MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 41 



(Continued from page 26) 



The small magazine is distributed over all parts of Montana for the benefit 

 of the thousands of sportsmen. It is the hope of the Commission that through 

 the modest magazine, "Montana Fish and Game Notes", greater cooperation 

 may be reached between sportsmen in the state and the Department. 



Because the State Fish and Game Department operates upon its own re- 

 ceipts and receives no tax benefits as other departments, the Commission is 

 expending as little as possible in getting the publication before the public. 

 Copies are sent to license dealers, sportsmens' clubs, newspapers and others. 

 Many of the articles appearing in the magazine have been reprinted, while 

 there has been considerable favorable comment upon the project of the maga- 

 zine itself. 



GAME LAWS OF MONTANA SHOULD 



BE ENFORCED 



By OSCAR PROVOST 



Assistant Attorney General 



Justice imposes a two-fold obligation upon the state — (1) to distribute 

 equitably its burdens and benefits among all of its citizens — to give everyone 

 an "even break" — and (2) to protect the rights of generations yet to come 

 by protecting its natural resources from exploitation and unnecessary depletion. 



There is no better example of this obligation than the control by the state 

 of its fish and game. 



Since the earliest times it has been recognized that the ownership of 

 wild animals — ferae naturae — is in the state for the benefit of all the people, 

 and laws protecting fish and game have become an integral part of the juris- 

 prudence of all civilized nations. 



Early in its history, the State of Montana recognized its obligation to pro- 

 tect the abundance of fish and game with which this territory was blessed and, 

 happily, subsequent legislative assemblies have adopted wise and salutary meas- 

 ures with the commendable view of "promoting the greatest good for the 

 greatest number." 



By giving the State Fish and Game Commission, charged with the ad- 

 ministration of the laws, the power to make necessary rules and regulations 

 to meet any new condition that may from time to time arise and by recog- 

 nizing that in a state so vast as Montana, conditions vary in different sections 

 and localities, the legislature has given us a law which is as flexible, fair 

 and orderly as it is possible to promulgate. Through the establishment of 

 fish hatcheries and game farms, as well as careful regulation of open seasons, 

 the people are assured that nature's supply shall not be exhausted and that 

 even our "children's children" shall be able to enjoy the bounty of a happy 

 hunting ground in the years to come. 



In view of the foregoing policy of the state, it follows logically that it 

 is a fundamental obligation of good citizenship to obey the fish and game 



