The Alaska daily empire., 1919-12-29
GOV. RIGGS URGES LOCAL CONTROL
 OF ALASKA GAME
(From the Annual Report Of Gov
 Thos. Riggs, Jr.)

Probably duc to the great JOSS III population, game seems to he on the Increase throughout the Territory Due also probably to the same cause, another menace to game has arisen n the number of wolves. Coyotes, 100. have worked their way up from
 British Columbia and entered Alaska
 by way of the White River. They are reported by game watdcns to have crossed over into the head of the Chitna River and to be spreading into the Copper River Valley. harry. ing sheep and caribou This being the case. unless stops are taken towards their eXtermination, should coyotes spread into the reindeer ranges. con ditions for this promising industry will become serious. The closed sea son on marten and beaver have driv- en from the field thase who yearly killed many wolves thus keeping the packs. The Territory provides a bounty of $15 on each wolf killed, but in itself this is not enough to be an ;nducement A regulation of the De- partment of Commerce prevents the placing of poison, which in general is l wise provision. but authority should be given to certain designated vermin killers to place poison. and such kill srs should be employed. For the first time in the last 20 years, wolves in packs of over 100 are reported.
 The controversy over what cOnsti 'utes a brown bear within the law still goes merrily on. A $5 shipping license is required for all brown bear | hides. no matter where taken, This 1 office rendered an opinion that a ! grizzly bear is not a brown bear and ! lOes not come under the license re- l 1uirements Merriam. who is undoubt ,dly the worlds greatest authority on pear, differentiates between grizzlies 1 md browns; so does Nelson. In talk 'ng to Eastern sportsmen who assist l d in drawing the Alaska game law find that the object of the law was 70 protect the great brown bear oi l the Alaska Peninsula and the nearby 1 stands. In my opinion rendered. was undoubtedly scientifically right | md yet 1 was promptly overrulcd by l he Departments of Agriculture and | If Commerce. I am advised that the | natter will be taken into court.
 The great brown and grizzly bear 1 ,f Alaska do yearly a great amount ] If damage. and see no reason why hey should be protected. The state nent of sportsmen that bear do not 1 lttack people unless molcstcd is ca oable of such overwhelming refuta l ion that it amazes me that the state nent should still be persisted in. myself have seen a man who was ! attacked from behind while on the | rail by a grizzly and the whole tor l ,f his head torn off Men in my own engineering parties have been treed | by grizzlies, and my pack train wa l 1t one time chased from camp by q ! great grizzly and not found for over ! week It seems that the brown and 1 'rizZly bears are being protected foT l he sole benefit of the nonresident | portsmen. They have no place in the economic development of the Terri | ory any more than the herds of wild 1 buffalo would have in the wheat l fields of Minnesota and the Dakotas | Many sportsmen bewail the passing | ,f the migratory herds of buffalo, but his sentiment can not be found lmong the formers of their ancient | -anges. So anta gonistic is the senti l nent of Alaskans against the brown | md grizzly bear that no conviction | ,an be obtained. nor will a conviction 1 ,ver be obtained. for violation Of the l provision of the law protecting them There is the great cry among east ,rn sportsmen and conservation so ,ieties that the meat trust" is en | leavoring to commercialiZe Alaskan 1 ,ame and that I as the Governor an | hiding the movement. Th,s Is tO fool sh to comment upon. The colamerc! l ilization of the game as an industr, | would be most disastrous to the Ter ~itory. In remote regions game is al l absolute necessity, and the inhabi | ants will take 1t in spite of any re | ;trictive laws which may be passed l )r which may be on the statute boo Ks
 want to see the game strictly pro | tected, but this can not be done witi m appropriation of $20.OO0 year t' | covcr the salaries of wardens ant heir travel expenses. To propcrl.
 protect our game. we should hav'
 100000 a year, with an additional in tial appropriation of $50.000 to cove
 purchase of launches. dog teams. etc
 should. however. Congress see fit t.
 establish a constabulary. as advocat
 ed. the game wardens can be elimin
 lted or incorporated in the force.
 One great difficulty found in en
 forcing the game laws among Al
 askaDs is on account of the rockies
 I disregard in which the laws are hel
 by nonresident sportsmen holdin
 hunting licenses. This has been frt
 quently reported to me. and I hay
 been at some pains to trace up tn
 truth of the assertions. I have now i
 my possession photographs showin
 evident disregard of our laws an
 have come across hunters camp