Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-03
NO NECESSITY FOR
LICENSE INCREASE
Members Of Organization
Pledge Themselves Not to
Violate the Law and Aid
in the Protection of the
Wild Life.

Editor Capital News: In your favor
of March / you print an article by L.
&. Jones. state game warden, under
the caption Answer Made by Game
Warden to Boise Sportsmen." This
article was read with great interest by
local sportsmen and particularly the
members OF the Idaho state Fish and
Game Protective association.
1t is stated that the objections
raised to the game bill now pending
before the senate are not we'll taken
Such a statement is neither an argu-
ment for nor against the pending bill;
1t is only the statement of the opinion
of the author of the bill and it might
safely be assumed that the author OF
this bill would not consider any OBJ
lection to it as being well taken.
1t would serve no useful purpose to
enter into a discussion through the
press of the merits or dement's of this
bill but few of it's provisions are SO
unnecessary and $50 unwarranted by
existing conditions, and are such a
violation of fundamental rights as to
be worthy of at least some attention.
NO NEED FOR INCREASE.
One objection which practically ev-
cry person in the state will have is
the increase Of resident licenses from
81 to $3.50, and this particularly in
view of the fact that the report of
MIR. Jones as state game warden shows
that on Jan. 1, 1917, there was bal
ance on hand in the fish and game
fund of $15,093.04.
In the article by Mr.. Jones he states
he desires to spend $4,000 each year
for screening bitches and canals He
is certainly aware of the fact that the
statutes of this state require canal and
ditch owners to screen the heads OF
their canals and bitches so as to pre-
} vent the loss of fish by them going
down bitches and canals AS the head
of the game department it is his duty
TO see that this law is enforced but
instead of doing it he proposes to take
$4,000 year from the fish and game
fund and gratuitiously perform the
services and make the expenditures for
canal companies which the law re-
Quires shall be made by them.
In the last paragraph of the article
by Mr.. Jones he says:
II wish to say that the game war
Mems of the state were called together
for he purpose of discussing the game
laws and the bill now introduced and
passed by the house of representa-
tives is the bill decided upon by them
as the best measure of protection for
all sections of the state"
SPoRTSMEN IGNORED.
We are surprised that Mr.. Jones
should be so frank in his admission
that the sportsmen of the state of
Idaho were ignored in drafting this
pro I2d game bill, His admission is
an accurate statement of facts as we
understand them to exist. He and hts
game wardens, or at least some OF
them, drew the proposed game bill
without cons ulting the sportsmen of
the state and without giving them an
opportunity to be heard.
1t is to be regretted that the state
game warden and his deputies do not
realize that the only means of pro-
tecting game in this or any other state
is by close cooperation between the
game department and the sportsmen
IT is physical and financial impos-
sibility to police the state of Idaho
so game and fish may be protected
without the active and hearty coop