Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-01
LAW INDICATED.
Hunting Season Shows Good
Effects of License Law.
Gives State $26,650 to be Used il
Protecting Game.
Plenty of Hunters and a Great Season
in the Northern Woods.

Chairman Carleton of the Commits
sioners of Inland Fisheries and Game
went to Bangor. yesterday afternoon, on
business connected with his depart
ment.
A Journal reporter called on him.
yesterday forenoon, and interviewed
him or fish and game conditions in the
State of Maine.
Mr.. Carleton said, Taking everything
into consideration, it has been a very
successful year in our department.
1--WE have raised and planted a great
many more, and larger, fish than ever
before in the history of the commission
in any one year. We have taken more
fish spawn this fall than ever before.
The catch of fish this year has been a
record breaker. We have built the two
provided for by Act of the Last Legis-
lature-one at Sebago Lake and one at
Rangeley. These are modern and up to
date in every respect. We have now
seven large hatcheries, and have in
them one hundred thousand fish which
we shall winter and feed until another
fall before planting them. They will
then have attained a growth of six or
eight inches in length. We have now
in these hatcheries. also two million
trout and landlocked salmon eggs. The
outlook for improved conditions for
fishing was never so promising as at
the present time. Whoever fishes in
Maine waters in the future, and their
number is constantly and rapidly in
creasing, is boua i'd to have rare sport
indeed
TT is a marvel to see how rapidly
cottages are being built on the shores
of our lakes and ponds. In my ow,'
town, Winthrop, at least one hundred
thousand dollars have been expended
during the last year for cottage lots and
cost of erecting cottages, and that it is
going on all over the State.
1.-The people of Maine do not as yet
realize the mighty source of wealth
they have in their inland lakes and
ponds. Occasionally we hear CRAWL
of a murmur. whichever you may call
it,-not so often, however. as formerly
because the Legislature appropriates
a paltry S25 900 to operate our hatcher
les, in fact really to develop this
enormous industry.
There were some kickers' because
the Legislature appropriated 100000
to have this State represented at the
greatest of all World Expositions at st.
Louis, but that amount will be returned
to the people of Maine more than a
thousand fold, in very few years, by
the increased number of fishermen,
.s<-kr, RI
say nothing of the largely increased
number who will thus become ac-
uuainted with us and our resources and
purchase our lumber, our potatoes, our
apples, our butter and cheese, the pro-
duct of our mills, in fact, everything
Maine is capable of producing.
"Curiously enough some Maine papers
have enormously stated that we have
charge of Names exhibit at st. Louis.
We have nothing whatever to do with
it, commission was created by act
of the Legislature which has entire
charge of this matter.
I'm speaking of the nonresident
hunters license law, I want to De
quoted as saying most emphaticaliy
that this law has, even in the very first
year of it's operation, proved a most
decided success notwithstanding all the
adverse criticism it has received.
1T has been claimed that there has
been a great falling off in the number
of hunters who have come to Maine to
hunt this year, due entirely to this law.
This is not so. We are prepared to prove
that of legitimate, desirable sportsmen
there have been about the usual num-
Der in the Maine woods this hunting
season. 1t was fortunate for the
chronic fault finders that are
always prophesying disaster when
ever any new and needed step is
taken in advance in game legislation
that they got their work in early, for
their prophecies of disaster to our
hunting interests on account of this
law would be sadly out of place now
that the harvest is ended and the re-
cord made.
We have received and paid over to
the State treasurer, this year. in
license fees, s26,65O.0O. This is all to be
expended in warden service for big
game and game birds. whereas we have
had for this purpose heretofore but
about $4,000. aside from fines collected
and fees from guides, camp proprie-
tors, &c.
More moose have been killed than
were killed last year, and of deer pas
sing through Bangor there is an appar-
ent falling off of but few hundred
But it has been said that more of our
own people have hunted. This is no
doubt true, and will continue so in the
future.
"A Boston correspondent of the Bos-
ton Daily Globe, in a labored article in