2i6 PROBLEMS IN WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



only have to pay the cost of Day's keep in jail but most 

 probably, in addition, provide aid for his family. 



One country Justice of the Peace settled the matter of 

 expense by writing the following note to a state game and 

 fish department, 



If your department will remit about sixty dollars to Beltrami 

 County to defray the expenses of transporting and keeping Mr. 

 X in jail for thirty days, I will have him committed. 



In the face of the dilemma presented to him the judge 

 will most probably let John Day off with another lecture 

 and the threat that if he repeats his offence he will be sent 

 to jail. Of course it won't be long before Day will be back 

 on a similar charge and then the process will be repeated. 

 In due course the justice will lose patience and finally com- 

 mit him to jail for a term, but even that will not reform 

 him. 



Day represents a certain type of game-law violator who 

 are unfortunately very numerous at the present time. Many 

 will say that he is the result of maladjustments in our social 

 system and not to blame for his offences. Perhaps the 

 proper approach does lie in improving the economic status 

 of this group. Numerous plans, both state and national are 

 now being broached with that aim in mind. In the mean- 

 while, however, a more energetic enforcement of the law 

 can be brought about by a shift of the expenses of enforce- 

 ment from local units to the state. 



The Justice-of-the-Peace Court: Most state game-law vio- 

 lations are tried before the justice-of-the-peace court. The 

 judge in this court is customarily without formal legal train- 

 ing and his jurisdiction is limited to petty offences which are 

 tried without jury. 



So far as conservation laws go, the chief difficulty with 

 the justice-of-the-peace court is to get strict enforcement of 



