Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-15

destroy any part of this industry, "nen
we can lust as we'll let it thrive among US.
Other states have offered encoura gement
| to their factories, and to others TO come
| there and locate. The principal canning
| industry Of this State is located IN nash-
ington county A man who owns lac
| tory in Washing and another IN Han
cock county, told me that if this amend
rncnt was adopted he should be periecsis
willing, and would close up his factory IN
Hancock and work only in Washington
| county. Another Gamer has telegraphen
me to the same effect.
The gentlemen who oppose this ameI,o-
ment will probably tell you that TINS
strikes blow at them, for it does not al
low them to operate in Hancock county,
while we do operate in Washington county
and they claim that this is one reason wDy
it should not be adopted. But. gentle
men, l tell you that-a 1913 Inch law tie
year round would drive the canning bust
ness out Of the State altogether.
The speaker then went on to show that
in the British provinces, where they had
close time for six months in the year, and
could catch eight-inch Holsters the other
six months, the Holsters were on the in
4
H, stated that Massachusetts, had a
1917 inch law for Is years. and she had a
hatchery producing 100000, 0C0 lcbsters,
and yet they did not increase there Con
tinuing, he said: Now, gentlemen, this
law which we are asked to pass is the
| identical law which the fishermen asked
for and got in 1887. and which in 1883
they came back and had repealed. 1t is
claimed that the lobster fisheries arc be
ing depleted in our State, but if you look
up the statistics you will find that this is
not so. Every year the lobster fishing is
on the increase The amount caught now
is greater than it was 10 years ago.
Mr.. Nickerson closed by reading from
the report of the commissioner of shore
fisheries, showing that the lobster fishing
was largely ON the increase.
Mr.. Hume of Washington: There
ought to be only two objects in iegislat-
ing On this matter: The first, to do justice
to our moneyed interests; and the second,
| to protect cur lobster interests and to pre-
serve the resources that we have. Now,
| here is large amount Of money invested
| IN this canning industry, and as the
gentleman from Lincoln has shown you,
it is largely confined to Washington
county If you pass this law these fac
tories must be closed, and their money in
vested must be lost. If this law is en-
acted, our business must be transferred to
the British provinces. The work will be
done, and the money paid over there. We
are peculiarly situated. We are perfectly
willing that the rest of the State should
have this law, il they want it, but we
want a fair chance in this matter. De
not cripple our industries. a united dele
CATION from Washington county appears
here ard asks of this Legislature that her
interests may not be sacrificed. Washing
ton county has always been loyal and
true, she has not asked for Office OF prefer
ment and she has asked for less in offices,
public prafermcnt or appropriations than
any other Of the IS counties of the State.
She is willing to do something for the pro-
lection of the lobster on our coasts, ard
have an amendment here which l shall
offer if this amendment is adopted, re
stricting the shipping Of Holsters from
Washington county during the late sum
MGR months.
Now, we want close time, we need
the advantage, Mr. President, Of close
time. Our neighbors across in the pro
vinces have close time, and you can see
the benefit they derive from it from the
figures which have been read. That is
the way to preserve the lobster, to give
close time during the summer months,
and We in Washington county desire it,
When this bill was shown me by the pack
ers | said would sustain it, but we do
desire that the packers of Washington
county should not be ruined by this law,
as they will be if it passes without amend
ment.
The lobster has become very popular
food, and we ship our Holsters all over this
country to the amount of so tons daily
The 10 Is inch law will not be observed
and in my opinion the only safety Is in a
close time. 1t is the shippers who are
destroying the fishing by not observing
the law. Have your law, if you desire ii,
though we do not believe in it, but for
God S sake, don't destroy our industries
l know, gentlemen, that / appeal to
honest and honorable and conscientious
men, and appeal to you, gentlemen, not
to destroy our interests in Washington
county, and they will be destroyed and
transferred to the British provinces if
this bill passes without amendment.
Mr. Walls of Knox: This matter looks
to me as if the question stands some
thing in this way: Whether we should
legislate for the masses, the people who
are engaged in catching the Holsters, or
whether we should legislate for the can
ners Which is for the interest of the
State Of Maine: That the individual fisher
man should be protected, or the Gamers;
The arguments Of the very friends of this
amendment goes to show that the lobster
is worth more when he is grown than he
is when he is small He is worth about
two cents when he is eight inches long,
but when he is grown he is worth about
20 cents. 1t looks to me as If the State
would receive more benefit if the HOLSTERS
were allowed to grow than it receives from
the factories. 1t seems to me that we
have duty to perform towards the fisher
men, the ones who do the work. Give
them the benefit of this law, l say, and
that ii why l ask for the 1o15-inch law.
l do not like the idea Of drawing an
imaginary law off the coast of Maines
think that the other counties should get
the benefit of this law, and that Washing
ton county should be included in it, and
no discrimination made between the conn
ties Upon general principles think that
it would be better for the State to protect