REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 



13 



Fifty-fifth Fiscal Year. 



PAYMENT OF CLAIMS IN FISH CASES. 



At the last session of the Legishiture, with your indorsement and 

 approval, we presented a bill amending the Act approved February 27, 

 1887, relating to costs for prosecuting violations of fish laws, and 

 making it mandatory upon all claimants to present their claims to this 

 Board for approval and finally to be paid out of the Fish Commission 

 Fund. In addition, other sections of the Penal Code, namely, Sections 

 629, 635, and 637, were amended and simplified. Trials for violations 

 were confined to the Superior Court, the expense to be borne by the 

 State instead of by the county, and the amount of the fines imposed 

 to be paid into the State Treasury. We are pleased to report that the 

 workings of this law have come up to our fullest expectations. It has 

 brought justices of the peace and constables throughout the State in 

 closer relationship with this office. They look to us for their fees (when 

 under the fee system), and their claims are promptly met. Occasion- 

 ally we are obliged to return claims for correction, and thereby have 

 saved the State a considerable sum. Formerly these claims were paid 

 out of a special fund appropriated at each session of the Legislature to 

 meet the costs arising from prosecutions for violation of the fish laws. 

 The State Board of Examiners had no means of knowing what services 

 were rendered, and were simply paying claims in the dark. We are in 

 a better position to audit such claims fairly. We feel this has been 

 done. The expense of Superior Court trials has been met by us, and 

 the District Attorneys have scrutinized their bills closely and sent 

 them to us in detail, showing an itemized list of the expenses incurred. 



