﻿86 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AND 
  FUE 
  INDUSTEIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  of 
  September 
  of 
  each 
  and 
  every 
  year 
  hereafter, 
  or 
  within 
  15 
  days 
  before 
  or 
  after 
  said 
  

   date, 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  animals 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  

   they 
  have 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  tlie 
  date 
  of 
  such 
  report, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  each 
  sex, 
  whether 
  captured 
  

   in 
  the 
  wild 
  state 
  or 
  raised 
  in 
  captivity, 
  and 
  such 
  other 
  information 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  required 
  

   by 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce. 
  Permits 
  will 
  be 
  issued 
  to 
  the 
  owners 
  and 
  operators 
  

   of 
  such 
  licensed 
  fiu- 
  farms 
  or 
  ranches 
  in 
  Alaska 
  authorizing 
  them 
  to 
  ship 
  their 
  ranch- 
  

   bred 
  stock 
  from 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  requirement 
  that 
  all 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  fur 
  farm- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  Alaska 
  should 
  procure 
  licenses, 
  many 
  applications 
  for 
  licenses 
  

   were 
  received. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1914 
  the 
  Department 
  

   had 
  issued 
  43 
  licenses. 
  Possibly 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  persons 
  to 
  whom 
  

   hcenses 
  were 
  issued 
  had 
  no 
  serious 
  intention 
  of 
  engaging 
  in 
  the 
  

   business, 
  or 
  if 
  they 
  did 
  begin 
  would 
  not 
  persevere 
  long 
  enough 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  business 
  a 
  success, 
  yet 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  the 
  

   business 
  of 
  fur 
  farming 
  is 
  receiving 
  considerable 
  attention. 
  

  

  WEAKNESS 
  OF 
  EXISTING 
  LAW. 
  

  

  The 
  existing 
  law 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  fur-bearing 
  

   animals 
  in 
  Alaska 
  is 
  wholly 
  inadequate 
  to 
  permit 
  giving 
  proper 
  

   protection 
  to 
  the 
  fur 
  bearers. 
  It 
  prescribes 
  penalties 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  

   actual 
  killing 
  of 
  the 
  animals, 
  in 
  violation 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  and 
  regulations 
  

   and 
  does 
  not 
  provide 
  for 
  the 
  enforcement 
  of 
  regulations 
  quite 
  as 
  

   necessary 
  for 
  their 
  protection 
  as 
  prohibitions 
  on 
  the 
  killing. 
  By 
  

   a 
  strict 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  statute, 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Commerce 
  is 
  

   empowered 
  only 
  to 
  authorize 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  under 
  

   such 
  regulations 
  as 
  he 
  may 
  prescribe 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  killing 
  

   contrary 
  to 
  the 
  law 
  and 
  the 
  regulations. 
  The 
  department 
  has 
  

   endeavored 
  to 
  regulate 
  other 
  activities 
  which 
  are 
  recognized 
  by 
  

   everyone 
  as 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  proper 
  preservation 
  of 
  these 
  wild 
  

   animals, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  courts 
  would 
  take 
  cognizance 
  

   of 
  violations 
  of 
  regulations 
  not 
  clearly 
  authorized 
  by 
  law. 
  Possibly 
  

   a 
  better 
  way 
  would 
  be 
  for 
  the 
  Department 
  to 
  enforce 
  the 
  law 
  liter- 
  

   ally. 
  Bills 
  were 
  introduced 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  sessions 
  

   of 
  the 
  Sixty-third 
  Congress 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  providing 
  a 
  remedy 
  

   for 
  the 
  present 
  imsatisfactory 
  condition, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  enacted 
  

   into 
  law. 
  

  

  VIOLATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  LAW 
  AND 
  REGULATIONS 
  FOR 
  THE 
  PROTECTION 
  OF 
  

   FUR-BEARING 
  ANIMALS. 
  

  

  Eeports 
  are 
  received 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  alleging 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  

   fur-bearing 
  animals 
  in 
  violation 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  and 
  regulations, 
  partic- 
  

   ularly 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  poison. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  employees 
  

   have 
  investigated 
  these 
  charges, 
  and 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  

   many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  unfounded. 
  Indians 
  make 
  them 
  against 
  white 
  

   men, 
  who 
  they 
  beheve 
  are 
  encroaching 
  on 
  their 
  trapping 
  grounds. 
  

  

  