The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-01-02

the Chinese pheasant, Hungarian part
ride and Bob-White quail, are rapid
ly supplanting our native birds. Twen-
ty-five years ago none of these birds
had been introduced into this state.
Duck shooting in 1918 was the best
in years, while from every section of
the state, says the report, comes re-
ports of large increase in the num-
Der of deer. Although the states
population has tremendously increas-
ed, as a result of the location in the
waterfront cities of shipbuilding and
other war industries, the number of
game law violations were fewer than
ever before. The number of Roose-
velt elk in the Olympic Peninsula
continued to increase and the number
is now so large that during hard Win
tcrs there are many deaths from star
walton among the herds. Any effort,
however, to enact laws to reduce the
herds invariably meets with opposi-
tion. The State Game Warden says
in his opinion the solution lies in per-
mitting the Game Commissions of the
counties, in which the elk are located,
with the consent of the State Game
Warden, to kill certain number if
it is found necessary to do so in or
der to prevent the increase of the
herds to size where starvation
threatens all of them. The carcasses
could be disposed of by giving them
to state or county institutions. This
plan, declares State Game Warden
Darwin, is in his opinion preferable
to one which would permit of the kill
in of elk by those persons who are un-
able financially to pay large license
fee for the privilege
In 1917 there was a grand total of
127,500 licenses issued in the state of
Washington and in 1918 there were
1886 issued. In 1917 only 1881 So
called state licenses were issued, the
balance being county licenses. The
number of state licenses issued in
1913 was 1856. Most of the state IL
conses were issued in the counties of
King, Pierce and Spokane in which are
located the larger cities of Seattle,
Tacoma and Spokane. King county
leads in the number issued each wear.
issuing 1857 in 1917 and 22,O21 in
1918. Spokane county was second in
1917 with 1925 and Snohomish coun-
ty was third with 8,9S7. In 1918 Sno-
homish county was second with 1O,-
O9S, while Pierce county in that same
year was third with 9,739.
In 1917 the grand total received in
to the County and State Game Funds
was S149,4O9.01 Of which only $685.
5o.O6 went into the State Game fund
In 1918 the grand total was s1s5.
947.O3 of which $4O,557.O1 went into
the State game fund. The total of
fines collected in 1917 was S4.515.37
and in 1918 was $7,7S3.1O. The grow
ing sentiment in favor of the en-
forcement of the game laws is shown
by the fact that in 1918 there was
94.2 per cent convictions as against
"a per cent in 1917 and as against
only 70 per cent in the years 1915 and
1916. In 1918 in Eastern Washing
ton 80 per cent of the persons arrest
ted for violations of the game laws
were convicted. The total number of
arrests in 1917 was 479 from which
402 convictions resulted while in 1918
the total arrests was 667 from which
t22 convictions resulted.
The State Game Warden declares
himself in favor of encouraging pri-
vate propagation of all kinds of
game, urges the County Game Com
missioners to eXpend the County
Game Fund for restocking purposes.
and pays tribute to the fine personnel
OF the County Game Commissions.