Seward daily gateway., 1924-02-02

truth, contains an alleged letter from supposed Afaskan, containing the ! statement that ruthless and law breaking hunters and hordes of rab- oICs st.o declmallng and throatenng to exterminate the great moose herds of the Kenai Peninsula or Alaska. The article goes on to say that the moose are beng killed off by butchers and starved out by rabbits, winch can get at the Iood qulcher than .ne ! larger and clumsier animals"
 AS the editor of the Literary Di- gest lives several thousand miles from the much-maligned kenai pe- ninsula, and the editor of the Gate way lives in it's immediate vicinity, or to be more accurate, on portion of t.4c .,4o- cs>.lu ECnlnsuIa, once again am 1 compelled to take up the cudgels of publicity and answer some dam phool statement that has no truth nor authority of fact.
 Despite the assertions of the con- tributor to American Forestry, sign | ing nlliloelI An AlaSkan, we are compeued to accept the statements of local SuluCS ana game MafdeuS anu deny the allegations i'll t0to. Game Waruen GeUIge G. COtJtr mas made nall uoZen Llps through the penln- sula, around the penlnSuIa and across ti.e penlnsuia, ana he asserts with no intention to spoil a good soD-story, that moose wlntered better and are more plentiful than tor many years; and Mir. Hank Frost, who recently spent month or so in the heart of the penlnsula with Hungarian count whose name must be sneezed, asserts that he saw moose by the hundred, and was forced to herd the cows and calves away in order that the Count might get room to shoot at bull moose. Seventy-slx moose were seen from one point near Juneau fake ali COWS and young bulls. The laws of the Territory permit hunters to kill two moose per season, in case one de- sires moose meat. There are hum dreds of residents of the peninsula who do not kill one moose in a season or even in lite time, the editor be- Ing one of the aforesaid hunters who has no hankering to pack a thousand pounds of strong meat over poor trail.
 Let it be understood that nothing in this article is intended to depre- ciate the value of the big game sportsman rom the States to tie residents of the kenai peninsula. The sportsman from outside pays, and pays well for the privilege of killing 1 his trophies, and Is a distinct asset to every business man and resident of Seward. Thousands of dollars were spent here in 1923, and thou sands more will be spent this year by wealthy outside sportSmen, who pay on an average of S250O for each hunt here. 1t is an industry which prop erly nourished will furnish revenue for all the ages. With adequate pro- lection the game will increase to a point where the feed will support the herds, and will give a perpetual in come to guides, packers and business men.
 It may be true that the natives of Kenai, cannery camp on Cook h. | let, live on moose meat, and It may be true they feed their dogs the portions they cannot eat themselves, but the greatest wasters and destroy CTS of game we have with us are the cannery crews, brought from the out side each year and taken back to the states when they finish placing pink fishes in pretty cans. These men are entertained by Alaskans during the summer months, and they come armed cap a pie and kill all in sight. Personally, being an old timer in the Territory, I am deeply prejudiced against cheechako sportsmen shooting moose out of season, and am also averse to seeing cannery crews fed moOsemeat in extensive qantltles this meat being killed out of season; but, we have one game warden for a country as large as the New England States, and part of Canada, and one trip takes all his expense money, and there you are. The accommodating Fastener, headed by Dr. Hornaday as an advisory board, makes our game laws for us, believing that men living in Alaska have not the perspi- cacity to make laws for themselves, and the all-wise government provides wardens for protection of the game; but neglects to provide a sufficient salary for the warden to live on.
 More game is killed and wasted by so-called scientific parties and big game hunters from the States, than a whole town of Alaskans would kill in many years. Take the party head ed several years ago by a Denver clamorist for conservation: This party