68 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF PISH COMMISSIONERS. 



ing outside <>f tluir own states; thai in 16 states of the Union and 4 

 provinces of Can:id:i 511,905 licenses were issued to residents; and that, 

 bo far as figures are obtainable, the total number of licensed hunters in 

 the United States and Canada was more than half a million and the 

 amount paid for licenses more than $600,000. 



The first non-resident license law was enacted in 1895, but is now in 

 f.-rce in 36 of the states of the Union and throughout Canada. A resi- 

 dent license is required in 16 states of the Union and in 4 provinces of 

 Canada. 



With this record before us. it seems that California can very properly 

 demand a license scheme of some kind to provide revenue for the sup- 

 port of the Game Preservation Fund; the moneys so collected to be 

 applied to the payment of claims approved by the Board of Fish Com- 

 missioners for the expense of protecting, restoring, and introducing 

 game into the State and to the payment of costs and expenses incurred 

 in the prosecution of offenders against any of the provisions of the game 



laws. 



When it is recalled that in 1905 Wisconsin collected in $1 resident 

 license fees $88,000, Illinois $127,988, Missouri $48,721, Kansas $42,300, 

 Montana $32,662, Oregon more than $21,000 (the first year in which the 

 license law had been in effect), and Washington $26,271, it can readily 

 be seen what an advantage it would be to the game interests of our 

 State, that have been struggling along for the past eight years on an 

 appropriation varying from $3,750 to $12,500 per annum (all taken from 

 the General Fund), to adopt a similar plan to raise revenue. 



We find also that the states of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Utah, and 

 Wyoming have recently adopted another plan worthy of our considera- 

 tion, which provides that all hunters who are not naturalized residents 

 of the State must secure the same license obtained for non-residents. 

 It is known as the "alien license law.''" In this State, where we have a 

 large foreign population, composed of Italians, Hungarians, and Japa- 

 nese, a considerable revenue could be collected if these people were 

 required to take out such a license. Reference to our record of arrests 

 shows that more than two thirds of the violations are committed by the 

 foreign element. The State of New York meets the situation in a differ- 

 ent way. On the statute books of that State is a law making it a mis- 

 demeanor for any alien to carry firearms in public places. This would 

 give the foreigner who owns property the right to have firearms on his 

 premises for his own protection, but would not permit him to use them 

 afield. We believe either or both of the above plans would be of the 

 greatest benefit to the game interest of this State, and shall recommend 

 at the forthcoming session of the Legislature (after careful study of the 

 license schemes in effect) that one which, in our judgment, is best 

 adapted to the conditions in California. 



