Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-01-22
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Governor ossry's Message vs.sIns The Din.

| u0USf " HtPTtStMuttVcS VI tNe SVW
monioeath of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
MEN After most careful and anxionl
consideration find myself unable I,
approve Senate bill No. $50, entitled
"An act TO create board Of fishery
commissioners and TO provide for th'
construction of ilshways and the pro
pagation of fish, and appropriatipl
money for the same"
An intelligent view of tho subject
requires q brief statement of the pro
visions Of the bill.
SECTION |. Prcscribcs punishment,
for having in possession, or selling
shad, at improper seasons.
SEC. 2. Makes it q misdomcanor t.
fish between midnight on Saturday
and sunrise on Monday morning
SEC. 8. Provides punishment for tres
passing upon fish preserves or ponds
SIC. 4. Makes it unlawful to fish, OK
cept with hook, within half a mile o.
any artificial schute or fsh ladder.
SEC. 6. Appoints fvo fish commits.
sioners for throe years, defines Their
duties, and provides that they shall be
paid all reasonable expenses.
SEC. 9. Authorizes the commission
ers to open and have made all neces-
sary fish ways, or ladders MS therein
prescribed.
SEo.7. Empowers tho commissioners
to appoin' fish wardens, or water
bailifIs." without any limit as 10 num-
Der. ~ G
SEC. .. Authorizes CO. operation with
the State of New Jersey for the pro.
pagation of shad into the river Della
ware.
SEC. 0. Extends tho law against fish
baskets, etc, in force as to the Susque-
hanna, to all other streams Of the com
mon wealth.
SEQ. 10. Empowers the commission
ers to locate and purchase State batch
ing and propagating establishment.
SEC. IL. Appropriates $4,000 to fur
ther the objects of the bill, including
$4,000 for the purchase of the hacth-
ing or propagating establishment.
SEC. II. Requires that all dams here
after erected shall be provided with
proper fish ways, or ladders, by their
owners or builders
Such is a brief outline Of the bill,
and to my mind it is justly open TO
the following objections:
!. There is no occasion FOR five com
missioners. This and other States
have heretofore had but one, two, or
at most three and although they are
only to be paid their necessary ex-
ponses, our experience in such mat
ters demonstrates that the expendi-
lures are liable TO increase in much
greater proportion than tho services
rendered. In addition to this, it di-
vidcs the responsibility too much; and
for this reason a largo board is gener-
ally less efficient than smaller one.
2. ANY legislation on this subject,
involving the expenditure Of so large
an amount of money, should require
that somebody should give security
for its proper disbursement. This has
been omitted in the bill under consid.
GRAFTON.
8. 1t is believed tho interests of the
State do not require that any property
for Matching or propagating purposes
should be purchased, at ton thousand
dollars, as provided in this bill, or at
any other sum. The fact that two Of
the commissioners named in tho bill
arc owners of private establishments
OF this kind, is not calculated to re-
commend this feature Of the proposed
law. such an estaDlisnment, II purcn-
ased, would be OF no practical value,
unless competent persons were ap-
pointed TO run it and the bill makes
no provision for such appointment /;
and if it did, it is apprehended the
cost of such an establishment, under
State management, would be much
creator than any equivalent 10 be de-
rived tberefrom. The congress of the
United States, at its last session, ap.
propriated fifteen thousand dollars
(sl5, 5,000) "for the introduction of shad
into the waters of the Pacific States,
the Gulf States and the Mississippi
valley, and Of salmon, white fish and
other useful food fishes into the waters
of the United States TO which thoy
are best adaped." This State should
avail herself of her share of this up.
preparation; and this, with the pres
ent reduced prices of spawn, would
enable millions Of the several varities
to be procured, from time to time, at
less than half the amount provided by
this bill for tho nero purchase of n
place in which 10 propagate. This
strikes me as an unwisc, impro' ident
and unnecessary expenditure.
4. But tho most Objectionable fea-
turc of the whole bill is that embraced
in the sixth and seventh sections
The latter appropriates seventy thous-
and dollars CSC, 0,000), ten thousand of
which are for the Matching establish
mcnt, and the residue for the con-
struction OF fish ways, or ladders, in
existing dams. The sixth section
provides that one Of these fish ways
or ladders shall be upon the Columbia
dam, one upon the Clark's Ferry dam,
one upon the Shamokin dam, and one
upon not exceeding the three first dams
on the West Brach Of the Susquehan.
ma river above its confluence with the
North Branch, and one upon each OF
the first four dams occurring upon tho
Juniata river above its confluence with
the Susquehanna. and one upon each
"of the first four dams above the
month OF the river Lebigh."
Hero are fourteen dams In winch 1t
is proposed to have constructed tho
necessary fish ways, or ladders, for
the passage of fish and the eleventh
section of the bill provides that after
the appropriation Of the $4,000 for
tho Matching establishment, the re-
naming $50, 900, or as much thereof as
may be necessary, shall "be applied in
equal amounts TO the construction OF
the fish ways on the said three
streams"