The San Francisco call., 1904-11-27


plating; the coal used in smelling the
ores and in the furnaces and forges
where these metals are finally wrought
into their usual shapes. 1t is enough
TO say that 11S.s11 wage-earners of
the United States find annual employ
ment because of our supply of game
and fish.
RICH ALSO GET BENEFITS.
THE rich men, who always raise a
kick when denied the privilege of
buying game in the market, should
be satisfied to let wen enough alone.
for they receive annually from the
manufacturers and dealers the COM
Portable sum of $2640, 600 for rents
and certainly not less than another
two million for the rents of the houses
in which these 1851 persons and
those dependent upon them live. At
the smallest estimate, there are three
persons dependent upon each wage
Garner. This will give US 474,444 per-
sons directly supported by the money
spent by those who>hunt and fish In
order to get a fair conception of the
magnitude of the business created by
the existence of the supply of game
and fish, let US suppose that all this
business was conducted in one place.
I'm that case we would have a city
considerably larger than San Fran
cisco, without counting numerous peo-
pie that would find employment in ca
tering to their wants, such as dry
goods merchants, elothiers, grocers,
shoe dealers. butchers. bakers. mfIlin-
ers, dressmakers, tailors, druggists,
dentists, doctors. car drivers, vege-
table and fruit dealers and dairy men,
as we'll as the carpenters, bricklayers,
painters and pIasterers to build and
keep in repair the houses in which
they live. And still there would be
the farmers and fruit and vegetable
raisers, and the cattle and sheep and
chicken raisers TO furnish the food
upon which they all would live. De-
stroy the game and the employment
of all these people would cease. And
by the same token, reduce it and the
employment will be correspondence
reduced.
SPEND MONEY OTHERWISE
But great as this may SEEM it is
nowhere near the full benefits derived
from a good supply of game. The
money those who hunt and fish spend
for their guns and rods and ammuni-
ton is a small part of what their
sport costs them Their railroad and
stage fares, their hotel bills, livery
bills, boat hire, rent Of preserves and
the wages of the men who care for
them. amount TO fully three times the
cost OF their ammunition and flies
This, in the aggregate. amounts.
in the United States, 10 more than
s175, 900. 900 annually. OF this vast
sum it is known, from reliable statis-
tics, that upward of ss.750.000 is
spent in California by those who Iovs
the sports of the field and stream.
This is more than twice the cost Of
every pound Of -four consumed in the
State. Men who have never studied
the subject, nay. men who have never
taken the time TO think, have made
the assertion that game laws are en-
acted for the sole benefit of the
sportsmen. Yes, if it is a benefit TO
the sportsmen Of California to pre-
serve them a means through which
they can spend SS.750,00 every year.
But 1 believe that every thoughtful
citizen will agree with me in saying
that the wage Garner and producer
are the real benefciaries. The sports
mans interest, as such, in the game
is a money spending one. The interest
of all others is a money making one.
Some OF the papers speak of the
prohibition of the sale Of game as if it
was new and monstrous innovation
another evidence of a lack of knowI-
edge on the subject The truth is
thirty y-eight States and Territories
about all that have any game TO pro-
tect-prohibit the sale Of game killed
in the State, and most of them of ALI
game, no matter where it is killed
Washington. Montana, Idaho. Wyorn-
ing. Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and even
the Territories of Arizona and New
Mexico, prohibit the sale of game. and
Oregon allows only the sale of ducks
the last two weeks of the open season.
Nor is it much of an innovation in Cal
ifornia
PLAN WORKS WE'LL.
Twelve years ago we stopped the
sale Of deer meat When this was done
the same element that is now opposing
the prohibition of the sale of ducks
cried aloud, filing the air with their
walls ard predicting all manner Of ca
lamities therefrom- Yet for twelve
years our people have prospered with
out the sale of venison. Four years
ago the sale of quail was stopped. and
the same people and the same papers
painted the same stock pictures of suf
fering and privation- Still no financial
crisis has overtaken the community.
no starvation has resulted and no epi
denic has seized upon the wealthy be-
cause quail on toast was taken from
their bill of fare. And I am persuaded
that when the sale Of ducks is stopped