SPHERE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 



49 



general welfare, provided always that no other section of the 

 constitution is violated by such expenditures. 



As a general rule, Congress under this clause has under- 

 taken to stimulate state activities in various fields, either by 

 direct grants of funds to state agencies dependent upon the 

 fulfillment of certain conditions regarding their expenditure, 

 or by establishing federal agencies with trained personnel 

 whose services would be available to the states upon a co- 

 operative basis or entirely gratis. 



In so far as wild-life conservation goes, Congress has 

 taken the latter method, that of providing federal agencies 

 whose personnel would work in cooperation with state con- 

 servation departments. Specifically, agencies have been 

 established dealing with three distinct types of problems: 

 (i) control of predatory animals and rodents, (2) fish, and 

 to some extent, game propagation, and (3) research. 



The Biological Survey undertakes to control the predatory 

 animal and rodent situation through a part of its organiza- 

 tion known as the Division of Game Management. As a 

 rule, the states themselves or groups of individuals within 

 the states are expected to meet part of the cost of operation 

 within each area. In fact, the expenses have in the past 

 been divided between the federal government and cooper- 

 ating groups upon the basis of 33 per cent to 66 per cent. 

 The work of the Survey in this field and others will be dis- 

 cussed at length in a later chapter. 



The maintenance of fish hatcheries by the Bureau of Fish- 

 eries and of migratory bird and big game refuges by the 

 Biological Survey constitutes another activity of the national 

 government. From time to time the fish-propagation activi- 

 ties of the federal government are attacked on the ground 

 that they are an invasion of the sphere of the states. A 

 closer examination of the type of work being done by the 

 national government must lead one to the conclusion that the 

 charge is rarely true. 



