Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-20
WILLIS WANTS CHECK
PUT ON GAME LAW FUNDS
Tells OF Houscboat Bought and Ex'
pensively Furnished Without
Appropriation.
OTHER "TADs AND FANCIEs''
Money Spent for Shud Hatchery
When Law Expressly Stated That
No Money Should BE Spent for
kisa Below Tidcwatcr.

Trainers OF the game law made a
mistake When they so framed their
measure AK IL allow officials o. tho
game dcpartm2 nt TO cxpepd FUNDS de-
rived from licenses without cheek. 1T
was yesterday admitted by Floor
Leader WILLIS who was The prime factor
in the movement out of which grew
tho present game regulations. CDwari
of $4,000 was paid into the department
during the las, fiscal year. Some OF
this has not been applied as the law
directed. he alleges.
y considerable sum. according to .Ir.
Wiilis. was spent Tor a shad ha tchery
whcn The Law expressly stated tha: no
money should he expended for FISH he
low tiGcwatcr. lie also asserted that
Il houS.boa; had been bought ard OK
pensively furnished from the game
funa. and thu. much money had been
spent for other "f:tds and fancic.."
In consequence, said aIr. willis.
friends Of the game law find that the
tuhf Is now 50 low that il VIII not
last until the new licenses come in Il
tho department is TO accomplish any
thits between now and tten: and not
- dollar has been spent for tho rur.
chase OF hawk heads. as contemplated
in Tho original bill.
NEW HIIi. TAKES Fund OUT
OF COMMISSIONERS HANDS
without any Intention TO crnbarrass
ihe department., ne continued. or TO
create any harmful publicity. a ni:ri-
her of the friends nf tho bill, got to-
Gcthcr and drew amendments by which
the spending OF this fund is taken out
OF the hands CT the Commissioner of
Fisheries and 20 placed as 10 ne an
propriated out by the General Assem-
NY. so as 10 curb cXtravaganqc and
stop useless experiments and Other
waste of the fund These amendments
provide that the department must re-
pay I: counties onc-half OF the sums
paid for aawk AMI crow scalps.
Much dissatisfaction was also cx-
pressed because there was no super
vision OF game wardens An cror, Is
made TO remedy this by giving the
chief clerk at Eichmo:d authority 20
supervise the warGcns and require
work an6 definite reports from them.
l'roEirion is also made IN The new bin
10 allow the department to appoint
shcrins as wardens. because frequent
- IN" s'criT il the best man 10 serve
In ms capacity. because additional
compensation is allowed here should
he no diihcrity in getting the sher!nv
to act
The new bill smooths out MANY rouV,
spots in the old law. IT was introduced
In the Scantc by Senator's Robertson
and Goolrick and in the House hv /
sinclair Brown AID myself. As soon
as IL was introduced we began TO sec In
inc papers statements to the effect that
the Game Department. farmers unions
and citizens generally we're going 10
oppose H. Finally. We were threatened
with the Governors veto Nobody
however. has pointed out "A single OBJ
0cctloN 10 the bill
We found that the Farmers Union
ana the Farmers Institute had never
opposed bourtics on hawk scaips. cs-
pccially when half OF the bounty was
: 10 DE PAID by hunters; that neither in
stltutton was in favor Of spending
money for houscboats or junketing trims
or foolish experiments.
GOVERNOR DAVIS WANTS
ALL FUNDS ~ TREASURY
Wc then went to tho Governor and
Informed him that we had been de-
hntely told that he would veto the bill.
Inc Governor stated 10 Us that he had
never seen the bill: that the policy of
having money collected by tho depart
mehts put into the treasury and an
port!oned out by the General Assembly
Was part of his platform; that il
was MS policy not 10 create new Offices
but to put new duties on existing OIL
GERS, and that any person quoting him
rs saying that he would veto the b;ll
was utterly without authority for so
stating
As 10 the statement that the Game
Department was against the bill. we
did not expect that the privilege of
cXpendinE $4,000 per year without lie,
or hindrance, would be rclinuiushtd
voluntarily.
we only ask. however. that in future
papers viii print any SPECIFIC obiec-
lions which may be brought against
the measure. and that the matter be not
dealt with on general terms. We should
nc delighted also to have the names of
the critics OF the BILL