The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-12-18
TOWER AND ELY:
WANT REVISION
OF GAME LAWS
Taking of Spawn at Vermilion
Lake Should Be Regulated
It Is ASSERTED.
FISH FROM ELY LAKES
SOURCE OFFOOD SUPPLY


]. D. Murphy of Tower and
Mayor Harri of Ely Talk to
Legislators.
That the state and fish commission
in taking pike spawn from Lake Ver-
million is rapidly depopulating one of
Minnesota's most beautiful lakes of
fish, and that the lakes to the north
of Ely should be opened to commercial
fishing and would form an important
source of food supply were two mat
ters advanced by delegates from the
Vermilion range to last nights meet
ing of range Legislators and business
men to outline needed legislation for
the iron ranges country.
J. D. Murphy, as the spokesman Of
the Tower Commercial club, declared
that for the last 26 years the state
game and fish commission had been
taking pike spawn from the waters
Of Vermilion lake and*were robbing
the lake Of game fish without taking
any action to replenish it. He told
how Tower people had themselves be-
gun in a small way the replenishing
of the lake by means OF fish hatch
cry which Tower people financed them
selves. He said that Tower was en-
titled to fish hatchery and that the
state game and fish commission had
never taken the proper interest in the
matter and had always sidestepped
the whole matter.
Commercial Club Investigates.
Mr.. Murphy stated the Tower Com
mercial club had been at some pains
and expense to conduct an independ-
ent investigation of the results at
tending the annual taking Of spawn
from Lake Vermilion. They had fish,
ermen to take fish through the ice
which had later been examined by DR..
Burns and other authorities and that
investigation had convinced them that
female fish from which the spawn
was removed under the methods of hte
state game and fish commission en-
ploys would never spawn again. He
said also that after it had assisted
the people of Tower in making be-
ginnings on local fish hatchery in a
small way it had indicated slight IN
terest in the matter. He said also
that the game laws needed revision
and that the people Of Tower wanted
the cooperation of the people Of the
rest of the range in stopping the
wholesale taking of spawn at Ver-
million lake without an effort to re-
plenish the lake.
Harri on Ely Lakes.
Mayor Harri grilled the state forest
ranger service and advocated gen.
eral and sane revision Of the game
laws. He said that under the present
game laws many of the settlers in
the north woods were being perse-
cuted. They need and must use game
to live on the homesteads Of the north
| woods. He roundly arraigned the
condition by which game wardens are
permitted to arrest a man in Ety.
take him to Duluth, return him to Vir-
ginia and finally try him at Gilbert
on charge of violations of the game
laws and thought all game cases
should be brought and prosecuted IN
the nearest court Of jurisdiction. He
thought the laws should be so amend
ed as to give local justices of the
peace full jurisdiction and did not
hesitate to express his belief that
there was graft somewhere in the
present method of conducting prose-
cutions. He said the lakes to the
north of Ely and the Vermilion range
country were an important source OF
food supply and advocated commercial
fishing in them with nets of mesh
sufficiently large to protect the small
fish and take only the large ones. One
stick of dynamite exploded in lake
he said would do more to deplete il
of fish than 500 feet Of net in 2O(
wears. He said the state should en-
ploy its forest rangers at something
more than issuing bulletins following
the first rain storm after a fores'
fire stating that the fire was ou
and that they could work profitabl,
at opening up trails in the north coun
try. He said in the section OF th'
country which he represented it wa
not true that deer and moose were
disappearing, but this might be tru'
to the fact that there was locate<
here forest reserve where big gam
took refuge. He admitted partridge
were becoming scarce and advocates
general revision of the game law
in the interest Of increased ettlclenc.
and Justice and to permit the taking
of fish from northern lakes to be use'
as food supplies:
Sentence Suspended.
, Sentence was suspended on tw
men arrested for being drunk, VIII
anenaren nerore Judge Carey thi