The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-21
A HATCHERY FOR ALABAMA
  Will Montgomery or Mobile Get Its WILEY AND TAYLOR WORKING Bureau Has Distributed Fish and Eggs. Rural Free RcIiyery servicce is Crow ing Every Day and Texas Is Now
 Leading the
WILEY AND TAYLOR WORKING
BY A. J. STOPPER.

At the recent extra session of the Ala bama Legislature, resolutions were of- fered and adopted looking to a move ment to induce Congress to vote an appropriation for the establishment of a fish hatchery in the State It will be recalled also that Game Warden Wal lace expressed the opinion that if the movement meets with success during the coming session of Congress. the hatchery ought to be located at Mont gomery because not only is that city the State capital. but the water there IS just the thing for the proposed in- stitution.
 During the last Congress there was pending before the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries what was known as an omnibus" bill Ihis measure carried appropriations of $25,000 each for additional hatche- ries all over the United States--from Maine to California, and a lively agi- tation started which at one time prom ised to carry the proposition through successfully. But expenditures in other directions were so heavy and the fear of deficit in the Government revenue was so strong that Speaker cannon and the other Republicans who control legislation in the lower branch of Congress quietly put stop to the business, and nothing in this line could get through.
 Montgomery CT MobiIes
 Representative Taylor of the First Alabama District, was constantly on the alert in the interest of this mat ter. He was extremely anxious to have hatchery located in the vicin- ity of Mobile, and the understanding is he will renew his efforts next win~ ter. It Is also understood Colonel Wiley will be in the field with a bill in the interest of Montgomery, for he has heretofore worked in the same direction. It is generally conceded, however, that Alabama could not pos z sibly secure more than one hatchery. and if there are two or more bills and an omnibus" measure is constructed and passed. why. of course. only one of the Alabama districts could be rec ogntzed. 4 compromise would neces- sarly have to be arranged between the members or the matter adjusted by the entire Alabama delegation
 At the Bureau of Fisheries 1t is leatnedA that had the omnibus" bill passed in the last Congress, the Bu- reau would have been hampered for years in establishing the many hatche- rtes provided for. unless money was also voted for employing many more experts, clerks and helpers. Com piaint Is made that the force is so small that the director and his chief assistants are terribly handicapped now in carrying on operations at head quarters, at the various hatcheries and the hundreds of distributing stations,
 According to the last annual report of the Bureau the following is a sum- mary of the distribution of fish and eggs in the Southern States:
 Alabama, 49,660; Arkansas 8727O; Florida, 6,70O; Georgia, 101. 1.l70; Ken lucky, 1,5S6. 900; Louisiana, 6,700; Mary land. 325,6s0.S71; Mississippi, 51,s4s; North Carolina. 20, 0,139 267; South Caro- lima, 4,445; Tennessee, 271.s67; Texas, S1,2s7; Virginia. 35.4S6,1s6; West Vir- ginia, 1,124.434.
 Distribution of Fish.
 Within the year the bureau distri- buted in all the States and territories, including donations to State fish com missions 1.927,439,929 fish and eggs. This close approach to the two billion mark is the highest record ever made since the bureau has been established More distributions were made in Mas sachusetts than in any of the States, with Ohio second and Maryland third. Michigan was fourth with nearly 20O,- 100000.
 The most valuable fish that were
 
 year were large mouth black bass. The points which the greatest number were distributed are: Montgomery (Whet- stone Lake), Calcis (Kelley's Creek), Dothan. EufauIa, Kingston, Letohat- chee. Mobile College Lake), Paint Rock, Selma and Talladega. Sunfish or bream were also distributed in Ala bama at number of points-more largely in the Northern section of the State; and crappie and strawberry bass were let loose In lakes and ponds around Demopolis and Selma
 Rural free delivery service grows right along. Alabama relatively keeps up with the procession. too. The lat est figures compiled at the postoffice department here show that on August 1 Alabama BPS routes In operation. four new ones having been established with in the past six weeks. Since Uncle Sam established a service that gives the farmer his mail right at his gate 1,T0S petitions in all have come up from Alabama. Of the petitions pre- sented 791 have been adversely acted upon at the department. and since the service begun twenty-two routes that were started in Alabaam have been dis- continued.
 Sixty-seven petitions are now pend- ing for the establishment of additional routes in Alabama. Of the total num- Der of routes in the State only fifty six are limited to a tri-weekly service. That speaks well for Alabama, and shows that the mail facilities have im- proved more rapidly than in some of the other Southern States.
 Texas continues to lead all of the Southern States in the number of routes in operation. having 1,615. Ten nessee comes second with 1.542. Texas has 1O2 petitions pending and Tennes- see twenty-elght.
 There are IA routes in Florida and ten petitions for new ones are on file.
 The five States in the Union having the greatest number of routes in oper- ation are the following; Illinois, D. TIP; Iowa, 2,320; Indiana 2.1I3; Penn sylvania 2.065, and Wisconsin, 1,549 The whole number of routes In the United states is S7,SS7; number of car riers employed at present, 37.735.
 Patrons along the routes are said to be buying better mail boxes than they formerly could be induced to purchase. One reason for this is that a number of enterprising newspapers in the West have been giving boxes as premiums with subscriptions.