18 FISH AND GAME. 



The following statement shows to what extent the Commis- 

 sion on Fisheries and Game has been self-supporting during the 

 past six years : - 



Total of general and special appropriations, . . $587,430 00 



Cash turned into State treasury, exclusive of 



fines and forfeitures: - 



For the past six years, . . $279,603 92 



Unexpended balances returned to Treas- 

 urer, . 14,186 25 

 Present value of real estate and equipment 



acquired since 1909, . . . 80,547 00 



Total of fines, forfeitures, etc., . 29,423 00 



$403,760 17 



Value of output of fish and birds for past six 

 years, at time put out, . ... 125,127 50 



528,887 67 



$58,542 33 

 Annual net cost, $9,757 05 



LEGISLATION. 



Each year there is evident a commendable disinclination on 

 the part of the Legislature to encumber further the statutes 

 with special legislation, and attempts are made to simplify the 

 fish and game laws. There has developed a sturdy, beneficial 

 opposition to ill-advised, special regulations, which tends to 

 make the laws more intelligible to the average citizen and 

 greatly facilitates proper enforcement. The fish and game 

 laws have too important a bearing upon the prosperity of the 

 country to allow unintelligent and hasty formulation of regula- 

 tions or injudiciously rigorous or lax enforcement of the laws. 



In general the fish and game laws are made (1) for the 

 maintenance and proper utilization of the natural yield of fish 

 and game; (2) for the farmer and fisherman, who deal first 

 hand with these products; (3) for the general public, to whose 

 continued well-being fish, flesh and fowl contribute no insignifi- 

 cant degree; and (4) for those persons not citizens of the State 

 who nevertheless derive benefit from the public supply of fish 

 and game. 



