The Portland daily press., 1893-02-25
FISH STORIES
Told in The Maine Senate Chamber
Yesterday.
THE LEWISTON GENERAL HOSPIT-
AL SECURES ITS APPRO-
PRIATION.

Prospects of the School District Bill
Taxation of vessels-Religious In
struction in Reform scho ol-Again the
State College.
Especial to the Press.1
AUGUSTA, February Ex-senator
Swanton came to the Senate chamber
this morning in the character of the lone
fisherman. At least, he was the only
one of the members who had made q
catch, although some of the others, as
well as Senator Swanton, told fish stor-
les. Senator Swanton's story was his
tory of the legislation on the lobster
question, and the moral was that the
majority report of the committee on sea
shore fisheries, which recommends the
retention of the present lobster law, per-
mitting the Gamers to take nine-inch
Holsters for two months of the year
should not be accepted. Senator Swan
ton in carefully prepared speech, gave
the reasons why, in his opinion, the linn
it of size under which Holsters may not
be caught should be 105 inches the year
round. Mr.. SWanton referred to the
evidence that 25 tons of Holsters were
daily sent from Portland in tho lobster
sea son, and claimed that this great ex-
port trade would destroy the supply un-
less care was taken to protect the young
Holsters. He regarded the taking of the
short Holsters by the Gamers as a dan
ger which threatened the extinction of
1<xIl ,4o,, Fa., n4<H,,
Swanton here showed the senator his
catch as a lone lobster fisherman in the
shape of a 104 lobster. Senator Swanton
said that many men here who were
younger than he could remember when
such lobster would be passed by as too
small to be of value.
Senator s.Spofford told the next fish
story, although he disclaimed any expe-
rience as a practical fisherman. He
claimed that the law advocated by Sena-
tor Swanton would close all the fourteen
lobster factories on the Maine coast,
which now in their operations during
only ten weeks annually put up $780, 900
worth of lobsters A similar law in 1887
had closed the factories and had more
over deprived the eastern portion of the
state of market for the larger Holsters,
the smacksmen from Portland getting
their loads long before reaching that sec
tion. The law was advocated by Port
land dealers and Senator Spofford said
that Portland dealers bought short lob
sters the year round. The report of the
fish commissioner show that $4,000
short Holsters were seized in Portland
during the past year, and Senator Spot
ford ventured the statement that that
was only a small portion of the amount
T, Iryra 70 ka eh, 1n1
out of the state. He believed that the
people of the Eastern section of the
state should have an equal share with
the fishermen and dealers of the West
ern section who had be represented
here before the legislature since its first
meeting. Eight members of the commit
tee favored leaving the law as it now is.
Mr.. Spofford also discussed testimony
given at the hearing to the effect that the
taking of nine inch Holsters would not
endanger the supply.
Senator Nickerson said that Senator
Spofford's story was such a good one
that there was little he could add. The
lobster law had been so tinkered that
man who went into the lobster fishery
would have to take lawyer and copy
of the Revised Statutes in his boat with
him in order to find out whether he was
violating the law or not. Senator Nicker.
son told as a part of his fish story, of the
lobster fisherman, with the thermometer
at zero and the spray freezing as it flies,
going from one of his traps to another
and finding that in them three-fourth of
the catch to be short. These short
Holsters had eaten the bait which cost
the fisherman from 8 to.5 cents a trap.
Well, it was only natural that he should
&c
them out there on the water in the cold.
Senator Nickerson argued that the can
ners were not the ones who threatened
the destruction of the lobster fishery.
Senator Seiders was not enough of
lobster fisherman to tell story, but he
drew some conclusions from the various
fish stories which he had heard. It
seemed to him that as matter of pro-
lection there could be no doubt but the
ten and one-inch law would give greater
protection than the present statute.
From what he had been able to learn, he
regarded the law advocated by the mi
nority of the committee as a wise one.
Mr. Seiders had been surprised to hear
admitted on the floor of the Senate that
the lobster law was now generally disre-
garded. II that was so he would pass
law so framed and with such penalties
that it would be observed.
Senator Grindle thought that the titles
Of the fish story told in the bill might,
with equal propriety, read "An act to
protect Holsters" or ''An act to legislate
the canning factories out of existence"
Senator Swanton's motion to substi-
tute the minority for the majority report
was then defeated, s voting for it and 16
against as follows:
Yeas-Senators Deering, Hersom. jackson,
Lyons. Mallett, Seiders, Sw anton, Wood.
Nays.Senators Allan, Ames, Grindle, Her
rick, Hill, Holman. Libby, Mayo, Nickerson,
Peaks, Shaw, Spofford, Thatcher, Waterhouse,
Wiggin, Winslow
The majority report was then accepted
without opposition.
For Lewiston's Hospital.
The report of the committee favoring
an appropriation of $4,000 annually to the
Central Maine General Hospital at Lew
iston, came up today on an amendment
offered by Mr.. Spra que of Monson, to
reduce the appropriation to $250o annu-
ally. BE thought it time to draw the
line for economy's sake.
Mr. Shaw of Portland spoke for the