The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-20
CRYING NEED OF
UTAH SPORTSMEN
Action of Legislature NeCeS-
Sary to Prevent Extinction
of Fish and Game.

American continent, where the clear.
swift running streams without number
are a natural spawning ground for trout,
the gamest and sportiest Of all fish:
state which has more and better natural
breeding grounds for ducks and geese
than any other place in the world; state
in which fertile valleys furnish ideal
places for the brooding of quail. chicken.
grouse. pheasants. doves and all species
OF field game. state In which the noun
tains are a natural shelter in winter and
which furnish the best OF feeding
grounds in summer for deer, elk, noun
tain sheep and antelope. to say nothing
of the wilder game OF bear and lions;
such a state is Utah and today its game
IS practically exterminated
II conditions were different the sports
men OF Utah would live a life Of envy
10 every sportsman i'm the United States
Instead Of hundreds of the residents of
this commonwealth making trips each
year into Idaho. Montana. Wyoming.
Colorado and other western states i'm
quest OF pleasure and spending thousands
Of dollars OF Utah money these people
could find pleasure at home and spend
their time and money I'm their own state.
ttah would then be like other western
states. drawing hundreds Of spOrtsmen
each year from the crowded east TO hunt
and fish spend their money and per-
haps become enamored with the country
and settle here. They are doing this
every year in other western states. Ask
will tell you that hundreds Of thousands
of eastern money is spent yearly in Colo
RADIO on fishing and hunting. Ask the
Short Line people and they will tell you
the same conditions exist i'm Wyoming
Idaho and Montana; they will also tell
you there is more travel out of Utah than
there is into the state Of sportsmen.
Reason Is Plain.
The reason for ali this is known to
every sportsman I'm Utah. Ask any one of
the hundreds i'm this city. Ogden. Provo
Logan or any of the larger towns and he
viii tell you at once that Il is because
the state fish and game department is
utterly worthless. The states surround
ing Utah discovered years ago that legis-
lation was necessary and then the en-
forcement OF these laws must follow. or
fish and game would become extinct
These states needed the warning of lead
Ing sportsmen and today fish and game
is more plentiful than they ever We're
even when the mountains, valleys and
streams were in the virgin state.
Why sportsmen Organized.
To prevent the complete extinction Of
fish and game is the purpose OF the Utah
Fish and Game Protective association.
which was formed last summer. This
ISOLATION Is now working on the legis-
lature to secure an appropriation TO en-
force the laws II has come forward with
a proposition to tax the sportsmen them
selves to help raise the necessary funds
Such a tax, 70 is believed, would bring i'm
big sum Of money to the fish and game
department and with a liberal apprOpria-
tiOn would within two years place Utah
again in the front ranks as a fishing
and hunting state Montana. wyoming,
Idaho and Colorado have such tax and
the reports to the game commissioners OF
these states show that thousands of dol
lars annually find their way into the state
treasury from this source.
Must Enforce Laws.
The sportsmen who have made a study
OF conditions in Utah as well as other
states have decided not TO ask for any
change I'm the laws as they stand, be
lieving they are good enough If enforced.
With an appropriation and the license Sc
cured they will ask for a live state COM
missioner who will see that the laws are
enforced. There is no gainsaying the fact
that these laws have been broken indis-
criminately and the attention of the pres
ent fish and game commissioner has been
repeatedly called to the fact. Arrests and
convictions for breaking these laws are
almost unheard Of, and while 81 must be
admitted thnt the fish and game depart
ment has been short OF funds. vet there
should have been some attempt at least
10 enforce the laws.
Warden System Is Wrong.
One great trouble is the present system
OF a state warden and county wardens
working under a separate head. AS the
law now stands the county wardens are
appointed by the county commissioners.
who as a rule care nothing about the en-
forcement of the law. In the outlying
counties especially the wardens are paid
n mere pittance. one case coming to mind
where the warden gets the munificent
sum OF SO year. In other counties the
salaries run from s. TO 800 month and
as result the wardens take no interest
whatever In their work. The appoint
ment is generally TO fill some political
debt without regard 10 the qualifications
OF the man As result some person is |
CQ1Rht hFQqEfnfr Ia
made as II might lose vote at the next
election OF a neighbor of the warden
These facts have been brought out in in
designations by sportsmen who have tried |
in their limited way TO stop the game
hog from doing business.
Change In System Needed.
The entire warden system should be I'M |
der the complete charge of the state fish |
and game commissioner. He should he !
given money enough TO hire. say five
more would be better-wardens al a sal /
airy OF about 81 600 a year These men
should devote their entire time to the |
fish and game department II reports |
come in to the state game warden that |
the fish or game law is being broken in !
certain part OF the state, the commits |
sioner could at once dispatch one or two /
OF these state wardens TO these parts /
find the guilty man and secure evidence |
and push n conviction. A few OF these /
cases given widespread publicity would /
go0n settle the fish and game hog bust /
ness Five men like Bill Bingley. who by I
the way is hardly paid salary enough by /
the county to feed the horse II is neces-
Eary for him to use-would In year drive
the game hogs out of the business.
State as Fish Monger.
Another mistake that is being made Is
the selling of fish fry by the state There
arc private hatcheries in Utah which
make it a business to raise and sell fish
fry and Il Is not believed II ever was
the Intention OF the law for the state OF
Utah to become a fish mOnger Last
spring there was not a single fish fry
planted in Utah waters. Instead the
spawners were taken out OF their native
streams by the state fish commissioner
and stripped of their spawn and thrown
back In the creeks. This spawn was ia
ken to the state hatchery, Matched and
sold as fry. Not only did the fish de-
partment of the state not plant any fish
sn the streams. but robbed the streams of
the natural increase.
Increase Size Of Hatchery.
The state hatchery has at the present
time capacity Of about 1000 900 Try twice
a year spring and fall. At an expanse ~