130 REPORT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



abounding in such shallow places where food is plentiful, so that for 

 practical purposes it is impossible for the majority of anglers to secure 

 a sufficiency of them without having recourse to some holder of a min- 

 now seine license, for not only are their favorite haunts frequently at 

 some distance from the town or village, but even when these have been 

 reached, the dip net will prove too cumbersome a weapon to effect the 

 capture of more than a stray specimen or two sufficiently large to be 

 suitable for angling purposes. 



Thus it will be seen that the possession of a minnoAV seine license 

 is of considerable pecuniary value to the holder, for a species of local 

 monopoly is created and, as the demand increases, so can the charge in 

 proportion if the licensee so desires, for there is no restriction placed 

 on the price at which the little fishes may be retailed. Moreover, the 

 supply available will depend largely on the energy of the licensee. In 

 various instances it has occurred that the local supply of minnows was 

 greatly below the demand, which appeared to be due either to the 

 laziness of the licensee or to his unwillingness to pay for adequate help, 

 and in such cases not only are the complaints of the anglers most vigor- 

 ous, but also those of hotel keepers and merchants generally Avho are 

 interested in the summer tourist traffic, for it is apparent to them that 

 such conditions are not favorable even to a maintenance of the trade, 

 but, on the contrary, are calculated to damage it materially. The price, 

 also, in such cases will almost invariably soar, for there will, as a rule, 

 be found one or two individuals prepared to pay without after-thought 

 any sum, provided only they get what they require, and this entails a 

 hardship on the generality of anglers whose funds are not unlimited, 

 and cannot but be prejudicial in its effect on the tourist traffic in the 

 district. It is plain that where during three or four months of the year 

 there are a number of anglers anxious to purchase one or tAvo dozen 

 minnows six days in the week, the possession of a license should net the 

 licensee from $2.00 to |4.00 or more per diem, and, moreover, unlike the 

 guide whose license costs |2.00 and whose wages average from |2.00 to 

 $3.00 per diem, so long as there are anglers, so long will his trade be 

 steady and continuous, for it is independent of the personal caprice of 

 the individual angler or of popular reputation. If, therefore, the licensee 

 discovers that by raising the price of his minnows he can continue to 

 make an undiminished income with considerably less effort to liiuiself, 

 or at less expense if he engages help, it is quite likely that lie will be 

 tempted to do so without regard to those whom he is injuring by so 

 doing. It would, of course, be possible by issuing more than one license 

 to a locality to create competition, and thus not only keep prices down 

 but at the same time ensure a sufficient supply to meet the local demand. 

 The nmin objections to such a course are, however, that in by far the 

 greater number of cases there is only enough Avork in this line 

 adequately to compensate one man Avho makes a genuine business of it, 

 taking into consideration the help that he might have to hire and tlie 



