The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-12
1T HAS COST 81
FOR EACH FISH

fContinued from Page One.)
expenses was largely due to the adj
dition of so new ponds at the, state
hatchery. Many of these ponds have
since gone dry and are now entirely
out of commission.
| Records in the office of State Auditor
Davis tell the story of expense and
management of the state hatchery. 1t
is a wonderful story. There is no
branch of the state government that
is handled on the same basis or man
aged in a similar manner.
Story of Management.
Every dollar from the license fund
paid by Kansas hunters has been turn
ed over to Prof. Dyche as state fish
and game warden. The expenditure or
| that money is a matter entirely with
in the judgment and opinion OF the
warden If he wants a new fish pond
or an addition to the fish laboratory,
it is built. There is no managing or
| governing board no higher authority
to whom the state warden must report
or with whom he must consult about
expenses. If the warden believes that
q certain thing should be done ana
there is sufficient money in the hunters
license fund to do the work, that
thing is done Not one penny OF the
hunters license fund ever finds it way
to the states general revenue fund.
tirely to blame for this condition and
not Prof. Dyche, although the law was
passed as per his suggestion. When
| the legislature creates a little board
which might spend $1,000 or $4,000 a
year. it usually encountered the mem
bers with specific limitations and re-
qufres the members to furnish the
state with surety bonds to protect ey-
cry dollar which might be spent. That
is usual safeguard and regarded as
safe, sound business policy.
But when it came to dealing With the
state fish and game department, the
legislature let loose all holds and told
the fish and game warden to go as Tar
as he liked and have good time while
he was on the job. That practice was
adopted when Prof. Dyche was ap-
pointed fish and game warden by Gov
ernor Stubs. in 1911.
Warden Supervises Expenditures.
During the 1911 legislature, an ap
propria ton bill was passed giving the
fish and game warden $1,000 from the
general revenue fund of the state for
1911 and $4,000 from the treasury for
1912 The appointment was for four
years. So. while arranging the details,
the legislature couldn't think of a real
good place to invest a large sum of
money which was being derived each
year from the hunters licenses. Prof.
Dyche then volunteered to spend the
snilingly approved the idea. They
gave him all the fees collected from the
hunters licenses and appointed no one
to supervise his expenditure of the
money.
Did you ever know how large that
fund was? No? Well, in 1911 Prof.
Dyche found that he had at his dis
poSal in former and current fees eX-
act1y $S1, 526.37. The next year, 1912,
he had only the current fees. They
amounted to the modest sum of SAL
1890.
When the legislature came to town
last winter-backed by a Democratic
promise to reduce taXes-Prof. Dyche !
reported an unexpended balance of
SIS, 20374. None Of the legislative men, |
bers apparently felt an immediate or |
pressing need for the money in the |
state treasury. so both the house and |
the senate passed a little resolution re- |
appropriating these fees to the fish and |
game warden's fund and allowing him |
to take charge of such hunting and |
fishing license fees as might accumu- |
late before the 1915 session.
Created New License.
hunting license fees-the legislatu re |
put a ban on quail hunting in Kansas |
for few years. 1t was pointed out by |
a very thoughtful legislato that this |
ban would reduce the number of hunt |
ing licenses and possibly bring finan- |
cia1 embarrassment to the fish and |
game warden's fund. So the thought |
full legislative member drafted a bill |
which called for a state fishing license |
price 81 per license-and all such rev. |
enue to go to the state fish and game |
warden. That quite met the possible |
deficit through the loss of hunters Ii |
censes and the legislature prevented |
possible financial stringencies in the |
office of the fish and game warden.
So, with ample funds to conduct the |
H., &..I,z
Prof. Dyche began to make the Kan |
sas hatchery the greatest in the world. |
And with the greatest hatchery in ex-
istence. Prof. Dyche in IL months
from July 1. 1911. to July I, 1872
shipped two cars Of fish to Kansas
streams and ponds, according to vouch-
ers on file in the auditors office.
According to a statement recently
made by Prof. Dyche, the number of |
fish in car depends on the size of the
fish. Thus the number may vary from
5000 to $4,000, he stated. To make fig
ures easy, it is assumed that he car
ried about 10000 fish in each of the two
cars shipped during those II months.
During that period, the hatchery cost
the state-or rather. Kansas sportsmen
$50. 65341. And on that basis. each
of the little fishes placed in Kansas
streams and ponds by the state fish
and game warden, cost something
more than 50 each.
In the following year. the hatchery
cost SOS. 094-5S- And during that time
there were perhaps five or six cars of
fish distributed, although the real facts
are hard to gather, because of the sew
eral roads over which the fish car ap-
parently travelled in making each trip
and the irregularity with which claims
were filed.
Expenses in Detail.
Here are the expense items of the
hatchery-not including Prof. Dyche's
salary of $4,000 a year-as taken from
the vouchers on file in the state audi