REPORT 



OF THE 



Board of Game Commissioners 



FQRTHE 



Province of Ontario 



The Honourable J. 0. Reaume, 



Minister of Public Works, 

 Toronto. 



Sir, — The Board of Game Commissioners for the Province of Ontario has 

 the honour to present its Report for the year 1906. 



During the year 1905, the Board made a special investigation of the 

 condition of game in various parts of the Province and of the working of the 

 existing game laws which have been in operation for a number of years, and 

 submitted with its Report a draft revised Act embodying the amendments 

 recommended. 



It having been found impracticable to have this draft Act considered at 

 the Session of the Legislature for the year 1906, the Board desires to refer to 

 the report tor the year 1905 as expressing the reasons for the different recom- 

 mendations embodied in the draft Act, and for convenience repeats the general 

 conclusions arrived at, and the statements therein contained as to the tests pro- 

 posed for a consideration of proposed amendments to the game law: 



"As the law is not for the benefit of any particular class, it follows that 

 all those who are interested ought to submit to reasonable restrictions in 

 the common interest. As a general proposition this is universally as- 

 sented to, but the Board has found that diverse interests nevertheless 

 lead to conflicting opinions upon almost all provisions of the existing law, 

 and upon all proposed amendments. It is therefore advisable, if possible, 

 to formulate principles by which the comparative value of the present 

 law and proposed amendments can be tested. 



The Board is of opinion that as between conflicting proposals 

 the best is that having in the greatest measure the following character- 

 istics: — 



{a) That it should be capable of being effectively enforced; 



(6) That it should be such as to limit the aggregate amount of 

 game killed each year, while affording a reasonable opportunity for tak- 

 ing it throughout the open season; 



(c) That it should not encourage, or make difficult, the detection 

 of violations of other provisions of the law; 



(d) That so far as possible, having regard to the abjve, the bur- 

 den of the restriction should be borne by all who share in the benefits of 

 the law." Report, 1905, pp. 7 8. 



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