The record-union., 1894-04-19
STOP THE WANToN WASTE
Uniustifiable Destruction of Fruit and
Vegetables.

From the Oakland Times.1
The Sacramento RECORD UNION in
dorses the proposition of the State Sports
mems Association to ask the Legislature
to pass law providing for Game War
dens. 1t also wants the Wardens given
full authority to protect and prevent the
wanton slaughter of game. Asaploof of
the necessity of such officials it says:
at is a well-known fact, for instance,
that three or four men can take ducks
enough at one time to overload the San
Francisco and Sacramento markets, and
that on several occasions they have done
so, and have dumped thousands Of pounds
of the surplus game into the bay. This
is the result of wanton destruction, of
unrestricted and unregulated game TAX
taking. and, OF course, it IS an injury to
all the people.o
All this is quite true, and it is as bad as
it is true. The better protection of game
is very much desired, and any measure
that will provide for it without too greatly
restricting liberty of action should meet
with popular favor. But why should we
be so indignant at the wanton waste of
throwing game into the bay, when we
look with complacency on a similar wan
ton waste on q vastly larger scale in the
annual dumping of fruits and fresh vege-
tables into the bay because the market is
overstocked.
In one day the writer has seen 10000
baskets ofpeaches and 1000 sacks ofpota-
toes dumped into the sea from the
wharves of San francisco. The peaches
and potatoes were good, but the dealers
preferred to destroy them to throwing
them on the market and reducing prices.
The loss fell wholly on the producers
who sell through commission merchants.
The latter must have their profit even
though consumers are forced 10 pay high
prices while the producer has his
crop cast into the sea.
Why quarrel about d few ducks when
sucn criminal waste of staple food
products is tolerated Every year this
sort Of thing can be seen in San Fran
cisco. Good fruit and vegetables go by
the boat load into the waves, to the loss OF
producers, while prices are kept up to
consumers. The Wanton slaughter OF
game is nothing, either in extent or in
Jury, to the wanton destruction of choice
products of the soil, the fruit of mans
toll, ingenuity and capital that is steadily
going on.
Such waste is criminal. 1t is an out
rage on the economy of nature and the
industry of man. An old adage says
'willful waste makes Woetul want"
Here is the truth of it exemplitied. Poor
people in San Francisco go without fruit
| and vegetables or stint themselves with
the scantiest supply because prices COM
pei them to do il, while large quantities
of good, wholesome food are deliberately
destroyed to prevent the curse of cheap
ness.
Nobody benefits by this wicked de-
struction of the earth's bounteous yield
but a small coterie of middlemen, who
give TO the sea what they rob alike from
the poor and the husbandman. While
we are devising measures to prevent the
destruction of wild game, let US also de-
wise measures to prevent the destruction
of the fruits of civilized labor the susie
nance of man.
Let not want be invited by wanton
waste. Wise men and fools, rich men
and poor, sensible men and cranks, will
get together in common assemblage,
speechify and adopt resolutions about
the ''wanton destruction of wild game,"
| but nobody lifts a voice or appears to be
shocked at wanton destruction thou
sand times more criminal and harmful,
which continually goes on right under
their noses. Great Indignation is excited
when oveTripe ducks or tainted quail are
given TO the great deep, but the throwing
overheard of vast quantities OF potatoes
and fruit is viewed with philosophic in
difference. One wild duck, which is not
the food of the poor or common article
of diet, appears to be of more importance
than a ton of potatoes or drayload OF
| peaches.
| By all means let us have Game Wardens
! but also let us have some other kind O.
| wardens, who will throw the mid0lemer
overheard and save the potatoes.