§ 28 — Fur buyers' licenses; shipments; accounts

Section 28. A person shall not purchase or receive the skins or pelts of any fur-bearing mammals unless he has obtained a fur buyer's license from the director, which licenses the director is hereby authorized to issue to the following classes of persons upon payment of fees, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven for the filing thereof:—(1) A citizen of the United States, resident in this commonwealth for at least six consecutive months immediately prior to his application for such license, a resident citizen's fur buyer's license; or(2) A citizen of the United States, nonresident in this commonwealth, and any alien, a nonresident and alien fur buyer's license.Except as otherwise authorized, no common carrier or his agent shall receive within the commonwealth skins or pelts, unless marked as required. A person shall not, within the commonwealth, willfully remove, mutilate or destroy any part of a tag or identification attached to a container in which such skins are being shipped. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the shipment of skins of mammals out of this commonwealth by any person holding a license under this section or section twenty-three; provided, that his license number and the contents of the package are plainly marked thereon; nor shall it prohibit the purchase of a skin or skins from a licensed fur dealer, hunter or trapper, for the personal use of the purchaser and not for sale.Any skin or pelt as to which a violation of any provision of this section has occurred shall be forfeited to the commonwealth and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement for the best interest of the commonwealth.An accurate account of all dealings subject to this section shall be kept by each licensee hereunder, on a form prescribed by the director, of all persons from whom skins have been obtained or to whom skins have been sold or otherwise disposed of, including names, post office addresses, trap registration numbers or fur buyer's license numbers, either or both as the case may be; or in the case of a nonregistered landowner trapping on his own property, his name and post office address; and a copy of such portions of the records so kept, as may be required by the director, shall be filed with him not later than April first of each calendar year; provided, however, that the director shall not require that the names of persons so dealt with be submitted to him in said report; and provided, further, that such records of skins sold or otherwise disposed of shall not require a detailed accounting of the disposition of individual skins. Said records shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times by the director or his authorized agents and by the director of the division of law enforcement or his authorized agents.Any person licensed hereunder may from time to time designate any person employed by him to act as sole agent for him at his established place of business in the commonwealth. The name and address of such person shall be filed forthwith by such licensee with the director, and no person other than those currently so designated shall act as the agent of the licensee.