Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-24
FISH AND GAME EXPENSES
An Answer to an Unjust and MisIead
ing Attack.

my OeeGSN'
Editors Kennebec Journal:-In no DC
partment at Augusta has the expense ol
conducting business increased IN any
thing like the degree in which it mas M
creased in the department OF inland hsii
I'm 1884, that department spent sl4;oSo;
in 1879, s241e: in 1886, Soy ,s IN III hi;
is growing rather rapidly. The afg gu.
mems as to the wisdom of protecting our
fish and game are familiar to eVcrEoouS
the statements as to the amount "l
mCnt brings into Maine, have been S nt
and restated good many times. iIei1
Is ~ necessity of going over all mat
There Is no question but that II fo an j the
iIse of the commissioners ana ma ma
amount economically and wisely spent n1y
get by spending nearly twice that. e.o,,,
"A large part of this money comes i sv.-
fines and saWs i + IS t,DTg
these fines and licenses. no matter nov
large in amount to the commission 10 ~ ho
by them expended as they SEE Md MI be-
amount Of the appropriation shoulu i;
fixed by the legislature. the fines 'tilo ~, ~
censes turned into the state treasury; LII
an annual nj report OF ub1 1nf pe It pres
cnt only q Biennial report is mauc. f.o,,
"Legislate the income that acrracs i i,,in
guides. foreign hunters and poactty,n and
the treasury; limit the appropriation i ~
order an annual report That IS IN" Nat
islat;on pertaining to tish and slt,ic ,o nv;
is needed not Il law forDlddlnS tilc "a" ~
ing of fire arms in close time. or "a, Tor
protecting rabbits. the pests OF 'he io'
i,sts from being killed
TIE above from the WaterVille Nth-
tinel of Nov. 18th, last, is very HID
leading in most respects
In 1894. when $4,000 was eXpehueu
bv the State for fish and game MI.
stanley, in his report of 1873 anu -
stated that Maine owns no fish hatch-
cries nor is there any law authorlziii5
their purchase or leasing them from
s.nriyate corporations" and fuftner
stated that 1T would be wise pony
an the. part of the State to purciaS''
u permanently least such plati'9 a'
are necessary for the work ana tnat
a law should be passed authorizing liie
commissioners to purchase or lease
them for a term of years
Many FISH eggs were taken ahhuaiiS
and matched and turned out as soon
as they were Matched for the want Oh
Facilities to Keep them until fail, with
but slight benefit to the State.
Acting under the recommendation OF
Mr.. Wertworth'And Mr.. Stanley, IN"
Legislature of 1875 enacted a law CIV
ing authority to- tite Commissioners 10
purchase or lease real estate IN the
name of the State for the purpose 81
maintaining hatcheries for fish culture
ana apnropriated s25, 600. 90 for fish and
game for each Of the years 1879 ana
1856. to be expended by the Commas
,loners under the direction OF the Gov
aruor and Council. More than this
mount was spent-the bills of which
were not presented to the Commission
RS until the following year.
They bought land and built large
:ish hatchery at Caribou, Maine In the
YEAR 1895, and also leased Of. The
lake Auburn Fish Protective Assocla-
ton their plant on Lake Auburn, %1or
a term of 90 years, and stated INA
the State now owns or controls tour
FISH hatcher! 9, one at Lake Auburn,
caribou. Sebago and Enhefd-the last
two are very small affafrs--operated by
one man alone"
In 1896 40 acres of land were pur-
chased in Monmouth and a fish hatch
. se,rx ,ss,zec1el-sat-a-coSt- of about $14Oo.
aii1 ft- IS Stated In the report of the
Commissioners for that year that the
demand oil the people for fish from the
4 hatcheries far exceeds the supply
!, The LEGISLATURE in 1897. approprfatcd
! the sum of So, 900 for each of the years
1897 and 1898, and $l.9S1.9o was re
/. ceived from licenses and fines.
In 1900 the Appropriation was the
/ same-$o5 .COO-it has never exceeded
:. this sum. The fines and licenses foi
shat year We're S9.0G0.00.
II, 1uO1 tt.. I eciSl1t1lrp- IlpOn the ear
nest petitions Of people i'll the vicinity
If Noosehead Lake. ordered the build
ing of a large fish hatchery and feed
ing station there.
In 1903 appropriations were made for
Inc building of new hatcheries at Sc
baEo and Rargcley lakes.
a site was purchased and hatchery
built at Winthrop without any add
tiOnal appropriation.
Anyone can readily see that the ex-
pensc Of operating all of these hatch
cries, in addition to what they had in
{ 1894. would be very considerable. but
with no4additipnal appropriation fol
this purpose fl1ce 1895.
The law Requiring guides to be
liCenSed-and nonresident hunters tC
pay q license fe" to hunt-requires
that these sums, together with the
fines for infractions Of the fish and
game laws, shall be expended Tor the
protection of game and birds. These
sums amounted in 1904 to 10000. and
) in 1905 to s3l 10000
1t has been found that it is very
.much more advantageous. Vastly
fbetter results are obtained by feeding
: the fish after they are Matched in th'
spring. until fall. or even carrying
them through until the next spring
than to turn them out as soon as
hatched This necessitateS greatly
increased expenditures.
For the years 1905 and 1906 eign'
fish hatcheries and feeding stations
We're i'll operation, as against none il
1894.
The number of fishermen, tourists
and hunters coming into the State il
1894 was comparatively few as com
pared with those who came here il
1905: in 1894 and 1895 there was no.
much Of a pretense that much could be
done by way of protecting fish ant
game by warden service.
rnnOrt has haa, yeor1y- e