Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-11-24
Expect Big Fight
In Legislature on
The Proposed Nine
lnchI lObster Law

A holly contested fight In the COM
ing Legislature In promised on the
question of the adoption of state
wide nine-inch lobster Law. The
state has for several years been un-
der a 10-fnch lobster law but at each
session Of the legislature an effort
Is made to reduce the measurement.
At the last session a 3-inchs lobster
law for York county came very near
passage. The fight this year will be
over a lobster law for the entire
state.
Two men who will appear before
the legislative committee on Sea and
Shore Fisheries the coming winter
for and against the measure are prf-
yatc citizens who have no personal
interest In the matter but have firm
convictions OF their own as to what
~ beet for the fishermen OF Maine.
They are George ~. Stevens of
kennebunkport, former state Sena-
tor from York county, who conduct
cd the fight for the 9-inch bill nj
the last session: and Harry c. Will
bur of Portland. attorney and former
legal member OF the Sea and Shore
Fisheries Commission.
Fishermen Not Opposed
Senator Stevens asserts that he
law for York county and for the en-
tire state, as well.
; 1.-THE fishermen from other parts OF
the state are not 80 much opposed to
the 9-inch lobster law as they appear
10 be-" said Senator Stevens. Were
Il not for outside pressure brought TO
bear upon them they would not OPP
pose n law to conform to that Of 9TH
or New England states"
Senator stevens Is OF the opinion
that I'm some OF the eastern counties
there are n considerable number OF
fishermen who, while they talk for
a 10-inch lobster do not hesitate to
sell n much smaller lobster where
they can find a market for them.
II know OF more than one fisher
man from the east coast who has
said to me during the controversy
over this matter, You do not think
am fool enough to throw away all
my short Holsters. do YOU" Senator
stevens declared, There Is just as
much hypocrisy about this 9-lnch
lobster law as there used to be over
the old Maine rum laws"
/. "There is n big demand among the
hotels OF western Maine for 3-inch
lobster to serve as a broiler.' Sen
ator stevens declares. 1.-THE 9-inch
lODSteT IL HHlple biHc 40 ~ Dtpi'Ni
and II we had them instead OF being
obliged to pay $I.25 to $3.50 for n
broiled live lobster as you do In
Portland. you could get them for So
cents. Just as in Boston. Under pres
ent conditions. the Maine hotels must
charge more on account Of the larger
sized lobster which they are obliged
to serve in order to como within the
limit OF the law"
Fishcrmen's Welfare Threatened
The future welfare If the fisher
men Of Maine Is threatened. in the
OF inion OF Harry G.. Wilbur of Port
land, former commissioners OF sea
and shore fisheries. IL Maine jo.ps
Massachusetts and other states In a
nine-inch lobster law. 1T is not fair
70 compare Massachusetts and other
states with Maine, says Mr.. Wilbur.
elm our State there are more than
1000 fishermen engaged in the lob
ster business. while In Massachu-
sets there are only few hundred
hshermen---64S to be exact"
1.-THE average income OF the Mas
nachusetts lobster fisherman Is about
5000 n year, while there are lobster
fishermen In Maine who receive sew
oral times that amount" Mr.. Will
bur continued. "Our fishermen
would be reduced to the same condi-
ton as those In Massachusetts II we
were TO allow the smaller and seed
bearing Holsters to be caught"
He quoted from the Massachusetts
fisheries report to show that the