54 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



destruction of game is caused by the laborers themselves 

 on Sundays and holidays, or by hunters who sell the meat 

 directly to the camps. A warden located on the line and 

 moving up and down its course and watching for the ap- 

 pearance of meat, fish or birds in the camps, would most 

 effectively stop it by the arrest of the first offenders. It is 

 not necessary or possible to have such a warden follow pos- 

 sible culprits into the woods, but he can stay in the con- 

 struction camps which are easily accessible, and are strung 

 along in a continuous line. 



There is only one way to minimize fire risks, and that is 

 to hold the contractor responsible under the original con- 

 tract, for whatever fire damage occurs along the line of his 

 operations. This might work injustice at times, but in nine 

 cases out of ten, fires along railroads are caused either by 

 construction gangs, or by the careless operation of the rail- 

 roads. 



In Western Canada, and for that matter in most of our 

 coast states, the railroads burn oil. This fact alone has 

 saved millions of dollars of loss from fires, and is the one 

 hopeful element in the situation. 



From Jasper Park we went down the Fraser, via Prince 

 George, to the head of the Skeena River, and thence down 

 to Prince Rupert. This is a beautiful and thickly forested 

 country, well adapted to moose, although I could get little 

 information on this point along the route. This district 

 has not, as yet, been exploited by hunters, and is difficult 

 to traverse. During this trip we saw not one living animal 

 or bird, although this was the first year the railroad carried 

 passengers. 



At Prince Rupert I found the natives merrily engaged 

 in collecting the bounty offered by the foolish government 

 for the destruction of Steller sea lions, which were being 

 held responsible for the rapid decrease in the salmon runs. 

 This matter has been handled in the Zoological Bulletin, and 

 steps have been taken to bring it to the notice of the proper 

 authorities. Mr. Francis Kermode, Curator of the Provin- 

 cial Museum, Victoria, is alive to the danger, and has secured 

 the appointment of a board to inquire into the criminal 

 responsibility of the sea lions for the destruction of salmon. 



You will recall, a few years ago, that a similar investi- 

 gation was necessary to prevent the Fish Commissioners 

 of California from killing off all the California sea lions 

 because it was charged that they ate salmon. A thorough 



