CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 75 



SUGGESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS BY THE DELEGATES. 



Hon. "Wallace Hackett, Mayor of Poetsmouth, N. H. 



I am requested to say a few words on the subject of lobsters, 

 more especially because I live down in that portion of New Hamp- 

 shire where they somewhat abound. The lobster industry in my 

 town is of some little consequence, perhaps relatively small, but 

 there are half a dozen jobbers who do a business of perhaps $50,000 

 a year for the largest one down to about half that amount. There 

 are about 135 to 150 men engaged every day in the securing of 

 lobsters. They go out in power boats, and in that way are enabled 

 to reach ledges which are located farther away than the original 

 range of the lobster boats enabled them to get. For instance, with 

 the old-fashioned sail boats they could not go out to several ledges 

 which are now quite productive, and the result is that there are 

 more lobsters entering the market of Portsmouth to-day. The 

 short-sighted jobbers think because of this that there is a greater 

 supply in the ocean than there ever was, and that there is great 

 money in the business, because the price is higher. Those are the 

 conditions which prevail there. Lobsters are sent all over the 

 country from my town to Portland, Ore., etc. Chicago is a large 

 market for them. 



Of course there are two sides to this question: one is the side of 

 the lobster, as we might say ; and the other is the side of these people 

 who are engaged in the business, which amounts in the aggregate 

 not alone ia Portsmouth or in New England to many millions 

 of dollars a year. I agree with the last speaker, that the way to 

 increase that business is to increase the supply, and laws which 

 are made to protect the lobster will protect the fisherman. 1 

 looked into the matter of the laws of the difEerent States of Maine, 

 New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with a view of showing the 

 difference in existing laws in these States. I got some notes in 

 regard to these laws, and I made some observations from them. I 

 was unfortunate in not being able to secure information in regard 

 to the Maine laws. The man I asked for this information is a 

 lawyer, and also the keeper of a summer hotel on the Maine coast. 

 The only suggestion I received from him was to the efEect that it 



