Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-03-21

Of the town Of Rangeley in 1905
$553,S11. The total valuation of the
town of Rangeley in 1915.resident
real estate and personal, was $780,
094; resident real estate and
personal $46S,750. making the total
valuation of the town Of Rangeley
in 1915. $1.201,844, an increase in
valuation in 10 years of III per
cent and, gentlemen, the entire in
crease in the valuation. Of the town
Of Rangeley was due to the wild life
that there are many men here who
can think Of instances in their own
districts where the population has
been icreased by means of the wild
life in their section.
Now in the report from Pennsyl-
vania for 1917, the commissioners of
inland fisheries and game say as fol-
follows: Deer appear to have in
creased in wonderful way. and are
now found in territory where no
usch animal has been seen for many
years" In their report for 1918 they
say as follows: ''Game animals,
such as deer and bear. are undoubt-
eddy increasing in section of the
state where they are found at all.
Each Of these species in certain Sec
lions have already grown in numbers
to a degree that really threatens the
peace and wellbeing Of those resid-
ing in tht section" In New York,
with a shorter open season on deer
than in Maine, from October LIST to
November 18th, $4,000 deer were re-
tory vastly smaller than the hunt
ing regions of Maine. New York had
a similar experience in enacting their
resident hunters registration laws
that we are having here in Maine
When this bill was presented to the
legislature in New York for the first
time. it was bitterly opposed and
heavily defeated. When this bill
was presented the second time it was
bitterly opposed. but was defeated
by a very narrow margin. and the
third time 1t passed. In discussion
of this subject with man from New
York who is interested in hunting
and fishing. he told me that the very
ones who opposed this bill the most
bitterly were now the most friendly
to the enactment of the law. They
realize that they have made a mis-
take and it was for their advantage.
In South Carolina, the report of
the commission states that the hunt
ers' license law shall apply to the
whole state and to every person in
the state, to all game birds and ami
mails, and they go further and ex-
press the opinion that it should ap-
ply 10 fish also.
In Wyoming. thousands of dollars
are brought into the state each year
by hunters and tourists. To encour-
age this class Of hunters. we must
make it possible for them to secure
good specimens of wild game. which
means that our game must be kept
up to standard. The average citi-
zen does not realize what the game
department means by way of reven-
ue to the state. Wyoming begins to
realize what it means. In New
Hampshire, the deer are reported
very plentiful throughout the entire
state IN the past two years. Hunting
conditions have not been the best
the past two seasons. but plenty
Of deer have been seen and many
killed. At this time, would
like to read a clipping that I took
from one of the leading daily papers
of this State: Game in Maine is
rapidly disappearing. This is no long
er subject for debate. 1t is known
by the woodsmen, the guides, the
wardens and hunters. What are we
going to do about it? Are we going
to sit idly by and see it go? We
certainly hope not. If ever law was
absolutely sensible. economical and
far-seeing. it is the law to register
every person. man, woman or child,
that goes into the woods bearing a
firearm. The army that now goes
hunting is enormous as compared
with 70 years ago. AS it now is we
have no means of distinguishing the
nonresident from the resident
Scores of non- residents come here
and hunt without a license, and
when caught in the woods, assert
that they live in some remote part
of the State and the warden has no
means of disproving the statement.
We are losing money, game and
prestige" What are the provisions
of this bill? Does the new draft inn
pose hardship upon the people of
this State? What are the objec-
tions? Are they reasonable? Let
us see. The amendment which 1
have lust introduced saws as fol
lows: amend House Document No.
400 by inserting at the end of the
first paragraph thereof the words
NOR shall the provisions of this act
be construed as applying to unpro-
tected BIRDS" that. gentleman. was
simply an error in the original bill
We did not intend for this act to
apply to such birds as the crow,
the hawk. the English sparrow and
the mud-hen. This is a point where
we think the bill could be improved
-''or as affecting the right of a bona
fide resident of this State, or his
immediate family, to hunt without
such license on land owned by him,
or on land leased by him, and on
which he is actually domiciled. and
which land is used exclusively for
agricultural purposes"
At the hearings and during the
sessions when this bill has been I'M
der consideration, there has been one
bone of contention-that the farm
err could not be allowed to hunt on
his own land; that Johnnie could
not take his gun when he went down