The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-06-20
By J. c. BASKERVILLE
The TimeS-News Bureau
Sir Waiter Hotel


RALEIGH, June 20.-What is
North Carolina going to do about
the Great Smoky Mountain Ma
tional Park? 1t is going ahead
and make this park a certainty
by buying the remaining land
needed, or is it going to let the
chickering's of politicians and pO-
litical cloques cause the state to
lose this great national park?
These questions are being heard
more frequently than ever here
the past few days, since the Ma
tional park was brought sharply
to the front of popular attention
by two things:
First. The appropriation by
congress of $50,000,000 for the
building of highways and trails in
national parks ana national for
ests.
Second. The fact that Governor
]. C. r. Ehringhaus must appoint
new state park commission up
on which will rest the responsible
ity of obtaining the remaining
necessary land in the park area
to make the Great Smoky Noun
tains National park reality.
How much of this $50.000,00G
for national park and forest roads
will be spent in North Carolina
depends very largely on how soon
the state completes the purchase
ef land in the park area, Chair"
man E. b. Jeffress of the state
highway commission pointed out
a few days ago. He pointed out
that the construction Of highways
by the state leading to the park
area twill avail little until the
balance of the park is acquired
and officially turned over to the
federal government" and until
the government begins construc-
tion Of roads and trails within
the park area to connect with the
state roads leading to it. He fur
Their pointed out that the state
had already expended $2,000,000
on the park, on which the interest
is still 100000 a year. in addi-
ton to the several million dollars
put into it by the Rockefeller
Foundation. so that the state will
suffer a loss of millions Of dol
lars already invested in the park
area if it now allows the park
movement to fail.
What the state is going to do
about acquiring the additional
land in the park area needed be-
fore the government will actually
take. it over, admittedly depends
upon what the new state park
commission, to be appointed by
Governor Ehringhaus, decides to
do. The 1888 general assembly,
after one of the bitterest fights
during the entire session and in
spite of tremendous political
pressure applied by members and
friends of members of the old
park commission, decided that the
time had come for a change to
be made. So it not only author
lied the governor to appoint a
new commission but also to name
a committee to investigate the
acts of the old commission. 1t
was brought out that the commits
sion one year spent more for at
torneys fees than it did on buy
ing land and that for d time Mark
Squires, the chairman Of the COM
mission, had received $500 a
year for legal services from the
Rockefeller money, in addition to
per diem and travelling expenses
received from the state. 1t is
agreed that a number of the law
yers who received large fees from
the park commission were either
personal or political friends Of
members Of the commission, de-
spite the fact that their appoint
ment had to be and was approved
by Attorney General Dennis G..
i Brummitt. Incidentally. the gen.
aral assembly decided that here
iafter attorneys for the park COM
mission shall be approved by the