mitted to such a plan as a fixed state policy in her game 

 preservation system. 



Minnesota's game law was considered a model when en- 

 acted and it was in many respects taking advance ground 

 in prohibiting spring shooting and the sale of game, in lim- 

 iting the open seasons, bag limits and shipping privileges. 

 As time has passed, however, and population has greatly in- 

 creased, forests have been laid low, fields have been brought 

 under cultivation, marshes and lakes have been drained, 

 primitive fire arms have been developed into deadly instru- 

 ments of destruction, outdoor recreation has grown more and 

 more popular and universal, and more than all, from the 

 improvement of roads and the universal use of the automo- 

 bile, the very existence of some species of game, only a few 

 years ago found in great abundance, is now imminently 

 threatened, and drastic . action is required to save it from 

 extermination and to preserve other species in sufficient 

 abundance to furnish sport for hunters or food for the people. 

 The reduction .of the present all-too-liberal bag limits is im- 

 perative in the case of all birds, and the complete protection 

 of some is necessary. 



It is idle to lull ourselves into fancied security by declaring 

 that any kind of game is on the increase. This may be true 

 of some localities specially favored on account of some pecu- 

 liar condition, but it is not true of the country as a whole, or 

 of this state as a whole. Game is steadily diminishing under 

 present laws and will be extremely scarce in a short time if 

 we do not meet the situation. 



Minnesota's needs, then in game legislation may be summed 

 up as follows: 



1. Greater appropriation of funds for the extension and de- 

 velopment of the game conservation work, and greater rev- 

 enues from hunting and fishing sources from which to draw 

 for support of the work. The revenue feature is covered in 

 measures pending in the legislature providing for extension 

 of the hunting license system and other measures. It is not 

 necessary to increase direct taxation one cent to secure all 

 the funds needed for vigorous prosecution of the work. 



2. The merit system in the game warden service. This 



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