134 State Papers and Addresses

these sports fishing interests under sound conservation laws equitably ad-
ministered, and there is no good reason why sport fishing should not flourish
alongside of our necessary commercial fishing industry.

Not only is it fair to accord to those interested in sports fishing, hunting and
trapping, every possible consideration but, from the standpoint of common sense
and State and National income, it is abundantly justified. These lovers of the
outdoors contribute enormously to the public treasury. This year 7, 400, 000
licenses have been taken out, an increase of 500, 000 over last year. The Bureau
of Fisheries estimates that the total revenue to the States for licenses in 1938
was $10, 220, 000. Any investment of that size not only justifies but demands
that the States do at least half as much for sportsmen as the sportsmen are
doing for the States.

While these two major divisions of the State's natural resources naturally
command our attention, in any discussion of conservation, we must not lose
sight of (and this Administration has not lost sight of), the fact that a com-
plete State Conservation program must consider many other phases of our
physical assets and do everything possible to conserve them as well.

We have, for instance, the problem of restoring the woodlands of our
State, which have been depleted to an extent where the State now imports a
great percentage of its lumber needs and where users in the State must pay,
I am informed, a freight bill of several millions of dollars a year, to bring to
us lumber that might properly be grown here, and not only save this additional
expense but furnish occupation for many hundreds of our people. I was very
happy to be able to allot $100, 000 in our State budget for the purchase, im-
provement and development of Federal lands, paries and recreational areas.

At this point I might mention in passing that through the very splendid
recognition by the State Insurance Commissioner, John B. Centrum, of his
responsibility as Fire Marshal of the State, Maryland has been awakened
to the ever-present fire hazards that have worked such havoc in the forests
of the Nation for many years.

The ideal conservation program gives due consideration to the elimination
of shore and soil erosion, and in conjunction with the authorities of the Uni-
versity of Maryland, much work has been done and will continue to be done.
Along this same general line is the problem of land uses, concerning which
much has been said from time to time, but little done. Now, in cooperation
with the Federal Government, experiments are being carried on in Kent County
which when completed, and their findings made available for the other Counties
of the State, will go far towards helping the farmer to utilize his land to
better effect.

There is nothing that makes for improvement in any line as much as
frank, open discussion of the problems, and if nothing else were gained by the
controversy over conservation at the last session of the Legislature, this one
benefit certainly materialized: —That many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
the residents of Maryland, who probably never previously had given any
thought to conservation, were impelled to consider it and to acquaint them-
selves, in some degree at least, with the aims and purposes of conservation.
I mention this now because I am thoroughly convinced that no matter how
ably we may be able to handle the matter of conservation during our lifetime,
very little lasting progress will have been made if we have not, at the same
time, persuaded the younger generation to think definitely in like terms.