Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1902-08-29

contains an article on the rules gov
erning the Blooming Grove park
association evidently intended to
correct errors with regard to some
recent statement made in the papers
concerning II. Tho article says.
In 1871 the State Of Pennsylvania
granted our association charter
providing that the game laws Of the
state should not be applicable to the
territory owned or leased by us, and
among other things we were given
right to make our own game laws.
For over thirty years this charter
has stood unchallenged, aud is the
law Of that state today.
Acting under this charter we have
made our rules relating to the taking
of game, and these rules have been
strictly adhered to. In some respects
we have made them to correspond
with the Pike county game law, in
which county lie our preserves, and
which law, passed many years ago
as a special law, is held by some Of
the lawyers of that county to be still
the law, in spite of the general game
law subsequently passed in 1897.
Our season for taking game, with
the exception of the English pheas-
ants, is but few weeks longer than
the general game law Our limit of
game to be killed is less than that
allowed by the state game law, We
allow but seven each of grouse and
woodcock to be killed each day. The
state law allows ten each. As to
English pheasants, our season is from
October 10 to December 81, and the
limit two each day until late in the
fall when this limit is increased to
four each day. Until we commenced
the raising Of English pheasants
there was none in Pike county, and
now l am told that many are seen
outside Of our preserves. We shoot
them only our own lands. We raise
these birds from eggs laid by our own
breeders, and each bird turned out
has metal tag on its leg, similar to
that used on carrier pigeon, and
showing our ownership. None Of
our game has been, to the knowledge
OF the officers of the association,
killed out Of our season, except in
few instances, and then the members
who broke the rule were, under our
bylaws, promptly and severely fined.
We do not allow bounding.
You will see, therefore, that our
members are kept strictly within our
rules, which by our charter became
the law, so far as we are concerned.
In these thirty-one years we have
purchased, and now own, upward Of
eighteen thousand acres of land In
Pike county. We have expended
hundreds Of thousands of dollars in
making good roads, hatchery, in
building a trout and retaining ponds,
pheasantry, deer park Of a mile
square, club house, and suitable out
buildings, stables, kennels, and en-
ploying many of the citizens Of
that county. We have restocked
and are constantly restocking the
lakes and streams with trout from
our own hatchery; we have put
out hundreds Of quail and pheasants,
and many deer; we have in every
way protected the game which roam
over our lands and those of our
neighbors; we have kept down the
fires in our neighbors' woods, as
well as our own, and withal have
paid the largest individual tax that
is paid in Pike county.
In the seizure Of game referred to
in your article the gentlemen COM
planned against were strictly within
their rights, as the Outcome will
demonstrate. Already the indict-
meuts have been dismissed, though
others have since then been re-
turned. We believe these will meet
the same fate. It may be said that
we have a very liberal charter.
While that may be true, it is as
much the law of the state as any
other on the statute books, aud, 80
long as our members keep within
the rules laid down by our directors,
they are obeying the laws of the
stale which gave as, through our
charter, the right to make such
rules.
Thus we see that, instead of being
a menace, the association sets a
worthy example in the moderate
use Of its privileges.
Asiounded the Editor
Editor Is A Brown Of Bennets-