32 Second Annual Report of the 



The Need of Additional Protectors. 



The Legislature of 1912 granted to this department 30 addi- 

 tional game protectors, making the total number 125. Effort has 

 been made to assign the additional protectors to those counties and 

 localities where the need of more protection appeared to be most 

 acute. But our correspondence is replete with urgent requests 

 for more protectors in nearly every part of the State; and there 

 can be no doubt that additional protectors are urgently required. 



If the law were amended so as to permit the appointment 

 of sufficient regular protectors, it would then be safe to dispense 

 with the position of special protector. These special protectors, 

 appointed usually at the request of an organized association for 

 the protection of fish and game, or of a board of supervisors, 

 receive no fixed compensation. While in some cases special pro- 

 tectors have rendered valuable service, and have afterwards be- 

 come among the best of the regular protectors, many of them 

 have rendered but little service and some of them have proved 

 an actual detriment to the work of the regular protective force. 

 "We believe that the moiety system, under which the special pro- 

 tectors are paid, is subject to great abuse and may easily lead 

 to the starting of merely technical cases, which annoy individuals 

 without contributing in any way to the real work of efficient pro- 

 tection, and may tend to bring the whole law and its enforcement 

 into disrepute. We strongly recommend that this department 

 be permitted to employ sufficient regular protectors so that the 

 position of special protector may safely be abolished. 



Additional Game Farms Needed. 



The State's one game farm has proved a great success, but is 

 wholly inadequate to meet the demand for pheasants and pheas- 

 ants' eggs. There is need for additional game farms. During the 

 past year, there were 4,236 applications for birds and eggs. Out 

 of 126,361 eggs applied for, the department was able to supply 

 but 12,681; out of the 28,261 birds applied for, but 3,409 could 

 be supplied. The Legislature last year passed a bill providing 

 for four additional same farms, which on account of the condition 



