Remarks on the Transfer to New Jersey of Lands for the Sandy Hook State Park.

Gentlemen:

This is a very heartening example of how the people can be served when their Federal Government and their State governments work together materially and responsibly. I want to congratulate all of you who brought this about.

This transfer of 271 acres from the Army to the State of New Jersey increases by more than 50 percent the land area of Sandy Hook State Park. We don't have to speculate about the need or about the public demand, because when the first 460 acres were opened in 1962, 600,000 visitors were attracted to Sandy Hook, but 240,000 had to be turned away.

Last year it was the same story. Two out of three carloads of weekend visitors were turned away--sometimes as many as 500 cars per hour. I understand that the plans Governor Hughes and Commissioner Roe have made will now raise the capacity to 600,000 visitors, and I hope that fewer families will be disappointed on their weekend vacation plans.

We have a great heritage in America of open land and clean air and clear water. It is tragic that we have tended to neglect these areas amid the rush of metropolitan growth. But I am proud that we are awakening and acting now under the leadership of men like Secretary Udall and Governor Hughes, and the entire New Jersey delegation in Congress, including Senator Case and Congressman Auchincloss.

Senator Williams' sponsorship of the open space land provision in the Housing Act of 1961 was an invaluable and foresighted contribution to national policy. The cooperation shown by Secretary Ailes and the Army is especially constructive.

We don't have to rely upon chemistry to tell us what we already know in your minds and hearts about the need for open space development programs.

In the New Jersey and New York metropolitan area, 8 million persons live within a 25-mile radius. This is no longer an Eastern phenomenon. It is the pattern and it is the problem of all of the regions of this country.

No nation anywhere at any time has had to face the multitude or magnitude of unprecedented problems that we must meet and master in maintaining the quality of life in metropolitan America.

I don't mean to make a long speech about problems that all of you know well, but I believe we must have our best nonpartisan, nonpolitical, nonpetty effort that we have represented here this morning in men of both parties, leaders of both parties, such as Senator Williams and Senator Case of the Democratic and Republican Parties, and Governor Hughes, and Secretary Ailes and others, to get ahead and to stay ahead of the explosion of our metropolitan problems in the United States during this decade.

We must clean up our air, clean up our rivers, clean up our streams, and open up the land for our people if we are to preserve the heritage and the healthiness of our American life. Secretary Udall is giving outstanding leadership in that field.

If we don't act promptly, and we don't act prudently and progressively, we will face a real crisis in the quality of American life. I am sure that Secretary Udall will agree that would not be a "quiet crisis."

Whatever else we need, we shall need much closer cooperation between all levels of government, and that is why we especially welcome this example of intelligent Federal-State cooperation today, as represented by the precedence of New Jersey's great Governor, and her two outstanding Senators.

[At this point Governor Richard J. Hughes of New Jersey spoke briefly. The people of New Jersey, he said, had always been very proud of the President and on this occasion, he continued, they were both proud and grateful to the President for his cooperation in making the transfer of land possible. The President then concluded his remarks.]

Dick, I want to turn over the agreement to you, signed, sealed, and delivered.

Governor Hughes: Thank you very much, Mr. President.