10 Fourth Annual Report of the 



the fundamental law than in relation to certain of the phases 

 thereof. 



At the same time, there are many aspects of conservation 

 wherein the policy of the State is well defined and established; 

 such, for example, as the protection and reproduction of the 

 forests, and the protection and propagation of fish and game. 

 The difficulties met in dealing with these phases of conservation 

 are the everyday problems, first of finding the necessary money, 

 and second, of using it with good judgment guided by the light 

 of experience. The drawbacks along these lines are such as per- 

 tain to the whole State government. The calls upon the State for 

 increased governmental activities are recurrent and numerous; 

 but the people demand strict economy, and insist that the State 

 must live within its means. To reconcile these conflicting de- 

 mands is a problem requiring wise statesmanship ; but it is not 

 peculiar to the field of conservation. 



Conservation Virtually Self-Supporting 



While the production of revenue is not the major purpose of 

 the conservation movement, nevertheless the Conservation Com- 

 mission collects large sums which go to aid the public treasury. 

 For the fiscal year ending September 30, 1914, the total receipts 

 of this Commission turned into the State Treasury amounted to 

 $381,116.86. This is a record, our total receipts for 1913 having 

 been $316,407.87; for 1912, $256,002.84, and for 1911, 

 $258,226.65. 



A conservative computation of the commercial value of the out- 

 put of the fish hatcheries and the game farm, including brood 

 stock, for the last fiscal year, would add $215,454.62 thereto. 



In other words, the Conservation Commission produced last 

 year direct revenues of $381,000 plus an indirect value of $215,- 

 000, making a total in money or its equivalent of $596,000, as 

 against a total departmental expenditure for all purposes of 

 $640,000. Judged by the tests which would be applied to a private 

 business, conservation virtually supports itself. 



