East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-02-17
PROTESTS AGAINST
/. sszz7S s BILL IN SENATE

At a special meeting of the Umatil-
la County Fish and Game Associa-
tion duly called and held at 1880 p.
m. on Thursday, Is. 1918, the follow
ing resolution was introduced and
duly adopted:
Whereas, the attention of this asso-
citation has been called to a certain
bill introduced in the senate of the
state of oregon now in session pro-
viding amongst other things, that ir-
rigation bitches leading from streams
of less than $50 miners inches of wa
ter be not compelled to be screened
at their headgates and points of di-
version of the water; and
Whereas, it is a matter of COM
mon knowledge to all fishermen and
sportsmen who know anything about
fishing that the small fish, or fry
as they are genrally called, both of the
game fish and commercial fish of
this state frequent in large quantities
these small streams and as a matter
of fact remain in and stay in such
streams for their own safety and pres
ervation and to be away from the
larger fish who would otherwise de-
YOUR them and to prevent such
streams from having screens placed at
ever head or point of diversion of
water therefrom in irrigating bitches
would necessarily mean that such fry
or small fish would enter and go
down such irrigation bitches and be-
come lost in large quantities; and
Whereas, under another bill now
pending in the legislature of the state
of oregon authority is granted to the
fish and game commission of the
state to screen or not to screen such
bitches as they think proper under
the circumstances and conditions in
the propoed statute described, which
gives them broad authority to omit
streams where they think it is neces-
sary at all head gates of irrigation
bitches; and
Wheeras the state of Oregon, and
also the United States government
have been spending, and are still
spending, thousands of dollars for the
purpose of propagating and increas
ing all game as well as commercial
fish in all of its streams and the chief
breeding place and place used by
small fish until they mature is at the
headwaters of our streams where, as
a rule. less than $50 inches of water
exist; and
Whereas, persons who use water
for irrigation purposes take the same
from the public streams and water of
the state of Oregon in which all per-
sons in the state are interested, the
same being public waters and not de-
voted exclusively to the use of per-
sons desiring to irrigate their lands,
and the whole population of the state
are interested in those waters and the
fish supply equally; and
Whereas, the number of persons in
terested in fishing for game fish and
in the sport of fishing and hunting
generally in this state is very large,
There having been issued in Umatilla
county alone during the year 1912
'over $500 sportsmen's licenses for
those purposes and doubtless as many
in proportion in other counties of the
state;
Therefore Be 1t Resolved, that we
protest against the enactment of the
above mentioned bill into a law by
the legislature of the state of Ore
gon and earnestly request our repre-
-sentatives and senator's at Salem to
use their best endeavors to defeat
the bill and to prevent the same from
becoming a lw.
The following resolution was also
adopted:
Resolved That we object to the
change proposed to be made in the
fish and game laws by the legislature
of the state of oregon now in session
whereby the open season for fishing
for trout is proposed to be changed
from it's present date, to-wit: April
1st to November 1st following, so as
to be from May 1st until November
1st. we believe and desire that the op-
sen season for fishing for trout be al
bowed to remain as it is, to-wit: to
commence April 1st of each year and
we protest aginst he proposed change
being made.
BE 1t Further Resolved, That a
copy OF this resolution be sent to
each of our representatives and SEN
ators at Salem, Oregon. and that they
be requested to do all in their power
to prevent the proposed change be-
ing made.