The Cordova daily times., 1921-09-03
ALASKA GAME AND ITS VALUE
 IS DISCUSSED

aska is not indicated in the Gus toms reports from which the av- craze person draws information re- 1 garding the value of Alaskan prod ducts, says the Juneau Capital. Yet 1t is safe to say that the unlisted and almost unprotected creatures of the wild played part in the dis covery and such development as | has taken place throughout the en- tire interior of Alaska second to none, except the dauntless spirited men who first broke trails where others could follow. In fact with out the edible wild life in the North, human habitation would have been all but impossible. Permanent set | dement's never.
 The time may come when domes- tic stock will supply such a large portion of our meat needs that the number of game animals existing will not effect our welfare greatly, but that time is not in sight At present the number of game ami mals in Alaska affects each indi- vidual. directly or indirectly; for what helps one helps all, or visa versa
 We cannot keep our cake and eat 1t too But there is a certain num- Der of game animals that may be taken. and a number that should be permitted to live. The amount of feed for each useful species is the determining factor. If each species is permitted to increase to the number determined by the amount of forage for each. game will exist in maximum numbers. and the surplus available for all inhab- itants of Alaska will also be the greatest possible.
 For instance: II has been esti- mated that 2OOOOO deer skins were shipped annually from Alaska for fifteen years prior to the regulations preventing such shipment in 1904 It is also estimated by those con. versant with the number of deer 20 years ago and now that there is not one deer at present where there were forty of fifty. twenty years ago. It is not likely that there were as many deer in the early days as might have found food. if afford, ed some protection. But if We take the figure 2OO,OOO as the number that might be taken annually with | out killing those that should be left to breed, it seems safe to conclude that every man. woman and child in Southeastern Alaska could have eight or ten deer issued to them annually as their share of the deer and game What is true of deer tions to a greater or lesser degree. Alaskans have not heretofore had voice in game legislation. Con- gress. ill-advised or un-advised. has passed inadequate laws. bureaus or departments have issued equally in adequate regulations. never has there been an appropriation for en- ] forcing any game laws one-tenth as large as is necessary. If Alaska had as many game wardens in proportion to her size as the state of Washing ton there would be 227 game war
 dens here instead of 10.
 A member of the bureau of bio.
 logical survey estimated that one gray wolf did from $1OOO to $500 damages a year in the cattle sec
 tions of the Western states It has
 been estimated that wolves in the interior and in certain sections Of Southeastern Alaska, destroy as much game as Whites and Indians use. Our game is worth, pound fnr pound not less than twic1 as much
 per pound of beef and mutton in the states; yet congress pays not one cent to prevent the enormous slaughter by wolves that rove in bands of scores and hundreds throughout the territory.
 Everything points to a great in crease in population during the com
 ing few years, and soon. All Alas
 kans look forward to the time when hundreds of thousands will call AL aska "home." When that time comes game will neeu far more protection than at present. Now is the time 1 to prepare to receive new citizens and to protect our game as well.
 Fortunately, however the present | dy, tp Get tipu whiph taly{pu onnh