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Show I FISH AND GAME MEASURES An explanation of the fish and game bills before the present legislature was recently given out by Newell I). Cook, state game commissioner. While we do not concur with Mr. Cook on some of the measures, the following article is given for the information informa-tion of our readers : Mr. Cook discussed the measure proposing that game refuge re-fuge and garni; control committees be named to regulate the overcrowded over-crowded conditions in several areas where the deer population exceeds ex-ceeds the carrying capacity of the range. lie stated that the bill would provide for the sale of licenses for a special hunt to eliminate elimin-ate the surplus deer. Mr. Cook spoke in favor of the measure, pointing out that in over-crowded territories, the deer not only damage public and private pri-vate property, but also deplete their own range. Another bill which Mr. Cook favors provides for the following: follow-ing: Any person convicted of a fish and game law violation shall not receive a license to act as a guide ; no guide will be permitted to fish on a lake where he acts as guide, and no person will be allowed al-lowed to fish or shoot game while employed as a guide. This measure promises to do away with many evils incident to the activity ac-tivity of guides on Utah waters, Mr. Cook said. He condemned the bill proposing that fines assessed for fish and game law violations either be remitted to the counties or that the state department pay for the prosecutions. Mr. Cook opposes this measure because only 10 per cent of the people take out hunting hunt-ing licenses, which is the department's principal revenue, whereas where-as the fish and game in the state belong to all the people. Another measure which Mr. Cook opposes is that which proposes pro-poses that all evidence taken in game law violations be submitted to the county clerk or commissioners before it is official evidence. He classed this as being unnecessary and inconvenient. Estimating the amount spent by Utah sportsmen last year at over $2,000,000, the commissioner declared that fish and game activity greatly helped business conditions throughout the state. The money expended by sportsmen was also widely distributed, Mr. Cook said. In discussing the commission form of fish and game government, govern-ment, a widely discussed subject at the present time, Mr. Cook said that the present arrangement was not only cheaper, but was also more free of politics. He stated that the commission form had failed in nearly every state where it had been tried. o |