The Cordova daily times., 1920-08-18
COY. RICCSIN FAVOR CHANGE
 CAME LAWS

In his second annual report to the secretary of agriculture, Governor Riggs concludes with the following recommendation for changes in the Alaska game laws:
 When it comes to the matter of making recommendations, I become discouraged. Almost every governor since there have been governors and game laws in Alaska has recommend ed that the laws be revised, but un- thinking opposition, formed without proper investigation, has blocked progressive legislation.
 My first recommendation is to turn the control of all game and fur bearing animals, with the exception of fir seals, to the territory. Un- dcubtedly this is the wfsest course and game will then be much better protected; but if it is thought that the people of Alaska have not the same degree of intelligence as is pos sessed by other people 4,000 miles away, whose intimate knowledge of the territory is derived from viewing a picture postcard of polar bear perched on an iceberg, then let some such law as the following be enacted:
 "Section l. The control of all game animal, birds and land fur-bearing ari- mals in Alaska is hereby vested in a game commission for the territory of Alaska, to consist of the governor, l the secretary, who shall both serve without pay, and four commissioners, to be appointed by the secretary of agriculture, one from each of the four 1 judicial divisions of the territory, who shall receive an annual salary of $500
 and actual or per diem travelling ex- 1 penses when on official business. Such commissioners may be federal officials, if the secretary of agricuI-
 trre so elects, and may receive such 1 additional salary for the extra service performed.
 section 7. The commission here 1 by created shall issue such regula- 1 tlons for the protection and use of
 game animals, game birds and land l fur-bearing animals as may seem best,
 which shall have the effect of law | There shall be a quorum of the com
 mission to transact business, and any proposed regulations must receive ] the vote of the majority of the com
 mission before becoming effective; provided, that existing game laws shall be effective until 50 days after 1 their repeal by the commission. Section 3. All officials of the United States in Alaska are instruct | ed to assist in the execution of all the regulations of such game com,
 mission
 Section 4. All receipts from per l mlts, licenses, etc., sale of confiscated | animals or parts thereof, and from fines imposed by the courts, shall be l covered into a game fund hereby
 created and shall be immediately ! available for expenditure by tie com
 mission without further appropria- 1 tion
 "Section 5. To carry out the pur-
 pose of this act, there is hereby ap-
 propriated the sum of $1OO,OO9 to be expended under the direction of the
 game commission.
 "The commission form of game
 regulation seems to work out very
 we'll in British Columbia. even
 though that province, too, is nearly as far. from the Atlantic as is Alaska. By placing game control in the
 hands of commission, special rcgula, 1 tions can be enacted as need arises
 the territory can be distributed with
 each district described by men familiar
 with it's geographical features; CO., operative regulations with the author 1 ities of British Columbia and the ] Yukon territory can be entered into 1 without treaty negotiations; and | with liberal initial appropriation, supplemented by receipts from other sources, a systematic warden service