The Republican journal., 1913-11-13
FORTUNE FOR FEATHERED FRIEND,
Bird Lovers Back Winning Fight for Pro-
lection. Uncle Sam Now Worlds Best
Bird Guard. Audubon " orkers Grow


New YORK, Nov. 10, 1913. That $780,
900 was raised by American bird lovers
to fight for their feathered friends this
year through the National Association
of Audubon Societies, has been announc-
ed in this city, following the annual
meeting of this organization. Increases
of A per cent in sustaining member
ships, rs per cent in life memberships
and fully 36 per cent in gross income
within one year, and the doubling of its
working forces and income since 1910, are
reported at the headquarters of the Au-
dubon workers as evidences that the
bird protective movement is beginning
to receive the support of men, women
and children in every section of the coun-
try. If the interest of the public in
creases proportion ately in the future, it
is calculated that at the end of the COM
ing decade. three quarters of million
dollars will be spent annually for the
benefit of the nations bird life through
an organization of ten times the fighting
strength OF the present national Audu
bon army of wardens, field agents and
educators.
! That at least ninety cents in every dol
lar contributed by sympathizers with the
wild birds was directly spent in pleading
their cause before congress, forty legis-
atures and public officials. or in guard
ing and maintaining scores of breeding
refugees, is shown by the financial records
of the parent Audubon association, the
administrative expenses of which have
beer kept down to less than ten per cent
of its income. In opposing the monied
millinery interests to procure protection
for their feathered prey by the legis-
lators at Washington and a score of
State capitols, many thousands of dol
lars were expended in written and spoken
appeals to the people, whose representa-
tives have, as a result of their conse-
quent demand, enacted laws that are re-
garded as safeguarding every form OF
American bird life more extensively than
ever before in history. Today Uncle
Sam has become the leader of all the
nations of the world in the suppression
of bird butchery for the feather traffic
and the preservation of his game birds
by the new federal laws, the Audubon
workers declare.
! Two million birds are reported to have
found a safe refuge this year on the Au-
dubon reservations and guarded colonies
on both coasts and in inland sections, as
well as some ten thousands Egrets over
which sixteen armed agents have watch
ed in protected breeding grounds through
out the southern States Fifty-two
thousand boys and girls have been en-
rolled as junior members of the Nation
al Association of Audubon Societies since
last year and thousands of dollars have
been spent in supplying the coming gen.
Grafton of the whole country. through
the schools, with educational matter
that must make bird protectors of every
scholar in future years. The demand CT
the public for expert information on the
economic value of bird life to agricultur-
al prosperity as well as for general orni-
biological data, has caused the educa-
tional activities of the association to be
doubled during the year.
"In addition to the lines of work in
which we are already engaged, there are
many new fields of opportunity opening
before US for the coming year, said
T. Gilbert Pearson, Secretary of the Ma
tional Association Of Audubon Societies.
at its headquarters. 1874 Broadway, to-