18 GAME COMMISSIONS AND W-\KDENS. 



Executive officer. — Under the conditions just described it is obvioush- 

 necessary that there should be an officer, with a definite!}' located 

 office, to perform the duties and attend to the business of the commis- 

 sion when it is not in session. The Arizona commissioners designate 

 one of their number as business agent. In California the fish commis- 

 sion has a chief deputy- . who devotes his entire time to the duties of 

 the commission. The Minnesota law authorizes the board to select 

 one of its members as the executive agent, who is required to devote 

 all of his time to the duties of his office, and is empowered to exercise 

 all the riohts and authoritv of the commission when it is not in ses- 

 sion. His compensation is placed at a sum not to exceed $2,500 per 

 annum, and he must give bond to the State in the sum of 85,000, con- 

 ditioned upon the faithful accounting of all State property coming 

 into his hands. Pennsylvania also makes provision for a secretary, 

 who acts in the capacity of chief warden and business manager for the 

 commission. 



Incorporated societies—in three States— Delaware, North Carolina, 

 and South Carolina— the enforcement of game laws is intrusted to incor- 

 porated associations. The Delaware Game Protective Association was 

 incorporated in 1879 by special act of the legislature. The charter 

 of the society conferred upon it all the powers of a modern game com- 

 mission and intrusted to its care the administration of the game laws 

 of the State. The original incorporation was limited to twenty j^ears, 

 but in 1899 was extended perpetually. The president and secretary 

 of the society are the principal administrative officers, but each mem- 

 ber is empowered by the charter to enforce the game laws and inci- 

 dentally to arrest offenders. The secretary is the only salaried officer. 

 The fees for membership constitute the game-protection fund, out of 

 which the expenses of the society are paid. 



In North Carolina and South Carolina administration of the game 

 laws is committed to the Audubon societies, which have been incor- 

 porated by special acts of the legislatures of these States. The execu- 

 tive officer in each is the secretary, who, in all respects, except name, 

 is the State game warden. He is elected by the members of the society, 

 holds office for one year, and receives a salary which is fixed by the 

 board of directors. The treasurer of the society, who has charge 

 of the disbursement of State funds received from hunting licenses, is 

 appointed by the governor. Bird and game wardens are appointed 

 by the governors on recommendation of the secretaries of the societies. 

 Funds for carrying on the work are derived from membership fees, 

 subscriptions, and the fees from nonresident hunting licenses, which 

 in North Carolina during the past year amounted to a total of about 

 $10,700. 



The plan of intrusting duties of this kind to incorporated societies has 

 met with favor in Nova Scotia and some of the States of Australia, but 



