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

Orders Of the Day.
On motion of Mr.. Sawyer of Milbridge
House document 277, an act to amend
chapter 292 of the Public Laws OF 1889,
entitled an act for the regulation OF the
lobster fisheries was taken from the table
Mr.. Sawyer moved that it be re-assigned
for tomorrow morning after the morning
hour.
4 A division being had the motion was
lost by vote Of SO for to 80 against.
Mr.. Sawyer moved to substitute the
minority for the majority report.
Mr.. Leighton of Columbia Falls said
that he wished to call the attention of the
House to few important facts. Facts
are stubborn things. The canning busl-
ness of Maine according to the statistics,
amounts TO S4,214, 900; the lobster indus
try figures $4,000. The products arc
s72, 600 The people engaged in this bust
ness are $500. To change the time limit
to 101I inches will be death blow to the
whole canning industry on the coast OF
Maine The factories are only using L.
44o, 900 Holsters per year, and the market
men are handling and selling, mostly be-
yond the borders Of this State, over 49,
600, 00O of Holsters. As to spawn, some
spawn come ON Holsters at any month of
the year. The bulk comes in the warm
weather and they will not hatch until the
water comes to 55 degrees temperature.
They also shed their shells in August and
September and that is when the Holsters
should be protected and should be let
alone. The fact of the case is that the
condition of our lobster industry demands
an absolute close time to save that indus
try But such law would be detrimental
to the summer visitors who come to out
coast as this is one of the items they come
for. 1t would be decidedly wrong to en-
act close time. would stand up and
advocate the closing of every factory and
the stopping of every market fisherman
rather than work against the interests of
summer tourists who come to our shores.
Section of this document that they
place before you gives their case away.
Under the operation of the present law
the lobster is gradually becoming extinct.
The factories ON our coast run two months
and 10 days. The market lobster people
have ~ months in the year. They are the
people that are exterminating the lobster
industry, and not the small factories in
Washington and Hancock counties. This
1015 inch law is farce as much SO as the
prohibition law in tho State of Maine, so
far as respect is shown to it.
Mr.. Rodick of Eden said that he was q
member of the committee who signed the
majority report, and he considered the
lobster question as the most important
that had come before the committee at
this session of the Legislature. The policy
of the committee has been to enact as few
new laws and to amend as few old ones as
possible and net have any individual in
dustry suffer. The committee considered
first whether it was right and just that
any law be changed or new laws enacted
in relation to this industry. The COM
mittee is composed of practical men hay
ing knowledge of this business. They
thought that they knew that the Holsters
were growing scarcer year by year. Still
we were not to rely on our own judg-
ment but at the long hearings before
the committee, occupying one afternoon
and two evenings, the testimony was very
conclusive. We had to admit on the evil
dence that these Holsters on the shores of
Maine were gradually growing scarcer
and scarcer and that unless some legisla
tion was enacted, in the near future they
would be extinct and one of the largest
shore fishery Industries would be ruined
forever. Having come to that conclusion
the next thing considered by the commit
tee was. what the best law for the protec
ton of Holsters and for the protection of
the industry carried on by the lobster
fisheries. The committee were not satisfied
on the evidence presented, and left the
matter open three or four weeks, wishing
to obtain as full information as possible.
Some of the evidence before the commit
tee turned out to be wrong. | believe
asked every man before the committee If
he believed it was good policy for the
State to build and maintain State hatch
cry for the propagation Of Holsters. Every
one was Of the opinion that 1t was the
best thing possible. But on investigation
it was found that it worked the other way.
Where it has been tried it has been poven
beyond question that it does not produce
the practical results desired.
Seven OF the committee, all that signed
any report excepting one, disirterested,
unbiased, unprejudiced men, having no
personal interest in the 1iiatter-sevanso
us signed this 10 4 inch law for the year
round We believe it is protective law,
protecting the small Holsters at the length
at which they do not spawn and allowing
them TO reinain in the water until they
become Of sufficient sizs. 10lg. to spawn.
We further believe that the 2, 800, COO Of
Holsters used by the Gamers, and perhaps
1000, 900 more by people who preserve
them, II they were left alone until they