150 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



more particularly migratory game, in Canada. The protection of 

 game is entirely under the provincial governments and the ratification 

 of a Migratory Bird convention by Great Britain and the United States 

 must be preceded by such action on the part of the provinces — if they 

 have not already taken it — as will bring their laws into line with the 

 provisions of the proposed convention. 



In the three Prairie provinces, all matters affecting game come 

 under the Minister of Agriculture and, furthermore, all game legisla- 

 tion is referred to their Committee on Agriculture. Last August, I 

 interviewed Hon. Mr. Winkler, Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba, 

 and the Chief Game Warden, Mr. Barber. My reception by Mr. 

 Winkler was all that could be desired and he expressed himself as 

 thoroughly in accord with us regarding the necessity and advisability 

 of having the required legislation, and offered to do all he could to 

 forward our aims and objects. In Saskatchewan I saw Hon. Mr. 

 Motherwell, the Minister of Agriculture, and in Alberta, I saw Hon. 

 Mr. Marshall, the Minister, and Mr. Craig, the Deputy Minister. In 

 the three provinces all professed themselves as being willing to do all 

 they could to forward our objects and to assist us and, so far as 

 possible, to bring their laws into line. 



In British Columbia I was less f ortunte because Mr. Bryan Williams, 

 the Chief Game Warden, does not see eye to eye with us in all respects. 

 Hon. Mr. Bowser, Attorney General, has offered to do what he can 

 and Mr. Williams said he would go as far as was possible, considering 

 the state of public opinion in that province. 



That, in brief, was the result of my interviews with these four 

 Provincial governments and, considering the way in which game pro- 

 tection is regarded by most people, it was highly satisfactory. One of 

 the most important things we have now left to do is to comply with 

 the request of the four Provincial governments that, about January 1st, 

 we submit our proposals to them. They will then do what they can 

 to pass the desired legislation. 



In my recent trip to the West, I advanced exclusively the material 

 aspect of the case. The Chief Game Warden of British Columbia 

 stated that, had it not been for the sportsmen who went into northern 

 British Columbia, some of the people in the smaller villages there 

 would have had a very hard time indeed. Owing to the financial 

 depression they were left with practically nothing. All the mines were 

 closed down, and he said that his investigations show that the average 

 sportsman coming from the United States and going into British 

 Columbia to get moose, spent on an average $1,000 per moose and, in 

 the case of one village. Telegraph Creek, he estimated that these 



