26 GAME COMMISSIONS AND WARDENS. 



In Yiroinia each city may haye 2 wardens and each magisterial 

 district 1 upon application of 5 resident freeholders. The city 

 wardens are appointed by the city or coi'poration court and the dis- 

 trict wardens b}^ the circuit judge. Special proyision requires, how- 

 eyer, that in Accomnc and Northampton counties the wardens are to 

 be 'appointed on the recommendation' of the Eastern Shore Game 

 Protectiye Association, to which they make their report and by which 

 they are paid out of the returns from hunting license fees. The term 

 of the city and district wardens is four years and the compensation 

 not to exceed ^300 a year, paid from hunting license fees. Beside 

 these regular wardens- the commanders of the oyster police boats are 

 constituted game wardens, and in addition to their duties in this 

 capacit}' are required not only to enforce the game laws of the State, 

 but also to execute the laws of the United States relating to the pro- 

 tection of game. 



SUBORDINATE OFFICERS. 



The-operations of the game department can scarcel}' result in sub- 

 stantial success without the assistance of local officers, each with a 

 limited territory oyer which strict suryeillance can be maintained. 

 This is as true as the conyerse of the statement, that local officers with- 

 out a central head rarely do effectiye work. Most of the States and 

 Territories haye proyided local officers of yaiying titles, whose num- 

 ber and terms of seryice depend largely upon the ability of each 

 State to proyide moans for i^ayment. The highest salary paid deputy 

 game Avardens in this country is $1,500 a 3'ear, which is allowed the 

 special deputies in Montana, who are allowed also S300 a j^ear for 

 trayeling expenses. As these wardens hold office for four years, it 

 Avill be seen that the position is one of standing and of adequate com- 

 pensation. From this maximum the amounts receiyed grade down- 

 ward to the scanty allowance of criminal fees, and iinall}^ to seryice 

 without an}^ compensation in seyeral States. The meager compen- 

 sation resulting from the percentage of lines secured sometimes allowed 

 deputy wardens is hardly sufficient to enlist the seryices of actiye 

 men, and the scheme adopted in a few States of paying deputies a per 

 diem amount while actually performing seryice seems a ))etter method 

 Avhere funds are insufficient to keep these officers constantly employed. 



The sources and methods of appointment of the subordinate war- 

 dens yary widely, but more satisfactory results seem to folloAy appoint- 

 ment by the State game department or official, to which they are thus 

 made directl}' amenable and b}" which they can be remoyed in case of 

 incompetency or dereliction of dut}'. By this method also appoint- 

 ments are remoyed from local and political influences and the warden 

 is untrammeled by any such considerations. 



