Feb. 19, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
297 
Game Commissioners’ Convention. 
New Orleans, La., Feb. 8 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The fifth annual meeting of the game 
commissioners of the United States was in 
many respects notable, for it had more repre¬ 
sentatives, marked the entrance on the scene 
of much fresh blood from States not hitherto 
represented, and was able to record achieve¬ 
ment worth while in the work of protecting 
the birds, fish and game of the United States. 
T. Gilbert Pearson, of North Carolina, secre¬ 
tary of the National Association of Audubon 
Societies, presided. He kept the meeting well 
in hand and despatched business with such ex¬ 
pedition, and moreover his rulings were so fair, 
that his election to the presidency was made 
a virtual certainty during the first day of the 
convention’s proceedings. 
The meeting was called to order by President 
Frank M. Miller, of the Louisiana Fish and 
Game Commission, who welcomed the dele¬ 
gates, and then introduced T. Gilbert Pearson, 
who presided in the absence of President W. F. 
Scott, of Montana. Mr. Pearson outlined brief¬ 
ly but vigorously the history of the organiza¬ 
tion, and at the close of his remarks, Hon. 
Garland Du Pre, representing Mayor Behrman, 
welcomed the commissioners in behalf of the 
city. On behalf of the commissioners Col. J. 
H. Acklen, of Tennessee, made answer, paying 
tribute to the history, customs and traditions 
of the State and people of Louisiana. 
The roll call showed delegates from the fol¬ 
lowing States: Alabama, Delaware, New 
Jersey, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, 
Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, 
Ohio, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, 
Washington, Wisconsin, Texas, Utah, West 
Virginia. There were also scattering delegates 
and two from the Biological Survey, Messrs. 
Palmer and McAtee. These delegates repre¬ 
sented over forty million people. 
Dr. T. S. Palmer outlined the salient points 
in some problems in game conservation, laying 
especial emphasis on the need of setting aside 
game refuges. He cited numerous instances in 
this country, and also from foreign lands. Dif¬ 
ferent commissioners stated the number and 
character of refuges set aside in their States. 
John H. Wallace, of Alabama, the only game 
commissioner in the United States elected by 
the people, made a short address in which he 
demanded a program of the absolute prohibition 
of the sale of game and advocated putting the 
care of migrants under Federal jurisdiction. 
Prof. Beyer, president of the Louisiana Au¬ 
dubon Society, made an earnest appeal for the 
better protection of fish, in the course of which 
he pointed out that the alligator was deserving 
of protection, since he was the enemy of the 
alligator gar, the chief destroyer of game fish. 
Commissioner L. T. Carleton, of Maine, in dis¬ 
cussing “Wild Game as an Asset of the State,” 
said a census elicited the’fact that more than 
350,000 people visited the State annually, and, 
allowing $50 each, this nets over $17,000,000 to 
the State. Whole communities gain a liveli¬ 
hood from revenue derived from visitors, and 
in a single season the 2,000 licensed guides had 
received $567,000 in wages. The hunting 
licenses brought in about $50,000 annually. The 
number of deer killed in 1909, by actual count, 
was 15,879, and bull moose, 500. Mr. Carleton 
said that Louisiana and other Southern States 
should appreciate what a tremendous asset they 
have in their ducks and other game, and so 
conserve it as to make it render full return to 
the people, as well as the best enjoyment to 
sportsmen. In Maine no industry is compar¬ 
able to game as an asset; it outranks the pro¬ 
duct of the cotton, woolen and pulp mills. 
Dr. Palmer discussed the present phase of 
the license question, and said that thirteen 
States now showed sums above $100,000 derived 
from this source. He said this money should 
be wholly devoted to game protection and ad¬ 
vocated a warden service, divorceed from poli¬ 
tics by placing it under civil service regula¬ 
tions. At the same time he though it neces¬ 
sary to point out a dangerous and insidious 
attempt by politicians to wreck game protec¬ 
tion. The game protection fund is watched by 
the greedy eyes of small-bore politicians, who 
covet its possession in order to swell the 
money expended by them, and in a number of 
States a fight is being waged to place this 
fund in the general treasury, which would, of 
course, mark the beginning of the end of game 
protection. In one State the Governor had al¬ 
ready recommended that the fund be turned 
into the treasury and the munificent sum of 
$5,000 be set aside for game protection. Indi¬ 
cations are not wanting to show that there is a 
general understanding among these sleek- 
coated gentry to absorb the game protection 
fund. The friends of the cause must now get 
ready for this new onset. 
Dr. Palmer earnestly advocated the placing of 
migratory birds under the care of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, and showed why this 
course alone furnished guaranty that these birds 
would have efficient protection. 
Sunday morning the commissioners were 
taken for a cruise on Lake Pontchartrain, 
through Bayou St. John, under escort of Chief 
Game Inspector Thompson. 
At eight o’clock Sunday evening the Louisi¬ 
ana Fish and Game Commission tendered a 
banquet to its guests at which President Miller 
acted as toastmaster, and there were a number 
of ladies present. It was past twelve when the 
last speech was made. 
On Monday, when the convention reas¬ 
sembled, Mr. Pearson called attention to the 
necessity of effecting arrangements with the 
Mexican authorities for the protection of 
American birds that winter in that country. He 
said that these birds now had no protection 
whatever, and were shot at will. The Mexican 
authorities had expressed a desire to co¬ 
operate in this great work of conservation and 
were desirous of getting in closer touch with 
game officials throughout America. At his 
suggestion a resolution looking to this end 
was adopted, and hereafter Canadian and Mexi¬ 
can officials will be eligible to membership in 
the association. 
W. F. Scott, of Montana, first president and 
organizer of the association, was made hon¬ 
orary member, as was also B. F. Taylor, of 
South Carolina. 
At this stage there was a hot discussion of 
the relative merits of State and Federal con¬ 
trol of game laws, when Dr. Palmer allayed 
all feeling of distrust by saying that the Govern¬ 
ment sought in no way to interfere with the 
rights of any State, but merely sought to co¬ 
operate with them. He realized that nothing 
could ever be accomplished through a conflict 
of authority, and that the general Government 
could only hope to make headway by getting 
cordial co-operation from the various States. 
His remarks were so much to the point, that 
the resolution was adopted and the convention 
went on record as favoring the Federal control 
of migratory birds. 
When the discussion of saving non-game birds 
was called, Mr. Pearson made a short but 
powerful statement of present conditions 
throughout the United States. He was fol¬ 
lowed by James Henry Rice, Jr., secretary of 
the Audubon Society of South Carolina, which 
acts as a State game commission. Mr. Rice 
asserted that game protection can never be a 
permanent success until it is linked with pro¬ 
tection of insect-eating and seed-eating birds. 
Mr. McAtee, of the Biological Survey, gave 
an account of his field work with birds that de¬ 
stroy the boll weevils. 
Mr. Bartels, of Illinois, reviewed his work 
in propagating pheasants and partridges. 
Commissioner Fred. W. Chambers, of Utah, 
dwelt on the culture and habits of trout, saying 
that trout in Utah had three spawning seasons 
in the year, which led the commissioner from 
Maine to inquire if the trout had been affected 
by the habits of the early Mormons in Utah, a 
sally which brought down the convention. 
A discussion as to the advisability of putting 
wardens under civil service rules was led by 
Dr. Palmer, but although it led to a lively de¬ 
bate, there was no assent to the proposition on 
the part of the commissioners. Most of those 
present opposed the system, for the simple rea¬ 
son that the success of an executive work de¬ 
pended absolutely on the ability of the official 
in charge to remove men when he saw fit, or 
to add others in the same way. 
The committee on entertainment, which had 
under advisement a place for the next meeting, 
having invitations from Trenton (N. J.), Cincin¬ 
nati, Springfield (III), Fargo (N. D.), Salt Lake 
City, Yosemite Valley (Cal.), Charleston (S. C.), 
and Atlantic City, decided to leave the matter 
with the executive committee. The committee 
on nominations brought in the following, which 
were elected: President, T. Gilbert Pearson, 
North Carolina; First Vice-President, L. T. 
Carleton, Maine; Second Vice-President, D. P. 
Armstrong, North Dakota; Secretary, Dr. G. 
W. Fields, Massachusetts; Treasurer, Prof. L. 
L. Dyche, Kansas; General Counsel, Col. J. H. 
Acklen, Tennessee. Executive Committee—H. 
A. Rider, Minnesota; F. M. Miller, Louisiana; 
Charles A. Vogelsang, California. 
There was a general desire to see a uniform 
system of laws for the protection of non-game 
birds. 
By a rising vote the convention returned 
thanks to the Louisiana Fish and Game Com¬ 
mission for its entertainment of the members 
of the convention. 
James Henry Rice, Jr. 
A recent number of the Independent con¬ 
tains an illustrated article on the flight of birds 
by B. S. Bowdish, Chief Clerk of the National 
Association of Audubon Societies. This article 
contains much interesting information and, at 
the present time when artificial flight problems 
are so active, is well worth reading. 
