The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-28
FOR GAME
State Board Submits an Interest
ing Report.
STREAMS BEING DEPLETED
Commissioners Point Out Many Defects
in the Present Law, and Make a
Number OF Seasonable
Recommendations.

Helena, Dec. 27--The report of the
state board of game and fish commits
sioners to the governor for the year
ended Nov. 80 contains much matter
that deserves careful consideration at
the hands of the lawmakers of the
state, in order to make the law under
which the commission operates more
effective. The commissioners are Nor
ton j. Elrod, Percy Kennett and r. A.
Wagner. Professor Elrod is chairman
of the board and Mr. Wagner secre-
tary. Mr. Wagner has also been
elected state warden, but, owing to
pay.
The relations between the state board
and the county wardens have not been
the closest, judging from the report.
The system in operation is pronounced
very poor Wardens, the report says,
have been appointed at 81 q month,
at nothing and at pay as high as 500
month, because Of the defect in the
law, which does not place the salary
at a stated amount. Lack of commune
cation between the county commits
sioners, who appoint the Wardens upon
| the request of 100 or more taxpayers,
| and the state board tends to make the
w
| commissioners rather than the board.
| The state warden has called for reports
| from county wardens, but in many in
| stances such requests have been lg.
| nored.
| The state warden and the board CT
| state commissioners have as little
| power over the county WardenS as 1t
is possible to give the board by law"
| says the report. IF they had funds to
| push the work, aside from the county
| wardens something might be done. Not
only are the county wardens not under
! the direction Of the state board and
| the state warden, but in one-half of
| the counties of the state they are not
| appointed. In the past year but 10
counties of the state have appointed
| Wardens, and at the time this report
| is made some of the offices have been
vacated. The state board is powerless.
| Petitions from taxpayers avail but lit
| tie and one-half of the wardens ap-
| pointed receive such poor pay as to
make the office of no effect"
The report finds that in the 10 coun-
| ties having wardens something like
$500 was expended, or $50 per county
| per month, for services, out of which
| the wardens pay their own expenses.
| Providing they serve the whole year the
sum of $4,000 would thus be expended.
| The state board, with this amount,
would be able to keep four good war
| dens in the field and do more work
| than has been done by all these war
| dens combined and to the benefit of
| the entire state. The report points out
| that the county Wardens never so out
| of their county and are idle If there is
nothing to do. A state or deputy state
| warden could, on the contrary, be sent
| anywhere, covering a large amount OF
| territory. 1t is proposed to remedy this
| by giving the state board power to ap-
| point and control the deputy wardens.
| Praise is bestowed upon the forest
rangers of Montana in service upon the
| different forest reservations, Through
| the aid of Superintendent j. B. Collins
| the rangers have done much effective
| work in the way of protecting both
game and fish. Each ranger has been
| appointed a deputy state warden to
serve without pay. Instances are cited
where these rangers have aided not a
| little in protecting game and fish, in
! many instances doing far better work
| than the county wardens During the
year $643 was collected by the COM
mission in fines, Of which $45967 was
expended. The small amount collected
| in fines comes from the fact that the
fines have not been numerous. One
| half has gone to the informer and gsRS
| orally the minimum fine has been NSy
| posed.
1t is asked that measures be taken to
| prevent destruction of fish by coal dust
| in streams; that steps be taken to pre-
| vent the capture of beaver alive, except
for park or scientific purposes; that the
| exact hour when the closed season COM
| mences and ends should be more Spe-
| citic; there should be regular reports
| as to animals in domestication: the fish
| and game commission should have au-
| thority to issue permits for taking fish
| from any pond or stream by seine;
| the game warden should have the
power to demand froi shippers the
| way bills of certain kinds of fish
| shipped into the state, also the privil-
| ege of inspecting the stock; better laws
should be enacted against dumping
| saw dust in streams; one-half of the
| school fund, thus making county Off
| GERS more diligent in prosecution.
| In summing up its report, the COM
| mission says it believes that wardens
! should have power to search for inter-
dicted game and fish, and to confiscate
| not only such game and fish, but the
| hunting or fishing outfit. Snipe, plover
| and doves should be protected by law,
and the number of ducks that can be
| killed estimated. A bounty is recon-
mended on mountain lion, lynx and
| wild cats, as a protection to game, as
| well as live stock. The old recommen-
dation as to screens at the head of irri-
over at every session of the legislature,
| is renewed; also a close season during
| the spawning period. The catch of fish
should be estimated in pounds and no
fish should be taken less than six
inches in length.
MANY of the good fishing streams
| are fast being depleted" continues the
report, because the fish are taken out
before they are large enough to deposit
spawn. We believe that measures
should be taken at an early date to
establish a state fish hatchery, so as to
annually place several millions of fry
in the waters of the state. We believe
this would not be as expensive as at
first appears"
The commission asks authority to
take fish, game and birds for parks
of other states, also to ship into the
state game, birds animals or fish for
the purpose of their introduction in
Montana. The legislature is asked "a
memorialze congress to place a fish
way in the Clark's Fork of the Column