REINDEER AND MUSK-OX 



officer be placed in charge to look after supplies and to have supervision over 

 the herders. It will also be necessary to obtain Lapp families and to move them 

 there. All this will entail much expenditure spread over a long period, and in 

 the meantime there will be no revenue. It is absolutely useless for this Depart- 

 ment to continue the responsibility of the herd unless we have a trustworthy, 

 competent officer on the ground all the time. There should also be a very strict 

 law against killing of the deer within the limits of the park or elsewhere. The 

 Newfoundland fishermen are the worst offenders in this connection, and I look 

 for further poaching this summer. 



Each year that I have gone down the gulf I ha\e been obliged to make 

 considerable use of the Government telegraph line. It is the only means of quick 

 communication and at times, almost indispensable. The ser\'ice, however, has 

 always been far from satisfactory and this summer was no exception. There is 

 an office at Rocky bay, and I had expected to be able to send messages from 

 there. During the seventeen days that I was there the operator only spent a 

 few hours one day in the office. The rest of the time he w^as away fishing on 

 a nother part of the coast. To get to an office meant a trip of about twenty miles. 

 The operators are far from satisfactory, and I often have messages which it is 

 impossible to read. In view of the fact that there is a Government industry at 

 Rocky bay, I consider that better telegraph service should be provided at this 

 point at least. I would also suggest that operators should be required to take an 

 oath of secrecy with regard to messages. At the present time this is not alw^ays ob- 

 served and business messages are discussed from place to place. In fact, the w-hole 

 service is far from satisfactory. When it is considered that the telegraph line is 

 about all the people of the coast have in the way of modern convenience, it does 

 not seem unreasonable to ask that it be made as efficient as possible. 



The supplies for the reindeer I ordered from W'hiteley Bros., at Bonne 

 Neperance, after learning from the Department that no supplies had been 

 shipped by the Marine Department's steamer. 



Herding dogs are badly needed. There is left only one dog of the three 

 that came with the herd. This dog is now quite old and deaf, and is also becom- 

 ing vicious. After he had killed one of the fawns, in spite of the fact that his 

 incisors are filed off, I ordered him muzzled. It is almost impossible to herd the 

 deer without dogs, and if we are to continue it will be necessary to provide 

 herding dogs. Scotch collies would probably be suited for this work, especially 

 if stock could be obtained from some farmer who has already trained them in 

 herding sheep or cattle. 



I have the honour to be. 



Your obedient servant, 



(Sgd.) PARKER, 



Inspector Indian Agencies. 



42627—5 65 



