Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-13

IL.
hill to get it through this Legislature. II
Won want a close time, have it begin the
list of March and end the last of Septem-
her and then you have u close time that
means something. The witnesses were
here for both sides in full force, and the
short lobster men had able council, none
other than the Honorable Ex-Attorney
General C. E. Littlefield. The witnesses
were examined, aud what is the report oil
the Jury? Seven or eight of them say,
give us the big lobster and let the little
ones grow, and / hope this House VIII
sustain that jury.
AS far as / can learn no one wants the
short lobster but few Gamers in wash
ipgton county. From Kittery Point to
Petit Manan about all the people ON the
coast want the large or ten and one-hall
inch lobster law Now which will you
give it to, to the Gamers or the fishermen!
That is the question.
Mr. Lawrence of Lrbec said that he did
not think he would be doing himself or
bis constituents justice unless made a
few remarks today on the protection OF
the poor lobster. We have heard him dis
cussed here ever since l can remember,
and have no doubt the Father OF the
House, Major Dickey has heard him dis
cussed long before was born. The same
old story comes up that these terrible
Gamers, the most miserable men on
Garth, are running the State of Maine IN
the lobster fishery want it understood
right here that l am Gamer, that is my
business. You have heard the gentlemen
argue about the determination OF the lob
ster, that he has been going, going, ugone,
like the auctioneer selling goods, but,
gentlemen, there were more Holsters
caught on the coast of Maine last year
than were ever caught in one year. That
is fact, and there is not man here that
dares to dispute it. But is this because
there are more HOLSTERS? No, it is because
there have been more fishermen. In other
words. the price of the goods has gone up
The price has gone up so high that every
man who lives on the coast is induced to
get out his traps and go to fishing for lob
sters. There is nothing in which the
fishermen along the coast can engage in
and make so much money in the spring
Of the year as by catching this valuable
fish and shipping them out of the State.
want to say few words about the
canning business. One of the gentlemen
from the fish commissioner report. In
the first place he says that the lobster
factories commenced in Long Island sound
and have gone east until they are now
down in the eastern part of Maine and
New Brunswick. That | absolutely deny.
The first canning establishment ever built
in this country was built in Canada, and
the second canning establishment was
built on Treat $ island. Now we ask the
gentlemen of this House to protect a little
industry that not only protects the fisher
men of the eastern part of the state
against the wholesale men of the West,
but it also furnishes employment to few
of our people
It has been said here By the gentleman
from Gouldsboro that there was Il time
when all you had to do was to go down
on the shore and you could hook up lobs-
tiers anywhere That is SO and i agree
with the gentleman. There was also
time when this State Of Maine was wooded
from one end to the other but because
wood and lumber is growing scarce is
that any reason that the business of saw
ling lumber is disgraccful?
The wholesale men want monopoly
of the lobster business. They come here
to this Legislature asking this Legisla-
ture to enact such laws as will give them
control of all the fisheries of the State
Why should you enact laws that will drive
the Gamers out of the business, so they
and their smack men will have no COM
lpetition IL the matter. In the spring of
the year Holsters are most plenty. They
are coming in eff shore and the conse-
quencc Is that you can get 10 where at
another season of the year yolt cannot get
one The wholesale fellows find no
trouble in finding all the Holsters they
want and the result is that they never
come further east than Petit Manan.
The point is raised here, gentlemen, that
this 10 u inch law does not protect. /
will defy man to show me that it has
ever protected the lobster one bit. If this
law was benefit, / would not argue
against it, but it has never been benefit
In Canada they have tried nearly every
kind of law. They have tried the 9-inch
law and the 10 u Inch law and what have
they got today They have got an abso-
Lutte close time.
The only thing that will protect lobs-
tiers is an absolute close time, and If the
gentlemen of this House vote for law
that has proved failure in every other
state, they will make great mistake.
Mr. Hooper Of Castine said it was the
fishermen who come here asking for this
law, and l think we should legislate for
the greatest good for the greatest num-
Der. According to statistics there were
2, 600, GOO of Holsters canned last year,
which brought one cent and a quarter,
amounting to s25. 900. You let those 914-
inch Holsters grow three months and
those same Holsters would bring s16S,C
to the fishermen 1t is for the poor man,
the fisherman. that we ask for this 1917
inch law; and l trust that the majority
report will be accepted by this House, and
let us try it for two years any way. Let
us pass this law this year and in two
years more we will give them a IL or a
14-inch law, as may be necessary.
Mr.. Peasley of Jonesport said: | feel
that it would be great injustice to the
lobster canning industry, more especially
on the eastern coast of Maine, to change
the present law from 9-inch lobster to
10A. The Gamers with all fairness only
ask for about two months OF the year and
they do not wish to deprive the market
men from buying l0lz-inch Holsters dur
ing the two months they are packing.