The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-11-11

It almost goes without saying that
X birds. game and nsh are worth pre-
serving. then they must be intelli-
gently looked after. and to do this en-
tails expense. How shall this expense
be met!! Tho question has been agi-
tated for . long time. ana the net re-
suit IL that all States and countries
that are preserving game have adopt
Cd the license system. None has ever
tried II and abandoned 1t. This uni
versal experience ought to weigh
nightly In determining . States
policy.
Fortunately for South Carolina.
game protection Is undertaken at q
time when the the State has the ben
eft Of observing the operation Of this
license system. as 1t has operated in
other States. and can profit by their
experience with abundant opportuni-
ty for improving on their systems.
AhoA0 AS ho HoS0 VA soh6 SAO SoSsiy
experiment.
Outside Of what has been done at
tho North and In the West. many
States have adopted the plan
Of putting q license on hunters.
Among these are Florida. Alabama.
Louisiana. Texas and Ar
kansas. In these the conditions are
fairly similar to the conditions in
South Carolina. and In Mississippi
they are almost exactly the same.
The plan. as proposed by the Audu-
bon Society Of South Carolina, will be
carried out In this wise. Upon pass
age Of an Act by the General Assem-
bly, q number Of books will be issued
and sent out to to the Clerks Of Court.
These books will contain each 100
licenses with stubs attached. both be-
ing numbered. With each book will
30 100 metal tags in a box. similarly
A warden will be appoint
ed for each county. whose duty will
be to collect these licenses. The IL
oense will cost 81 and be good for one
year. The warden will be required
to furnish bond to the Clerk OF Court.
to be approved by him, In tho sum
Of $500. Having taken the oath. and
the required bond, the war;
den will proceed to collect the license.
failure to pay which he punished by
fine OF from $40 to t25, or CORES
ponding Imprisonment. The warden
will be compensated by rs per cent.
Of what he collects. or Is cents on
the dollar. This will furnish employ
ment for good men at remunerative
rates while they are at work, that is.
for several months In each year. On
the hunter with his license
the warden will also furnish a metal
tag to correspond, tacking the tag on
the front Of the gun stock, the size
and shape Of the tag being changed
each year so that any warden may be
able to tell at a glance whether any
tag is out OF date.
The money so collected shall be
transmitted by the Clerk, less such
remuneration as shall be allowed that
officer for his work, to the State Treas
urer and placed to the credit Of the
Game Protection Fund" Any amount
over and above what Is required for
the enforcement CT the law may be
turned into the School Fund by the
The wardcns collecting this license
are not to be confused with the regu-
lar warden force, which is charged
with the enforcement Of the law.
These regular wardens will be put on
salary and their expenses paid while
In discharge of their duty.
If people will reflect on the pres
cnt condition of affairs and what vast
and permanent benefits are TO be de-
rived from such conservation Of the
States resources there can be no
doubt that the license will become
law and receive the support Of the
people, for in the last analysis it is
the people who are the sufferers un-
der the T"osort wasteful practice. The
whole body & the people will be the
gamers unde" the changed order.
Within few years South Carolina
would again be stocked with game
and fish and the enormous losses now
inflicted on the crops by insect raw.
ages would be cut down. thus adding