276 KEPOET OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



but by the residents themselves, the game having been shipped for com- 

 mercial purposes to the larger Eastern cities. After this report Avas 

 received, the Legislature passed very strict laws, which were at first 

 enforced with great difficulty, but which in the end w^on public support. 

 In the year 1902, in order that the Legislature might be well advised as 

 to what the tourist traffic amounted to, the state authorities carried out 

 a summer census of all the visitors in the interior portions of the state. 

 These figures showed that 133,885 persons came into the interior por- 

 tions of the state, the principal attraction being the excellent fishing 

 and shooting provided. 



Two years ago your Commissioner enquired from Hon. L. T. Carle- 

 ton, State Commissioner of Fisheries and Game, whether this traffic had 

 increased, and Mr. Carleton was good enough to take the question up 

 with Colonel Boothby, General Passenger Agent of the Maine Central 

 Eailway, and this official stated that, from statis-tics in his possession 

 and from other sources of information, he was of the opinion that quite 

 250,000 people came into the interior portions of the state during 1907, 

 attracted principally by the fishing and shooting. 



Senator Frye, a well-known statesman, has stated that in all times 

 of financial depression the State of Maine feels the conditions less than 

 any other state in the Union, owing to the fact of this sportsman-tourist 

 traffic, which at these periods does not seem to shrink as might have been 

 expected. 



Officially, the authorities of the State of Maine estimate the amount 

 of money left behind by each individual who comes into the interior por- 

 tion of the state at an average of flOO.OO. Those who have studied the 

 question are of the opinion that this is a very conservative estimate; 

 and, if it be accepted as a basis, it will be found that, taking the Govern- 

 ment statistics for 1902, there would have been left in the state that 

 year over thirteen million dollars; and, if the figures of the railroad 

 official are accepted for 1907, the gigantic sum of twenty-five million 

 dollars would be the result of the tourist traffic for one year. 



The Province of Ontario is very happily situated, geographically, to 

 take the fullest advantage of the possibilities inherent in its game fish 

 and game as an attraction to the tourist. It lies within easy distance of 

 the populous and ever-growing cities of the State of New York, and is 

 as easy of access to the residents of the Mississippi Valley as is the State 

 of Maine. 



Some little prejudice exists among a portion of the population of 

 the Province in regard to the influx of visiting sportsmen, tlie idea being 

 that, should great numbers come in, the sport will be ruined. On reflec- 

 tion, however, it will be seen from the history of the evolution of this 

 class of traffic in the State of Maine that this belief is not founded on 

 fact, for, as has already been pointed out, in 1867 the game and fish of 

 the state had practically disappeared, not through the action of visiting 

 sportsmen, but through the slaughter carried on by the residents them- 



