The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-19
DON'T LIKE GAME LAW.
County Clerks object to Doing Work
Without Fees.

Opposition to the new state game law
is already beginning to develop. 1t is
likely that the law win have to run the
gauntlet of amendments at the next
! session of the legislature.
Many of the county clerks, who have
to issue licenses in their respective
counties, are complaining about the
amount of extra work involved. They
will ask to have the law changed so
that the county shall get part of the
fees collected. AS it is now, the coun-
| ty clerks have to remit all they take in
to the state treasurer, where it is placed
to the credit of the game warden s
funds. The county clerks say that the
new law makes it necessary for the
county to buy new books and records in
which to keep track of the licenses is
sued. What the county clerks would
like would be a regulation providing
that they should retain about 10 cents
for each license issued as their personal
rakeof on account of the extra work
! involved.
The plea that the county is put to
extra expense for the purchase Of rec
ord books does not stand much investi-
cation, for the licenses and stubs are
all furnished free of charge by the state
game warden. The law simply requires
that the county clerk keep a record of
the names and addresses of people to
whom licenses are issued, and the date
| of issuance.
There seems to be more opposition to
the enforcement of the license feature
| of the law than to any other part. And
/ it is the farmers who do most of the
kicking. ]. T. White, of Ada, Ottawa
/ county. who was in Topeka the other
| day, and who was member of the
/ last legislature, said:
! 1.-The farmers are kicking about the
| license provision because usually
/ farmer boy only wants to go hunting
| for half a day about once a year. He
probably doesn't know until the day
! beforehand that he viii be able to take
/ the time to 60, and then he finds that
! he has no license, and no time to get
/ one. Naturally he is sore at the law,
! because it makes it dangerous for him
to hunt except on his own farm
s'However, there is no doubt that If
! this law is enforced for few years it
will make Kansas a great state for fish.
/ The revenue derived from the sale of
1 hunters licenses will probably amount
each year to $4,000 and with that it
/ will be POSSIBLE for the game and fish
/ warden to put millions of black bass
/ into the streams of Kansas. There are
/ plenty of fine bass streams in the state;
/ all they need is stocking and occasional
Theer is already about $4,000 to the
| credit of the fish and game warden.
which is available for any Of the purA
/ poses of the act. This doubtless includes
! the construction Of buildings at Pratt,
where the state fish hatchery IS estab-
| lisheC
Another peculiar complaint is being
| made in some of the counties where the
killing of quail and prairie chickens is
PROMPTED for a period of three years.
! The farmers are said to be mad because
the quail are getting so numerous that
they destroy crops. This is the first
time such complaint has been made
against quail These birds have always
| been supposed to be the best friends the
farmers had. and sure death of bugs
and grasshoppers. But people will get
queer ideas when they see a flock OF
nice fat quail marching about fearless
ana unbashed. because they are pro-
tected by law.
There are 10 counties in the state in
which there must be no killing of quatls
and prairie chickens until 1908. Most
| of these counties are in the extreme
western part of the state. They are as
/ follows: Hamilton, Scott. Wichita
! greeley. Smith. Sherman, Rocks, stat
| ford GRAY. Grant Stanton, Haskell,
! Decatur, Hodgeman, stevens. Morton,
| Finney, Crawford and Bourbon.