Dec. 18, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
975 
pie to make $12,000,000 annually out of this 
industry. 
Mr. Whipple took the audience into his con¬ 
fidence to show that he was not eager to hold 
his position because of the salary paid him when 
he could better himself in his profession; there¬ 
fore, he was free to say that the good people 
who suggested that the department be split up 
into two or three commissions were wrong. 
That would be a retrograde movement. The 
only safe plan is to place the responsibility in 
one man and see that that man performs his 
whole duty. If he does, the sportsmen should 
aid him in every way; if not, he should be re¬ 
moved. He then told how difficult it would be 
to attempt to make laws of some of the sug¬ 
gestions made at the last annual convention. A 
better plan, he said, would be to appoint a com¬ 
mittee consisting of the wisest members avail¬ 
able, have them interview and obtain the opin¬ 
ions of people all over the State, present these 
to the next convention for action, then submit 
the results to the lawmakers. 
In some respects the commissioner was op¬ 
posed to Mr. Butcher’s esthetic idea of game 
protection, for he (Mr. Dutcher) ignored the 
fish and would protect the kingfisher, every one 
of which kills more fish than ten men, while 
the blue heron, which he would protect, kills 
more fish than ten kingfishers. Mr. Whipple 
believed in protecting all insectivorous birds, and 
told in detail just how these birds work toward 
the salvation of the forest trees, which depend 
on them in their struggles against the insect 
enemies. The license law, not the Audubon So¬ 
cieties, he declared, is saving these birds. Two 
years ago the commission received 10,000 letters 
complaining that Italians were slaughtering all 
sorts of birds; this year only ten similar com¬ 
plaints reached the commissioner. 
“One man,” he declared, “out of every forty 
or forty-five in this State hunts, but the forty- 
five are taxed for the benefit of this one man. 
Why should the hunter not pay for the benefits 
he derives?” the cost of a license being only 
$1.10. He then reviewed the history of the 
license question and pointed out the further 
value of the license for every one, it enabling 
wardens to restrict non-holders of licenses from 
hunting. He also told of the work done by the 
late Governor Higgins, who was a good book¬ 
keeper in that he insisted that all State revenues 
be turned into the common treasury and there 
accounted for, and not divided up into various 
special funds. That was why the revenue from 
the shooting licenses was paid into the State 
treasury. But the Legislature did not give the 
commission enough money to enable it to en¬ 
force the laws properly, and he suggested that 
a resolution be passed asking the Legislature to 
appropriate more money for the work. The 
commission, he said, was not satisfied unless it 
did much better work every year than it had 
done the previous year. 
At the State game farm, established last sum¬ 
mer and 'superintended by Harry T. Rogers, a 
capable man who had assisted Commissioner 
Wheeler, of Illinois, in making the game farm 
of that State a success, progress was being 
made. All pens had been made, fences built 
and coops completed. There are now about 400 
English pheasants and fifty Hungarian par¬ 
tridges at the farm. It is the present intention 
to go slow with the latter birds until more can 
be learned concerning them. It is expected that 
at least 12,000 eggs will be distributed among 
farmers of the State next spring, and 50,000 
eggs per year two years from now. The best 
plan is to give the eggs to those who will see 
that they are hatched and watch over the little 
pheasants. “If this farm is a success,” he said, 
"we will establish another one. I hope in time 
to get back from the Legislature some of the 
money the commission has turned in.” The pres¬ 
ent game farm has 250 acres. 
Mr. Whipple then .spoke at length on the com¬ 
mission’s forestry work and dwelt'on the fact 
that we in New York are destroying timber five 
times as fast as we are reforesting. He told 
of the enormous destruction wrought by the 
International Paper Company in the past, and 
of that company’s recent request for 12,000 young 
trees for replanting, showing the changed senti¬ 
ment. He also told how the commission had 
CHARLES R. SKINNER, OF WATERTOWN. 
President of the New York State, Fish, Game and Forest 
League. 
* 
been saving forest lands by condemnation pro¬ 
ceedings and of its intention to stop the de¬ 
struction of the forests by this means if others 
fail. Last year the farmers of the State had taken 
from the commission for planting 1,200,000 trees. 
As to the protectors, he said they were com¬ 
pelled either to produce results or quit, for-only 
efficient men are kept in the department. One 
hundred nights a year, on an average, he lec¬ 
tured in the interests of forest, fish and game 
protection. The local game club, he declared, 
is the best form of game protection, and he re¬ 
lated incidents showing what local clubs had 
done and could do. He asked the members not 
to write him, complaining that so-and-so was 
violating the law and to send a protector to stop 
him, “but don’t mention my name”; but to make 
an affidavit, sign it and send it to the commis¬ 
sion. 
Throughout his address Mr. Whipple was ap¬ 
plauded frequently, and at its close he was given 
no cause to doubt the audience’s appreciation, 
and the three cheers that were proposed were 
given with vigor and the delegates and visitors 
pressed forward to shake his hand. 
At the afternoon session the organization com¬ 
mittee reported that six new clubs had joined 
the league. 
Mr. Lawrence, of the law and legislative com¬ 
mittee, reviewed the history of the twenty-six 
amendments proposed by the league last winter, 
only one out of the five finally submitted being 
made law. Report approved. 
Treasurer Emerson H. Stowell’s report 
showed: 
* RECEIPTS. 
Balance on hand.$375-96 
Initiation fees and dues.449.00 
Contributions for report of annual 
meeting . 116.00 
Advertisements for same. 30.00 
- $ 970-96 
Disbursements, total . $970.96 
Leaving net liabilities of $117.20, balance due 
for printing report, total cost of which was 
$623.76, with $25 still due for advertisement in 
the report. Approved. 
M. R. Bingham, of Rome, of the committee 
appointed last year for the purpose, then ex¬ 
plained the proposed new constitution and by-laws. 
C. H. Mowry, of Syracuse, offered an amend¬ 
ment that the home office be in the town or 
city where the secretary resides. Carried. 
After discussion a motion was carried to lay 
the report of the committee on the table for 
the reason that copies of the proposed consti¬ 
tution had not been mailed to members sixty 
days before the meeting, as required, but by 
unanimous consent the report was taketi up and 
considered. 
A motion prevailed making the date of the 
annual meeting the first Thursday after the first 
Monday in December, at a place to be desig¬ 
nated at the previous meeting. 
The status of individual members was fixed 
by a resolution offered by Mr. Lawrence. It 
gives them the privilege of speaking; they can 
vote only on game law propositions, but not in 
electing officers. 
Mr. Forey’s proposal to choose by election 
the officers, a law and legislative committee of 
five members and an auditing committee of three, 
was lost. 
Mr. Mowry’s motion to adopt the constitu¬ 
tion with the new amendments was carried. 
Chief Game Protector John B. Burnham, in 
addressing the meeting, said the ground had 
been so thoroughly covered by Commissioner 
Whipple that little was left to be said, but his 
remarks were full of meat, for all that. Mr. 
Whipple, he declared, was opposed to special 
legislation and local exceptions and provisions, 
he believing in the greatest good for the greatest 
number. He then told of the efforts made on 
behalf of certain hawks, but did not think the 
time had come to protect them, since all hawks 
look alike to the farmer, who can be expected 
to take down his gun and shoot any hawk found 
carrying off his poultry. To show the extent to 
which the statute books are overloaded with 
laws for which the people have little respect, 
he mentioned the excise laws and the probable 
effect they have on immigrants who, seeing them 
violated every day, are filled with contempt for 
other laws which are enforced. We are too 
ready, he said, to consider proposed laws, where¬ 
as the safest plan is to enact few and simple 
laws that all classes can understand, and en¬ 
force these strictly, thereby teaching the peo¬ 
ple to respect them. He reviewed the Long 
Island situation and told of the few protectors 
available for a large section where protection 
