Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-20

fCtlitiil " AGttlsltllCtt AiIcl lilt tiitttt
law be repealed. For these reasons
the committee reported as they did, |
and for these reasons | hope that the
report will not be accepted
but that the minority report may pre-
vail.
The question being on the adoption
of the majority report a division was
had and the majority report was ac
cepted by a vote of 60 to 6.
The bill was then read twice, and on
motion of Mr.. Hill of Belfast, the rules
were suspended, the bill was read the
third time and was passed to be en-
crossed.
To-day assigned: Reports \ and Is of
committee ON inland fisheries and
game, reporting ought to pass on bill
relating TO taking deer in September
Tor food purposes, and leave to with
draw on petition FOR repeal of Septem-
Der law.
Mr.. WILSON of Brunswick: Mr..
Speaker and Gentlemen of the House,
hope you will bear with me while
consume a few moments Of your time
in expressing to you a few ideas III re-
gard to the September law, so-called,
which is now\ before you.
You have two reports from the IN
land fish and game committee on tho
bill calling for the repeal of the Sep
tember Law. The law today. allows q,
person TO kill one deer in September
for food purposes. providing he pays
the State ST if he be a resident ana IS
if he be . nonresident. Five men on
the committee voted. ought to pass -
and five that Legislation was ineNpe-
dent consequently YOU have two re-
ports before YOU. Nov. the question
for YOU gentlemen to decide is which
report Will you accept.
| believe iii the September law. |
believed two years ago. when the law
was enacted. that it was a good law.
| and have seen nothing ana have not
| heard Of anything that would lead mu
| to change my mind. / am aware that
| some of the wild land owners are OPP
| posed to this law on the ground as they
claim that September hunting is dan
| gerous: from the fact that September
is usually a dry month. ANA TIE
! chances for fire, are greater OF account
/ of this law, which brings more people
4 here to camp in September Admitting
| that more people ~ into the woods in
| September than formerly. il not thu
risk of big fires lessened by having q
! corps of guides. whose duty il is tp
/ look after al fires kindlcd by them !lr
| the purpose Of cooking 81 fur amy oth.r
I purpose" Every guide, today. MAO
| takes out 4 license is an appointed f,rr
warden and he is Jealous IN the per
! form9nce Of his duty. There are some
thing over 1900 registered guides in THU
! states Of Maine Allowing that hali
| o. them We're employed fiji
| September. You have three fire war
| de2s for every two men who puro hascd
| a license to shoot deer, for thern we're
| but six hundred licenses sold in tha
State of Maine last year. Now there
mast have been many hundreds of men
| in the woods last September without
guides. and without licenses. | venture
| the assertion that although the woods
! We're fun of spOrtSmhn in September tn
| 1890 and 1900. ana q severe dyough. oc-
CURED in this month both years. less:
| damage resulted from fires than during
any month If similar drought. with
| possibly two exceptions. that occurred
i prior to tine time visitors began flock
/ .its iIii' WI '1I'li anu A'llNN' til'
reason for this was wholly on account
Of the careful way that fires We're look
"a after and e.tinguishcd By til
| guides in charge Of Tie various parties.
Now when the men VINO paid for H.
| CCnScs to shoot a GeCr in the month %
| September took with them fire var
dens who We're were always on the
alert for fires ana ever ready in ease
they found one left by some camper
without guide to put it out. and
thereby save what might have resulted
in the destruction of many thousands
Of dollars worth Of property had they
not been on the ground.
Of all the licenses sold, 60 per cent
of them were sold al Moosehead lake
the gateway to the vast wilderness Of
| the North. and vet not a dollars worth
of property was destroyed by fire
| during that month in all that vast
| section. In Washington county there
were extensive forest fires which did
| Il great deal of damage. but the Sep
| TENDER law did not cause those fires. for
| only one license was sold iii the local
| ity where those fires started. ana that
was one not 'sscd. l again venture the
assertion that had many licenses been
| sold in tnat county. and each sports
man been accompanied by 4 guide,
| even those fires would have been en-
tingushcd by the guides, for they
would have been upon the ground and
put them out before they gained head
way.
| TO me il seemed that the strongest
| evidence We had before the committee
Why the law should not be repealed
came from the gentlemen who own
wild lands and who Went before the
| committee for its repeal. 1t is 4 sig
nificant fact that the land owners iii
| locations where the larger part OF the
| licenses were sold last September are
not for the repeal Of this law. Many
Of the wild land owners of this State
are opposed To this law: many arr III
favor Of il. ana I honestly think that
should this law be repealed. they would
welcome the day when it would again
be enacted. BE that as it may. MI
Speaker and gentlemen I leave il for
YOU % decide. ! viii move. AIr. Speak
or. that the petitioners have leave to
withdraw. CAppIauseD
Mr.. SHAW of ath: Mr.. Speaker 7
am Interested directly or indirectly in
from 5000 to 10000 acres Of timber
lands in the vicinity Of Moosehead