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Show SPORTSMEN HOLD BIO CONFERENCE Discuss Proposed Changes in Utah Fish and Game Laws Two Significant Issues. I Salt Lake. Jan. 15 More than a hundred and fifty sportsmen from ail ! , over the state assembled wstordayl 'afternoon in tne Knights of Pythias, hall on East Third South street. The j meeting was called a few weeks aco by the Utah Sportsmen's club for the ! purpose of discubsing propoaed changes in the present tlsh aud game , I licenses and with a view to bringing ' the matters in question before the . I I Islature. The two significant Issues discussed and voted upon were the inr..-.- in the license fee from $1.25 to $2 a year, and the discontinuance of the 10 per cent profit to issuing aganti on icfa license sold. It was claimed that the Increase of 75 cents on every license would greatly aid the state fish and j game commission In the preservation ; of fish and game and in the establish ,ment of new fishing and hunting! grounds. The suggestion was made I from this increase be used for the pro-that pro-that one half of the revenue derived . tection and propagation of upland irame birds, and the other half be directed di-rected toward the purchase of screens I to prevent the game fish from getting into irrigation ditches. Some of the ' sportsmen arrested that ruanv of the ; best fishing grounds In the state are ; ruined by the lack of sufficient screens in streams which are heavily planted ' with fish, but which are used for Im-1 I gatlon purposes. Estimates of the nddi-' nddi-' tional revenue to be derived from thi 1 Increase in the license fee varied, but ltwas generally agreed that more than $7000 annually would be realized. With this amount, tho sportsmen claim, in-, in-, numerable streams which are now or ' I no value to the fishermen could be con-Ivattad con-Ivattad Into excellent fishing haunts, and also thousands of upland game ! 1 birds could be fed throughout the cold ' months and thereby preserved. Wfel n tho motion proposing these changes ' , was put to a vote It was carried unanimously. unan-imously. i Tho matter of discontinuing the is suing agent's fee of 10 per cent of; I the cost of the state fish and game li-l j cense was the subject of considerable I discussion. Some of the sportsmen I contended that the privilege of selling' licenses Is a distinct advantage to any i merchant, club or firm, aud that the I 10 per .cent is unearned by them. The ! assertion was made that too many of the local business men who issued licenses li-censes were making an unjustifilable profit, which should Justly go to the treasury of the fish and game commis-1 sion. It was estimated that by dlscon-I dlscon-I tlnuing this fee an additional amount of approximately $5,000 a year could j be added to the fish and game fund I The motion which propose: that the agent's fee be discontinued and that all licenses be issued gratis, with the; j clause that the amount of the fee on ; each license revert to the general fund for the propagation of upland came birds, was passed unanimously by the ' sportsmen. Other Suggestions Made. Several other means of increasing thf fish and game fund were discussed, but no other motions were offered : considerable discussion followed one sportsman's suggestion that certain wardenships be abolished, but it was the consensus of opinion that the desired de-sired additional funds could eaih he raised through the proposed means mentioned nnd thnt the abolition of offices of-fices was at present unnecessary." Committee Appointed. A committee consisting of S A. Graham. Gra-ham. W. N. Welch. A. R. Bain, J. O. I McKenzie, J. W. Tlngey and W. F. inllagher was appointed to present the matters at a point meeting of committees from the House and Senate Sen-ate The committee will meet Thursday Thurs-day to complete its work of framing the propositions and will then be j ready to meet with the legislators. W. ! F. Gallagher, who was elected chair-: chair-: man of the committee, acted as sec-1 sec-1 retary of the meeting yesterday. J. W. Tingey was chairman. on |
