellaneous
receipts" In making increased APP
/ propriations for park work, Congress
I, has shown we'll deserved confidence
! in the integrity of the park admins
| tration.
, In addition TO the financial part of
park work, every matter Of policy for
the arrangements of the parks must
| be referred to the Washington office
i for final decision; every permanent
4 employee in the field must be appointed
through headquarters, and the general
public relations work OF the service.
j including the preparation and dis
tribution of park literature, publicity
| matter and maps, is handled there.
! The officers at headquarters also
maintain contact and secure practical
cooperation from various Govern
ment bureaus.
But the credit for the successful
development of the national parks by
no means rests solely on the Wash
! ington office. In the field is a loyal,
well trained, efficient force, without
which the headquarters office would
be unable to accomplish great deal.
In each Of the major parks there is a