The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-06-23
sPORTsMEN NAMED TO HANDLE
GAME AND INLAND FISH
PROBLEMS
Governor O'Conor Announces APP
pointments to- Five-Man
Commission--MinOr
Conservation
Post Open

Annapolis, June 19-With the
naming by Governor Herbert r..
O'Conor of the five-man Maryland
State Game and Inland Fish Com
mission, provided for by Act of the
recent Legislative session, Maryland
sportsmen are now, for the first
time in the history of the State, In
direct control of their own affairs,
free from the jurisdiction OF the
Conservation Commission.
All sections of the State are rep
resented among the five appointees,
listed herewith: Garner w. Den
mead, Baltimore City; j. II. Gam
brill, Frederick; William H. Labrot,
Anne Arundel County; s. Scott
Beck, Kent County; Fulcher p.
Smith, Allegany County.
One of the contentious of sports
men generally for a number of years
was that the old Conservation Com
mission concerned itself almost en-
tirely with the affairs of fishing,
grabbing and oyster industry, to the
neglect of the anglers and hunters
interests, and that, when the Com
mission did approach consideration
of question involving the sports
men. they did not have the proper
slant on the matter.
Accordingly, when the Bill esta-
blishing the Maryland State Game
and Inland Fish Commission was
being drwn up, its advocates were
able to have incorporated in 1t the
provision that mo one shall be
eligible for appointment as Com
missioner unless he has hunters
license or anglers license, and unless
he shall be well-informed on the
subject of wild life conservation and
restoration, especially waterfowl,
birds, game, fur-bearing animals
and inland fishes.
All License Receipts To Fund
Furthermore, the Act provides
that there shall be paid into the
State Game Protection Fund all re-
ceipts from anglers and hunters
licenses, and that this fund can be
drawn upon only for the salaries
and expenses of the State Game and
Inland Fish Commission, the State
Game Warden and his subordinates,
and for the scientific investigation,
protection and propagation of birds,
wild fowl, inland fish and game.
Should the appropria ton in the Bud
get in any year be less than the
amount of the receipts from angl-
ers' and hunters licenses, the bal
ance does not revert to the General
Treasury but is held in trust and
remains intact until appropriated in
another Budget for the purpose
above mentioned. Heretofore all
such receipts went into the general
Conservation Fund.
The new Act under which the
Commission will operate in no way
changes the present game law or
any of the rules and regulations
regarding upland game or wild fowl
hunting or inland fishing. 1t merely
transfers responsibility for enforc-
ing the laws from the Conservation
Commission to the new State Game
and Inland Fish Commission. One
minor change has been made, in
that it is now provided that when
an anglers license is purchased, the
Clerk of the Court or the Officer
supplying this license, shall deliver
to the licensee a fishing button
which shall be worn by him while
fishing under the license. There was
such a provision in the old law COW
ering Deep Greek Lake only.
Lecompte Game Warden
Under the new law, the Commits
sioners are empowered to appoint
a State Game Warden as Of June l.,
1889, who shall be the present State
Game Warden, and he and all his
subordinates are continued under
the Merit System. There is provi-
sion also for the appointment of
salaired and non-salaried Game
Wardens, the former of whom are
to be paid minimum of 100000
per year, with yearly increases of
$4,000 of their work is satisfactory
up to a maximum of $1500.00 per
year. Regional Game Wardens, at a
salary not exceeding $15O0.00 per
year, are authorized when funds are
available and provided for in the
budget.
The five members of the Mary
land State Game and Inland Fish
Commission. are non-salhried, and
will serve for terms of five years,
except that the members just ap-
pointed by Governor O'Conor were
named for one, two, three, four and
five years, as follows: William H.
Labrot, 5 years; Garner w. Den
mead, years; S. Scott Beck, 8