REPORT OP -THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 101 



the taking of fish in Great Salt Pond. The act of the State legislature 



f ranting certain privileges to the United States Commissioner of 

 'isheries, approved by the governor of Rhode Island on May 11, 

 1914, therefore does not apply to the waters adjacent to the property 

 selected on Block Island. In order to cover this privilege, the town 

 council of the town of New Shoreham on June 20, 1917, passed the 

 following resolution: 



Resolved, That the United States Commissioner of Fisheries and his agents be and 

 they are hereby granted unrestricted right to fish in the waters adjacent to Block 

 Island and the right to conduct fish-cultural operations in any manner, at any time 

 that may by them be considered necessary and proper, together with the right to 

 fence in the small cove [adjoining the property selected] and the exclusive right to the 

 use of this cove. 



The Government, however, has not been able to accept the deed to 

 the property as the State of Rhode Island has no law which cedes 

 jurisdiction to the United States over the land which the Government 

 may acquire for fish-cultural purposes. The governor of the State 

 has been requested to assist in procuring the passage of such an act 

 by the legislature during the next session, which meets in January, 

 1918. 



At the Gackamas (Oreg.) station a new salmon hatchery was con- 

 structed with an appropriation that was made available in 1914. 

 The structure is 58 by 100 feet. Its lighting is rendered almost per- 

 fect from white inside finish and 43 prism-glass windows. Other new 

 buildings provided at tliis place were a combination carpenter shop 

 and woodshed, 20 by 40 feet, a garage and lumber storage combina- 

 tion 22 by 30 feet, a pump house 12 by 18 feet, and a paint house 9 by 

 15 feet. All new buildings are on concrete foundations and so con- 

 structed that decaying floors can not afl^ect the walls or other parts. 

 The station is practically new and highly attractive in appearance. 

 A new water system was installed with two electrically dris^en pumps, 

 which are separate units. Their combined deUvery is 1,600 gallons 

 per minute, the discharge being into an excavated reservoir of 210,000 

 gallons capacity. 



Taking advantage of the lull in fish-cultural operations at the Mich- 

 igan stations during the first three months of the fiscal year, important 

 repairs and improvements were made to the water supply and pond 

 system at Northville, a special appropriation for the purpose having 

 been obtained. The work included the grading and enlargement of 

 the* spawning space in two of the bass ponds, replacing 487 linear feet 

 of old vitrified sewer crock connecting the dam and the water-supply 

 reservoir with 16-inch iron pipe, and repairs to the retaining wall pro- 

 tecting the water-supply system. 



CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, AND MOVEMENTS OF VESSELS. 



The act providing appropriations for the support of the Bureau for 

 1917 contained an item of $10,000 for two motor boats for the Alaska 

 fishery patrol. Bids for the construction of these boats were opened 

 at Seattle on December 5, 1916, seven proposals being received. Tlie 

 contract was awarded to a local fu-m, the work began at once, and the 

 boats were completed and accepted on May 10, 1917. Tlie contract 

 price was $9,352, and the entire cost, including plans and inspection, 

 was $9,702.70. The boats resemble the type of boats used in the purse- 



