Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-14


Afoostook counties, we ought to give the
people of Maine and NONRESIDENT HINT.
elS short time at least to hunt and
XII moose. Two years ago this summer
had occasion to stop al one of the
sporting camps in our section where
! there were 90 people, and during that
time. | was there three or four DAYS,
there was COW and a bun moose that
used to come to the edge Of the pond
| every day little way from the camp.
! Those people We're mostly non-rcSidents
and mostly from New York and Penn
sFlvania. ~ least one-half told me that
was one Of the great eniayments of their
! stay there to see that pair Of moose
! come ont there 1t seems To me from
that condition that all of the n0u-resi-
! dent people who come into this state TO
/ spend the summer do not come to XIII
the game, although some do come Tor
that purpose | do not think that any
one would want to travel or stay in our
woods unless we had some wild animals
/ there.
have the utmost regard FOR the peo-
| pie, the representatives from Arnos-
! took and Washington counties, who
! fought this thing through for their
/ constituents as they say OF course
: they Were absolutely conscientious in
! the matter do question the right of a
| paid official of this Legislature to help
! lobby such II bill through, rs it was
! seemed 10 I've lobhied through yester-
/ Gay, To certain extent.
! The senator from Kennebcc has told
| us there We're more moose killed in 1872
! taan in 1888 | think that is simply be-
cauS" there were more people hunting
! them, and the moose had become
hhnched. so TO speak, in two counties
| of the State Ta my mind they hap
pened 10 he there simply on account
of me natural law OF mating. Every
| one knows there are more moose in the
Province of New Brunswick than in
any other section in he world
As far rs our union OF states is ton
eerned there are only practically FIVE
states that have the moose.
While il might work hardship on
some camp owners aud ON some resi-
dents. for the time being, over Wash
ington and part nf Areostook 10 have
this law put on. II seems to me the
Legislature ought 20 consider what is
the best thing fer the whole state, and
il seems To me that this close time ON
bull moose would be for the best inter
ests of the whole State.
The senator also spoke of moose and
caribou and other animals similar, and
that they would not live in villages.
They would not, bur We still have nine
million acres of Wild land, and | do
NOT think all that territory will become
villages in foHr years
l hope the ma jority report viii be
accented
Mr. HASTINGS Of Androsceggin: Mr..
President, as a member of this commit
tee and also one of the signerS of the
minority report. | naturally think 1t my
duty to a certain extent 10 explain the
situation in regard to This matter. |
am going to argue to you that the whole
committee are protectionsts, 50 far as
bull moose go; that We have the idea of
protecting these moose. always, and
have had It both in the majority and
the minority report
The only, question IS that we diner
as to the conditions of this protection
AS has beenllksids ffhere was a very fun
discussion OF ills matter by the pro-
ponentS and opponents of this bill at
the COMMITTEES hearfng; and il Is true
that AT this comtflff4eea Hearing and on
this evidence. it seemed that the moose
had sought new fields, had gone To new
places. In other words IL seemed that
moose We're plenty in Oxford, Somerset
and &roostook counties and that there
was a scarcity in Washington, eastern
Penobscot aud AroostoOkgs that candi-
lions had changed and reversed The
| theory Of the minority is that il seems
to be fact Thai the moose had been
slaughtered in this State. / submit
Mr.. President. that there We're other
reasons for that being true or in other
words. in the 1900. 900 acres. as stated
by the senator from Somerset. that still
exist, lying next to New Hampshire.
that portion Of this wild land in OK
ford and Franklin counties, and in the
eastern part of Aroostook county are
the sections of the State that are OPP
Grated hardest by the lumbermen, and
must of necessity create more or less of
disturbance.
1t is not natural for the moose fam
lily to range to any great extent near a
disturbance in the forest There was
another cause for this migration, that
the counties Of Washington and Han
cock had been visited by large forest
fires and there has been an abundance
of feed that moose exist upon follow
ing those fires. and from the fact tina
those large areas were burned over,
numbering has ceased and that WAS
another attraction for the moose
When the moose were plentiful i'm
oxford, Franklin, Somerset and
Northern Aroostook and a scarcity
existed in Hancock, Washington, East
ern Penobscot and Eastern Afoostook
there was no demand for close time
and no claim Of sectionalsm by any
body from the counties where n scar
city of the same existed.
The mnorities idea was by recon-
mending an additional appropriation
of $4,000 for the year 1919 and $4,000
for the year 1914, to be expended by
the Fish and Game commissioners in
reorgani2ing, perfeeting and increas-
ing the warden and patrol system Of
the department which 10 Them seemed
to be insufficient and unsatisfactory
together with The shortening OF the
open season and increase OF non-resi
dent license was the quickest and