PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 61 



COMBINATION HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE. 



The present tendency seems to favor charging both residents 

 and nonresidents a reasonable fee for the privilege of fishing 

 as well as hunting, thus requiring those who enjoy the sport of 

 angling to contribute their share toward the expense of stock- 

 ing and patroling the streams. Heretofore this expense has 

 been met in part by receipts from hunting licenses, but such a 

 policy is distinctly unfair to the gunner, in that it compels him 

 to carry the additional burden of stocking streams for which 

 the fishermen contribute nothing. If the hunter is taxed for 

 his sport it is no more than fair that the fisherman should 

 contribute something for his pleasure. To offset such objection 

 the combination licenses which are now used in an increasing 

 number of States should be adopted in Massachusetts. 



Very often we hear that the proceeds of the hunting and 

 prospective fishing licenses should be turned over to the State 

 for the use of the Commission. While we appreciate this spirit 

 we find that we should point out the advisability of acting in 

 accordance with the budget system under which the finances of 

 the Commonwealth are administered. 



REPORT OF CHIEF DEPUTY. 



The condensed report of Chief Deputy Orrin C. Bourne, 

 concerning the activities of his department during the past 

 year, follows: 



BOSTON, MASS., Dec. 1, 1916. 

 Commissioners on Fisheries and Game, Slate House, Boston, Mass. 



GENTLEMEN : I herewith submit my summarized report for the year 

 ending Dec. 1, 1916: 



The greater portion of my time during the past three years has been 

 devoted to the office work necessary to direct the activities of the deputies, 

 investigations of special complaints of law infraction, superintending the 

 distribution of fish, and handling the large amount of correspondence 

 directly relating to the enforcement of fish and game laws. 



The work of our department has been greatly hampered by the ex- 

 cessively complicated, and indeed often conflicting, statutory provisions 

 relative to fish and game, which has seriously impaired the efficiency of 

 these laws and hindered their enforcement. These defects, and the 

 difficulties thus imposed, majr best be remedied by a complete codifica- 

 tion of our present fish and game laws. 



