CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. Ill 



eleven applicants for each position. The examination was much the 

 same as that for the deputies, except that it was much more severe. 

 Among the ciue.stions asked were questions of policy, regarding the 

 handling of men, how to distribute wardens to secure the best enforce- 

 ment of the law, how to work out certain problems in different parts of 

 the state, etc. These Illinois examinations were the largest of the kind 

 ever held in this country for the purpose of selecting men to serve as 

 wardens. 



Three weeks ago it was my privilege to attend the warden's school in 

 "Wisconsin, which lasted three days. Wisconsin has gone a step farther 

 than some of the states in providing promotion for men who perform 

 their work satisfactorily and pass a suitable examination. The first 

 step is to grade the men. Those who enter the service as protective 

 wardens receive $2 50 a day. or $75 a month; those who elect to enter 

 the service for what is called "outlying iishing" work, which consists 

 of looking after the commercial fisheries on Lake Superior and Lake 

 Michigan, get $3 a day, or $90 a month ; and those who wish to enter 

 transportation work, inspecting the shipment of game or fish, also 

 receive $3 a day, or $90 a month. 



Last summer the state warden inaugurated a correspondence school 

 for wardens. On the first of each month he sent each of his men five 

 questions which the deputies were requested to look over and answer 

 to the best of their ability. Failure to return the answers counted on 

 the record. The warden then sent out copies of the correct answers 

 and each deputy was asked to compare them with his own. The fifth 

 month the state warden invited the deputies to submit five questions 

 which they w^ould like to ask relative to the game laws. Instead of 

 attempting to answer them, he brought this collection of several hundred 

 questions to the annual convention and had the men discuss them, and 

 in this way thoroughly covered the ground by a general consideration of 

 the more practical questions which arise in the state. 



Each year the state assembles the deputies and holds a promotion 

 examination, open to those who have been in the service more than six 

 months. Each man with a satisfactory efficiency record, who attains 

 the requisite marks on the examination is entitled to a liberal promo- 

 tion. Every man is anxious to secure a promotion and every member 

 is on hand, ready to do his best. A man's record for the year counts 

 50; the written examination counts 30; and the oral interview counts 

 20 per cent. The efficiency record dees not depend upon the number of 

 arrests made but is divided into five parts, of which the number of 

 arrests and convictions is only one, and in some cases a very small 

 part. A good deal of prominence is given to the success of a deputy in 

 ijuilding up sentiment in his community in favor of fish and game 

 conservation, for the law of AVisconsin requires the warden to instruct 

 the public as to the protection of fish and game. Another thing that 

 counts is prompt and efficient service, and still another is promptness 

 and care in making out reports. 



The men that brought in the largest number of arrests were subjected 

 to very careful scrutiny in the oral examination, and it soon developed 

 that this was a very uncertain basis for promotion. Many men, think- 

 ing that the number of arrests A'as the test that counted, had evidently 

 been looking for all sorts of minor offeuses, many of them doubtful 



