197 



Your Commissioners are of opinion that much good would undoubtedly re- 

 sult from the appointment of such a force of Game Wardens, and recommend that 

 every county or district in the Province should pay a certain sum annually, say 

 $50, to the Government towards the support and maintenance of the force 

 aforesaid, this fund to be supplemented by the Government by an equal sum. 



Your Commissioners recommend that the fines imposed for infractions of the 

 Game Laws, should be largely increased, and that the law should provide dis- 

 tinctly that each case must be charged separately, without any option in the 

 matter to the Magistrate or prosecutor. Your Commissioubrs recommend that 

 one-half the fines should go direct to the Government and the other half to the 

 informer. 



Your Commissioners recommend as an additional means of as?iisting in the 

 maintenance of the force of game wardens, that a $25 license should be collected 

 from all foreign sportsmen, and which would entitle them to shoot or iish duiing 

 the open season, in the Province. 



Your Commissioners also recommend that dealers in Game and Fish should 

 be required to take out licenses, so that their premises may be subject to search 

 at any time, at the hands of the Game Wardens, the license fees thus received 

 to go direct to Government. 



Your Commissioners find that the suggestion that every owner of sporting 

 fire-arms should be required to register his weapon and pay a nominal fee there- 

 for, is intensely unpopular and cannot recommend it. 



Many sportsmen are of opinion that shooters and anglers, when sporting in 

 counties where they do not reside, should be required to take out a local permit 

 at a small fee to go towards the expense of supporting the local Game and Fish 

 warden. Your Commissioners are of opiniion that this suggestion is a useful one, 

 and may in time be acted upon, when a permanent Commission has had time to 

 elaborate its work, fn the meantime, however, on account of the dilBculty which 

 it is thought would exist in the way of finding the Game Warden, and the loss of 

 time to wliich sportsmen would be put, it is not deemed wise to recommend it. 



Your Commissioners find that in some localities dogs are not taxed, and a 

 large number are consequently kept for the purpose of hunting deer. Your 

 Commissioners recommend, therefore, that all dogs throughout the Province be 

 licensed. The license need not be taken out in any particular city or town, but 

 the dog must be licensed somewhere. 



Your Commissioners warmly approve of the suggestion made on several occa- 

 sions that the sportsmen in the various counties and districts should be encour- 

 aged to form associations to protect Game and Fish therein. 



Your Commissioners find that the formation of close or exclusive Game and 

 Fish protection associations, which cover marshes by freehold or lease, is in- 

 tensely unpopular, and cannot recommend that they be encouraged. 



Your Commissioners recommend that all police officers, whether cit5^ county 

 or Government constables, and all Government bush rangers, should be Wardens 

 under the Act for the purpose of enforcing the Game Laws. 



Your Commissioners recommend that the Wardens should have power to 

 arrest offenders on sight without a warrant, and should have power to try cases 

 themselves, this power, however, to be only exercised in localities where the 

 services of a magistrate cannot be conveniently obtained. 



Your Commissioners recommend that persons arrested by the Wardens 

 should be tried before the nearest magistrate without havinof to be taken 



