The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-22
ASK AID OF UNCLE SAM
Audubon Leaders Invoke Tariff
to Ban Bird Plumes
In Move-OnIy Commercial Bird
Butchers Object.

New York, Jan. 22.-Backed by
farmers, sportsmen and women's
clubs in every section of the country,
officers of the National Association Of
Audubon Societies have today de-
manded of the Ways and Means Com
nittee of Congress an opportunity to
urge a prohibitive tariff on egret
feathers at the hearing on Schedule
N, which will be held before the end
of this month. Opposing the monied
interests of the millinery wholesalers,
| whose inroads on the valuable bird
life of New York, Louisiana, Missouri,
New Jersey, Oregon and California
have already forced these states to
pass laws making contraband the
sales of these plumes, the national
Audubon delegation will ask that they
be excluded from the whole country
in the interest of everyone dependent
upon it's agricultural prosperity. The
Federation of women's Clubs and or
CARNATIONS of grangers in almost ev-
cry state, as well as the Campfire
Club, the New York Geological Socie-
ty, the Long Island Sportsmen's AS
ISOLATION, the American Game Protec-
tive Association and other bodies of
sportsmen have pledged their support
to this movement.
Data, compiled from scientific OBJ
servation of flock of the few herons
that still survive the wholesale butch
cry of professional plume hunters in
an Audubon breeding rookery in Flor
ida, is to-day being prepared to dem
onstrate to Congress that these rare
birds are a considerable factor in the
destruction Of field mice, gophers
grasshoppers and other agricultural
pests. While in some few instances
they have been found to devour an
occasional trout, their regular diet js
proved to consist principally of min
| nows, suckers and other useless fish as
we'll as water snakes that are known
to destroy great quantities of trout
eggs and valuable young fish, Other
proof of the natural need of farmers
and fishermen for the beautiful birds
that the rniIliners have almost driven
to extinction will be presented by
representatives of these interests.
| Following the recent Introduction
| by Senator Root of a resolution en-
towering the President to call an IN
| ton, representatives OF the world
powers actively engaged in saving the
rare species that is being massacred
for their aigrette plunes are now ex-
pressing to the Audubon Organization
their support of this movement. While
| the whole globe is at present scour-
| ed for these trophies, taken from
| butchered mother birds for market
here, a tariff ban would do much to-
ward saving the beautiful heron from
| worldwide destruction 1t Is asserted.
| with the people of the United
| States of almost every class united to
support US in asking Congress to bar
from our country the a1grettes- of the
unfortunate heron, we expect to meet
the big millinery interests in sole op-
position before the congressional com
natttee," said T. Gilbert. Pearson, sec
rotary of the National Association Of
Audubon Societies, tt its headquarters,
1874 Broadway, to-day. 1.-THE s1augh-
| ter of these useful and beautiful birds
is a commercial matter only to the
men who sell their scalps in those
states where isis shameful traffic is
not already forbidden by law. Con-
gress should certainly recognize the
sentiment and interests of the whole
people, who ask it to end this impor-
tation as a matter of humanity as
well as economic and agricultural ben
eht.''