favorable breeding seasons, forest fires, cutting of covers, 

 severe winters and ravages of vermin. 



_ The law enforcement department is divided into twenty- 

 eight districts, each in charge of a deputy. In 1920 the 

 records show that they tried 288 cases for violation. In 

 addition to this, 68 cases were reported and filed. 



Massachusetts issued 96,369 hunting or combination 

 licenses at a gross return of $100,590.25. For fishing in 

 inland waters 42,959 licenses were issued with returns 

 of $23,635.50. For lobster fishing 914 licenses were is- 

 sued, which netted the sum of $24,549.50. This gives 

 a combined total of 140,242 licenses issued by the Massa- 

 chusetts department of fish and game with a net return 

 of $125,139.75 in fees. 



Very little of value is to be gained from the New Jersey 

 report. They operated one game farm, but their report 

 does not tell the number of birds or eggs produced, the 

 cost of operation or the amount of game killed. Mr. 

 Duncan Dunn, superintendent of the New Jersey State 

 Game Farm, reported that he had a very succesful season 

 last year at Forked River. Six thousand pheasants, 100 

 quail and 75 wild turkeys were raised to maturity. 



New Jersey has a force of twenty-nine fish and game 

 wardens. The amount received by the state treasurer 

 during the year 1920 from th sale of hunters and anglers 

 licenses was $147,925.72. The aggregate of fines col- 

 lected from violators of the fish and game laws amounted 

 to $15,926.15. During the short open season for killing 

 deer in the state, 522 bucks were killed. It is estimated 

 that the value of these deer was approximately $50,000. 



One good point in the Jersey law allows the establish- 

 ment of branch game farms under the supervision of the 

 State Game Farm. A sum not to exceed $2,500 for each 

 such farm is authorized for this purpose. The law pro- 

 vides that 75 per cent, of the game birds or animals 

 raised shall be liberated in the county in which the auxili- 

 ary farm is located. The report shows that Burlington 

 County has taken advantage of this provision in the law, 

 and it is estimated that in 1920 they released birds valued 

 at $2,748 and had a breeding stock on hand valued at 

 $576. Since this report was printed I am of the opinion 

 that another county has established its own branch game 

 farm. 



I believe the prosecution of trivial cases is nearly always 

 a mistake. I can say always a mistake in the case of the 

 first offense. Nothing is to be gained by a record of 

 successful prosecutions built upon so-called technical 

 cases. 



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