FIFTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 47 



Lakes and the propagation of shad have only been incidental to 

 the work of the United States Fish Commission. It was directed 

 that under that law and the provisions to carry out that law that 

 they should make experiments in artificial propagation, and be- 

 cause, in the course of their experiments, they were able at very 

 slight increased cost, to get more eggs than they wanted for that 

 purpose, it was thought to be perfectly right to return the fully 

 developed eggs, young fry, to the waters where they were taken 

 from, and also to plant some of the young whitefish in interior 

 lakes where they did not exist, to see if they could not be prop- 

 agated there ; but it is not the purpose of the United States, and 

 it is not the business of the United States Government, as I con- 

 tend, to plant our own waters. That is our own business. The 

 waters are ours ; they are under our own control ; they are just 

 as much a part of the State as is the land of the State, and it is 

 the business of the State, therefore, to see that its public waters, 

 which are its only domain left, should be properly cultivated 

 and properly used. 



Mr. Booth. — I must beg to differ with my friend with refer- 

 ence to the amount of the cost of policing and propagation. 

 From his own figures, and the most exaggerated estimate of the 

 cost of propagation of whitefish or trout, it would be about one 

 cent a thousand if we have gathered twenty-four millions of 

 pounds, in other words, eight millions offish. Now, at one cent 

 a thousand, how much is tliat ? It is about $800. It seems to 

 me that is very much the cheapest way of reproducing the fish 

 in these lakes. You could scarcely hire one man for less than 

 :|8oo a year. I thoroughly indorse his ideas for exacting a 

 license fee from any and everybody, from every man engaged 

 in'catching fish in the waters of the States of Michigan or Illinois 

 or anywhere else. I believe that is a great source of revenue. 

 I don't want to ask the United States Government to assist one 

 dollar in this matter. I think the people that are making their 

 money out of catching these fish are perfectly willing to pay a 

 license for the privilege of doing so. I have a great many nets 

 and a great many boats, and I am perfectly willing to pay a 

 license if that amount is spent for the reproduction of the fish. 

 These small meshes — you say they have put in canvas to catch 



