The Cordova daily times., 1922-09-20
CAME LAW IS
 DEFENDED BY
 BUREAUCHIEF

from E. w. Nelson, chief of the Bu- reau of Biological Survey, the Alaskan Game and Fur Bill, fathered in Con- gress by Delegate Sutherland, is cham pioned as measure designed to give Alaskans a leading part in the control of the wild game life of the Terri tory. MT. Nelson writes as follows:
 The Alaska game and fur bill recent ly introduced in Congress by Dele gate Sutherland is a piece of construc- tive legislation aiming to assist in building up the game and fur re- sources of the Territory. For a long time Alaskans have complained of having little participation in manag- ing the affairs of the Territory.
 One of the main features of the pres ent bill is the establishment of a game commission of five members, of whom four are to be residents of the Terri tory who are not in any branch of the Federal service. In considering pos sible men to fill these positions effort is being made to locate men who have been longtime residents in the Ter ritory so they are thoroughly familiar with local conditions and needs. An additional requirement will be that, with the exception of the executive of c:o lo ,icc cpnjiIlU the Biological Survey, the commission CTS shall not be Federal employees. In other words, there is a real desire to give resident Alaskans real voice in the work of handling the game and fur resources.
 The four Alaskan commissioners will have full opportunity for eXerclS- ing initiative in building up the regu- 1ations for the administration of the law. Every effort has been made to avoid making specific laws to cover the multitude of details connected with handling the game and fur bearers or the Territory, in order that the ad- minjstration may be done through rec ulations which will be elastic enough to meet different conditions in differ ent parts of the Territory, and also to meet at short notice local chances in conditions, requiring changes in the regulations.
 A great amount of work, including personal Investigations in all parts ot the Territory during the last few years, and conferences and cores nondence with many Alaskans have been the basis on which the present bill has been drawn. It has been worked over by the most experienced lawyers and other experts in game conservation in the United States, many able attorneys having volun- teered time to study it's terms for the purpose of preparing a thoroughly uD- to-date law which should be effective in assisting to maintain the Territory's exceedingly valuable fur resources and to preserve it's big game, which has a worldwide reputation. Under this law the game commission will have authority to remove protection from the large brown bears, permitting them to be killed at any time of year. This brings about one of the long -wished-for changes in the Alas kan game law.
 The terms of'that part of the new '"'-- "0vorino the land fur bearers will do away with the present exceedingly weak and inadeuuate law and provide zeal protection for these valuable ami mals.
 The destruction of Alaska's big game as well as of it's fur bearers would be a severe blow to the welfare not only of the natives in the Terri tory but of a very large number of the white citizens of small means through out the Territory who frequently have been, and will continue to be, at times dependent upon them for an important part of their food supply and in case of the fur-bearers as a source of ob- taining much needed funds.
 In introducing this bill Delegate Sutherland is carrying out his con- structive program to try to bring about a better cooperation and secure more local participation in the administra- tion of the Territorial affairs. It should be recognized that this bill is a great step forward toward Alaskan control of the resources involved. While some may insist that Alaska should have full control of it's wild life, here is an opportunity for it to have lead