The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-02-18
FISH TRAP BILL WINS.
Hansen Measure Passes the
House, 90 10 23.
SAD AMENDMENTS Tackled ON.
Purse Sefner Prohibited. and No
Mesh shall he Smaller Thas Five
Inches-robiasssen Grows Els-
Industry of ths >onna-If the Biit
becomes Law, Millions OF Prop
erty VIII Re Made WORTHLESS.


erty VIII Re Made WORTHLESS.
OLYMPIA. FesN IT-Sa@ciai--Ey Q vote
of - 20 = the house tAis afternoon psssed
the Hansen bill sHalsaing nss traps. IL
was nearly s O'Clock when the ansl wots
on the bill was taken. The entire Jay was
spent ia debate on the measure. which ev-
erVone regarded as enahodyi0g the Qaes-
ton most difficult 81 solution % any yet
presented 10 the legislature But instead
~ properly taxing care 70 investigate the
merit q the controversy between the gill
rettezs ana the trap men. the fleson ma
jority IN the hoase passed the atl hlirdly
ohlivi0gs 10 It's widespread and harmsui
effects. and its capacity for working an
unwaFranted injury TO one OF the states
leading and most remunerative resources.
More than hasf % the fusion members
who voted for the hill % not expect That
Il wia become = law. Chairman Hassen
said tonight that he confidently expected
10 see the btu killed in the senate A
numher Of other members. who supported
the hill say that they hope IL Vim be
sAelvsd in tns senate, They sdrnit that
opportunity for the proper consideration
OF tha measure was not granted by those
who pushed IL through 30 final vote.
The friends of tho bin say that II Is not
satisfactory. For instance. az the last
minute an amendment was added which
prohibits the use OF purse ssipes. and an
other amendment requires that no selns
shall have a mesh smaller than sive inches
This wiz absolutely prohibit fiSfesmen
from catching snelt and herring, for tha
reason that seines with smazleu msshes ara
required for these purposes. The hAsty
manner In which the bill was prepared
and passed may be appreciated when IL 10
known that Chairman Hansen. WHO pre-
q -
tention was drawn 20 It. that soInes fer
catching smelt and herring were omitted
from the operations OF the act.
A gallant fight for the traps was nsds
by the opponents of the bih. led by A. $.
Bush OF Pacific. who was ably assisted by
Tobiassen Of Whatcom. The latter mads
a splendid speech against thu oia and with
stood the bul,doZing tactics of his Popu-
list associates In the house as wei as tho
attacks Of the advocates OF the measure.
Scion T. Williams had charge OF the bill
on the floor of the house.
Il can be truly said that but few men,
hers Of the house are glad that tho bin
has passed A large number 81 those who
voted for the bill say they should have
liked 20 have an exception made in favor
Of Bakers bay the Columbia, and San
Juan Islands and Point Roberts ON Puget
sound. But absolutely no effort was made
70 obtain the advice Of well Posted and
disinterested men on the subject. and with
the knowledge that they were passing n
bill affecting sections where the conditions
are widely different. the fusion majority
in the house made no effort whatever to
acquire Information through waich they
might be enabled 10 deal justly with the
conflicting interests.
The passage % the Hansen bin may be
said 10 be the most stupid political biunder
into which the fusion alority IA the
house has been foolishiy led.
Fish Trap BiII Taken Up.
Al 10.S0 the time arrived for the consid-
Grafton of the Hansen bin. under a special
order. With the bin came the substitute
bin prepared By a minority Of the COM
mittee IN the nature OF a compromise bill.
This biz was printed In full In yesterdays
Post-intelligencer
Kittinger OF King was called 20 tho
chair. The house then proceeded 10 get
Itself into a parliamentary tangle. first IA
committee or the whole and later in the
regular body. The trouble started with a
motion 10 postpone the report Of the NIL
nority OF the committee indefinitely. Tho
point was raised that this proceeding was
unpariiamentary with the house in COM
mittee Of the whole A dispute arose be-
tween the members as 20 the proper mode
OF procedure, which lasted for nearly n
hslf hour. when the speaker OF the house
was appealed 20 and the committee ross
and reported progress to the house in order
10 nave lAE parliamentary 4NfHlAGN3 set
tied and receive further Instructions. moth
ing whatever having been accomplished.
After the tangle was Strengthened out by
the house. the body again resolved itself
into committee Of the whole. Here the
parliamentary disputes continued until
finally. the house despairing Of accomplish
ing anything in this way. went into regu-
Tar session with Speaker Cline Ia the chair.
nearly an hour having been consumed
without anything being done Of value.
Bush Favors the Compromise.
The two bills we're then taken up, the
substitute coming first. A. S. Bush Of
Pacific took the floor and made most
forclbie and logical argument in favor 90
the compromise bin and against the total
destruction Of the property OF the fish trap
men Mr.. Bush went into the question in
detail, giving figures 20 support his argu-
ulents and making n strong plea for one
Of the greatest Industries Of the state. He
said in part;
There are 40 pound nets in operation
in Pacific county alone. The leads OF these
pound nets are not allowed 10 be rnors
than 50 fee; inland. The wheels and traps
- the ColuUh hia rlr~r together only rake
22 per cent. Of the fish taken on the CO.
lGmbIa river. The fund arising from
these appliances has aggregated sz7.ooo.
We have three natcherles established, Two
on ths Columbia and one on the tributa-
rioH 80 Puget sound. There z3lu remains a
balance 20 The hatchery fund OF over
ST 90 and there are ie.e0 90 eggs nov IN
the three hatchericN. While the scarcity
- fsn s. attributed 20 the uHe of pound
nets. Yet the gill nets of the Columbia
river have the whole sweep % tae chan
ae5 for over I9o miles. and have caught -
pr cent of the fsh taken from the river
each year since pound uet 0shiag has been
8n vogue. During al Fha ttae TO pr0Ei-
.su has been made f3F the prpaa gallon OF
Esn except Aa inauEayated 0y pound net
shermsn.
-lt was because 81 the dangers IN Ash
tHE at the u 1ut8 ~ The Columbia that led
90 pound net fishing over thirty men
were HFcw ue1 there ln one day. and on a n
( other occasion over f9rgy lost their lives.
''Tn pound uet ashing ~ Bakers bay
E has sos been aa destructive "a gill net
Hshige fE4fea states Fish ComnlsaEoner
- Donald mas made the statement that ft
Was folly 20 th3uk ~ dispensing win
pound nst fishing thaf the pgsaiasilties II
ke@pinE ouF rivera stocked with salmon IL
uuts u44rft3 ~ Ne only pat cur money IN our
( hatcherseH.
The Wat~ra of Bakers bay are not
slitsd 10 other ghan pound ret fishing.
THE tugr oF fimaeg On tha Washington
SIDE. having a population of tE9, and ths
. t3Nu ~ CulBoo6. having population -
80 afe almost entirely maintained ~ tni4
4 5neGHErv. EGe people vii he compelled
20 desert these towns and move 20 Ore
ED1 - t5ss hslf becomes 0 LaE- ihe cost
3 oE the construction 0f pound nets suen -
are used IN Pacific county is from 3le9 20
+ g 30 eaehs On The waters y tfraYs har-
arsr thNre ls ALREADY q Complaint fhAt sat-
mon are decreasing. ard yet fasEo are no
pound mets On 5rsy.s hArDsT.
"ff yel pass thls hIi5, wniea IS aimed "a