The Wrangell sentinel., 1920-08-12

ably no exception would be taken to the record made by party of four, hunting near the international boundary, armed with licenses from both the United States and Canada; their "Canadian' sheep were killed about one-quarter of a mile inside Canada from the same herd from which were gathered other sheep included in their United States li- censes. list the game below, with it's approximate weight when dressed, the greater part of which could not possibly have been de- voted to useful purposes during the 3S days the party was in the wilds; in fact, an article written by one member of the party suggests the abandonment of carcasses, al- though l am told that a certain amount was cached where it might be picked up by miners:
 Pounds
 8 moose, 900 pounds each 7,2oo
 IS sheep, I5o pounds each 2,7oo
 8 caribou, 200 pounds each 1,6oo
 otal 500 Nearly six tons of meat, which would have lasted the little camp 1 speak of, for eight months! On the one hand, body of hardy miners, doing useful work, are pro- hibited from having one of the ne- cessites of life; on the other, party of nonresident sportsmen, who have no particular interest in the country, have wasted six tons of food and are within their rights under Fed. eral law, upon payment into the miscellaneous receip pts of the Treasury the sum of $50 for each nonresident member of the party.
 It is quite probable that the camp I speak of procured certain amount of wild meat, and, in fact. game warden l sent there to ln- vestigate made several arrests; the violators of the law pleaded guilty and were fined -$I each and allowed to retain the meat. If they had pleaded not guilty, no jury would have convicted them. How much better to have just law, suited to the requirements of the country, than one to which every one is ap- tagonistic.
 In my many years of close con- tact with the people of Alaska, dur ing which time l have been thrown into intimate association with all classes-from the trapper in the hills, living in a manner almost as primitive as the Aleut. to the man of wealth, surrounded by every luxury-1 have yet 10 find any de- sire to have laws made so lax that there shall be any danger of exter- imitation or even depletion of the game. All agree that there should be stringent laws against the kill ing of female animals; that ln com munities served commercially by adequate systems of transportation there should be strict observance of the closed seasons and limits; and that district in which game de- pletion is evident should be closed to shooting until the herds are re- established.
 There are of course, violators of law in all parts of the country, even in the older settled States, and against these violators we must have adequate protection. Unfor- tunately for Alaska, the instances of violation of the law, which are always gwen the greatest publicity are accepted by ultraconservation- ists as rehecting the attitude of all Alaskans. Alaskans believe, per haps erroneously, that Alaska is being reserved and conserved tor the benefit of present and future generations of possible visitors to the Territory, and that the needs and desires of a population strug- olino aoainct every i'm oin a hle a d.