FORTY-SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT 167 



4. Central Office Functions and Activities 



This report recommends that the central office retain control over administrative 

 policies and exercise general direction over regional operations so as to promote 

 efficient and uniformity of fish and game programs throughout the State. 



While decentralization of operations to regions along lines described above should 

 result in giving better fish and game service, care must be exercised to avoid creating 

 five little "administrative kingdoms" with as many separate and varying fish and 

 game programs. To avoid this possibility, the central office must establish administra- 

 tive policies and exercise effective direction over operations of the regions. On the 

 other hand, the central office must refrain from repressive tactics in dealing with field 

 leaders. The concept of authority consistent with responsibility delegated should be 

 observed. 



The central office should be responsible for the following functions and activities : 



a. Planning of fish and game programs, i.e., study of needs and the resources and 

 facilities required to meet those needs ; 



b. Presentation of recommendations on program and policy matters such as seasons, 

 bag limits, etc., for consideration by the Fish and Game Commission ; 



c. Inspection of field operations to assure compliance with policies and procedures 

 and to ascertain means of improving operations ; 



d. State-wide, coastwise, or inter-region research in fish and game programs; 

 correlation of the findings of research on fish and game management from field sources ; 

 laboratory investigations ; statistical studies ; state-wide censuses of game, etc. ; 



e. State-wide coordination of conservation education and public information ; 



f. Federal-aid fish and game programs — liaison with federal agencies, planning, 

 approval and inspection of projects ; 



g. Planning and general control of investigations of the effects on fish life of present 

 and proposed water control projects (dams, etc.), with recommendations for changes 

 to adjust to fish requirements ; 



h. Development of a state-wide plan for planting fish and game by the regions ; 



i. Procurement of fish food, fish eggs, game stocks, etc. ; 



j. Inspection and coordination of patrol boats assigned to individual regions ; 



k. Staff training programs ; 



I. License work — estimating requirements ; supervision of printing ; allocation to 

 region for sale and distribution to agents; controlling- and auditing the distribution 

 of licenses to agents ; 



m. Formulation of programs governing regional construction and maintenance and 

 the necessary engineering supervision ; 



n. Direction of department's air service and communications system. 



Further study should be made of the respective roles of the central office and of the 

 regions in connection with scientific studies of the fish and game biologists. Additional 

 study also should be made of respective spheres of the central office and of the regions 

 in construction and maintenance work. These subjects represent two of the more 

 difficult problems in converting to the composite regional basis of operation. Careful 

 advance planning in these areas will contribute substantially to the success of the 

 regional form of operation, since they potentially contain seeds of jurisdictional mis- 

 understanding. 



5. Over-all Management 



This report recommends that the over-all organization of the Department of Fish 

 and Game be as described immediately below. 



The proposed organization structure is designed to accomplish the objectives pre- 

 viously described. That is, to concentrate program, policy, and regulatory authority 

 upon the commission; to give full administrative authority to the director; to decen- 

 tralize operations to the field ; and yet, to retain sufficient central control to bring 

 about a high degree of uniformity and efficiency of regional operations. 



In the proposed organization there will be a direct line of command between the 

 central office and the regions. 



This is in harmony with a basic principle of good organization — namely, that no 

 individual should be responsible to more than one immediate superior. Failure to apply 

 this principle in organizations is a frequent cause of misunderstanding, with resulting 

 confusion and lowered work production. This is particularly important in an agency 

 as geographically dispersed as the Department of Fish and Game, since distance 

 complicates problems of resolving conflicting orders. 



