1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 301 



mends, but because lie felt that iu the past comprehension of the vast 

 scope of this problem has been somewhat limited in perspective and 

 vague. In approaching each question, however, not only has he had in 

 mind the necessity for a wide range of view, but also the fact that the 

 public welfare demands expenditures in many directions, and that the 

 public purse is limited. 



The base, therefore, on which his plan has been built is that in view 

 of the present and future economic possibilities inherent in the fish- 

 eries, the game fish and the game of the Province, the full income derived 

 from these sources to-day should be expended upon their conservation 

 and development for at least a few years to come. 



All moneys accruing to the public must of course be paid into the 

 general treasury, but the Department of Oame and Fisheries should be 

 entitled to frame its budget for the ensuing year on the basis, at least, 

 of its earnings for the current year, or better still, on a basis which will 

 embrace the automatic and anticipated increase to its revenues for the 

 ensuing year. A comparison of the revenue of the Department of Game 

 and Fisheries with its expenditures for the years 1908-9 will disclose 

 the fact that each year there has been a surplus of between |30,000 and 

 |40,000. In these figures the cost of the inside service of the Depart- 

 ment, which is charged under another head, is not taken into account. 

 Assuming that this would amount to |15,000, there still remains a con- 

 siderable sum in surplus revenue. Your Commissioner, however, realizes 

 that this sum would not be sufficient to meet the additional maintenance 

 charges which would occur in the adoption of the various recommenda- 

 tions contained in this interim report, but on the other hand he is con- 

 vinced that an outside service, much more efficient in personnel and 

 equipment, would ensure a very material increase in the revenue derived 

 from the license fees, for at the present time it would seem probable 

 that, in the non-resident anglers' tax at least, not more than 60 per cent, 

 of the sums due to the Government are being collected ; so that it would 

 not be unreasonable to anticipate that a considerable proportion of the 

 increased expenditure can be met out of the increased revenue. 



Your Commissioner has further pointed out in this report that by 

 the adoption of a resident hunting license of fl.lO, an additional reve- 

 nue of between |60,000 and |100,000 can be obtained. This, in con- 

 junction with the utilization of the present annual surplus, and the 

 anticipated gain in revenue from the more rigid collection of existing 

 license fees, would give a sum amply sufficient to meet out of income, 

 not only increased charges of maintonance, but also the initial cost of 

 added equipment. 



Your Commissioner, in this interim report, has not elaborated in 

 detail to cover the Province his scheme for wardens, equipment or 

 hatcheries, but, inasmuch as he realizes that the present time may be 

 deemed inopportune by your Government to impose a hunting license, 

 he desires to point out that, failing the adoption of that source of reve- 



