The Evening News from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan • Page 3

THE EVENING MARIE. MICHIGAN 'FRIDAY. MARCH 12, 1937. Potagannissmg Bay Fight Approaches a Climax in Legislature and Conservation Department Records Used to Show Entire Area Should Be Closed to Net Fishermen. Controversy over the closing of Potagannissing Bay to commercial fishing continued to gain in intensity today with strong representations being made to legislators by friends and foes of the program for- closing the Sault river Iroqiiois Point to DeTour.

battle is expected to reach a climax in the Michigan legislature where one bill, the Knox measure, has been introduced and where another is being prepared. DeTour Is Divided. The Knox bill provides for the closing of a small part of the bay, from Sims Point to Bruce Point. Opponents of the bill say the bill is inadequate and contend that the entire bay should be closed. of efforts at compromise have failed to resolve the differences.

DeTour has been split wide. open, by" the battle which even figured a recent election. The con- Ftroversy also brought Into being a new' DeTour organization, the De- Tour GIvIc and Development is siding in with the Knox On the other side is crusading priest, Father Theodore Bateski, who contends the tourist business is worth milch more to DeTour than the commercial fish business; says only seven DeTour persons have commercial fish licenses; who charges that bass have been slaughtered to keep them out of commercial fishermen's nets since it was impossible to "bootleg" them! and. who affirms that the limits of the Knox bill are unsatisfactory in the interest of true conservation, arid who charges misleading propaganda engendered by commercial fish interests. of the department of conservation show only 14 commercial fishing licenses in the De- Tour district and Father Bateski maintains that only seven of'these are bona fide DeTour fishermen, the others operating from other towns or working for other companies.

Securo Affidavit. He has also secured ah affidavit from Eugene J. Mertaugn of Hessel that he saw a bushel of half- dead bass dumped into the water from a commercial fish boat. "In the month of August, 1935 I and a certain William Lutz from Detroit were fishing for bass near Burnt Island on the south says the Mertaugh affidavit. "At noon a fishing craft lifted a trap net then threw anchor for lunch.

"We could not catch any bass so we ran over to this boat to see if we could buy some fish. approaching the.boat, the men aboard dumped, at least a bushel of black bass overboard. We picked up over thirty, black pass: the Factions Irreconcilable. Father Bateski'has also corresponded with'Senator George P. Mc- Callunv of -Ann--Arbor and McCallum, after leaning toward the Knox bill, pledged himself to keep "an open mind" after learning how irreconcilable-the views of the two factions became.

Father Bateski summed up his argument in the following letter to Rep. Frank N. Steele, chairman of the-fish and fisheries committee of the-house. The letter follows: "I have just learned through Senator- McCallum that a. delegation from DeTour and Drummond Island were before the house fish committee on.

the closing 'law affecting the Potagannissing Bay. He thought they made a. showing which he thought we 'could not overcome. In the'first place, he said, they contended and with much satisfaction to the committee, that outside of the bays around the shore, there was very little hook and line', fish ing in the open waters. Very true and that is why we want the bays and shores closed around DeTour and among the Island to give the tourist and our local people a chance to fish'.

You know as well as-1 do, 1 that no fish could, be, caught in the. channel, where there is a steady stream of freighters, day and night, plying these waters. This goes for commercial fishing as well as hook and line. Those bays are by the trap- netters and only by outsiders and not.by local fishermen. want to ban the" trap nets as in Canada, as they are the most'destructive'to sport and game "Malicious In the second place he quoted that the most of.

the people of De- Tour depended upon fishing and to close the entire waters, as has been suggested, would'seriously impair their opportunity for an existence. This Is false and malicious propaganda; The population of DeTour is between 700 and 800. Only seven from- DeTour commercial 'fishing licenses and two of these are employed by the Spring Bay Dock company getting a salary of more than 5150 a month. these seven attempted to fish in the rivei- for'a month this winter but had to.pull out as he.was not getting any fish. He was one: of the delegation.

'All of these commercial fishermen fish gill nets only and they fish out in Lake Huron in the summec and on the east side of Drummond Island during the winter, and these waters we want to leave open for them, from, Chippewa Point, on Drummond Island, south to'Lake Huron. a Catholic priest, would be the last man on earth to harm our local fishermen. While Walter Durocher and I were down to Lansing, this 'same delegation which appeared before'you spread all kinds of malicious and false propaganda against Mr. Durocher was delegated by the -Northern Michigan Sportsmen's Association and I by the Sault Sportsmen's club to modify the resolution passed by the Association last summer at Norway, modify it in such a way so the bill would do most good and the least harm, and still keep the bill This we did by leaving these few fishermen their present fishing grounds. My integrity Is worth more me than all the fishing in the State of Michigan and I would not stoop to such a degree as did the delegation.

Their sole purpose is to defend the Knox bill, right or wrong. We have the backing of the above mentioned association, the U. P. Development Bureau, the Tourist Associations, of the southern part the state, the conservation clubs and the Izaak Walton League. These clubs and associations might as well cease if we let this malicious and false propaganda prevail.

I have fish'ed these waters for 33 years and I find precious spawning grounds all over the area we are determined to The waters specified in the Knox bil! have very-little spawning grounds, and very little bass fishing, excepting the extreme end. Everybody interested in conservation holds that these waters must be closed as a conservation measure. If trap netting is allowed to continue a few years more, all sport fishing will be ruined for vears to come. List's Fishermen. wrote to the conservation department to find out just how many from, here have a commercial fishing license and received an answer last Saturday.

They list the following and I am going- to tell you just where 'they are from and they fish. D. C. Rice, -who is dead, fished off the south side of Drummond Island in Lake Huron. W.

J. Scott and Sons; live at Bay City and fished out of here with deep subs in Lake and this is only a short lime as 1 it did not pay them to continue. William BJakley and Jeremiah Blakley, live at Bay City and fished trap nets up the river for a short time, likewise William Femberton of Bay City. Not one of these-live'in Do- Tour. Clarence lives at Albany Island, arid fishes out of there with a row boat, is on relief.

The following live in Aaron and Lester Olmstead, fishing out in -Lake Huron. 'Hugh Gibson, and Ellis Dorrien have a license together and they fish on the northeast end of Drummond Island. Ellis Dorrien has a permanent job-on the Spring Bay company dock and receives in the neighborhood" of $150 a month. Phillip and Russell Goetz fish out side in the summer and the east side of Drummond winter. Albert McLeod fishes outside in.Lake Huron in the winter and freights fish from Canada in the summer.

Byron Schopp fishes on the east side of Drummond Island in the winter and sails in the summer. Thomas and George Newell are not fishing and have a permanent job on Spring Bay dock. This is Now does this seem as though most all live here by the fishing industry. Many that signed the petition to close the river were former fishermen, but had to give it up as they could not earn anything by keeping at it. The fish nearly gone and that is all there is to I can take my oath to the above, and if you want to verify my statement, get in touch with the conservation department.

This is not a political, issue but strictly a conservation am mailing copies of this letter to Rep. Ned Fenlon, Peter Trudell, president of the Northern Michigan Sportsmen's Association, John R. Merrifield, president of the Development Bureau, and Paul Tars, president of the Detroit Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. OPEN HUL6ERT SAWMILL SOON About 25 Men to Be Employed March 22, M. J.

Shipp of the Ayton Last Block Gaylord, was in Hulbert today making arrange- Jments for the opening of the mill which he will begin operations March 22. Machinery and other equipment of the mill will be over-hauled during the next two weeks in preparation for work. Shipp expects th mlll win be in operations all summer. About 25 men will be employed. Card of Thanks We.wish to thank our friends and neighbors for, their many acts of kindness, beautiful floral offerings and many expressions of sympathy and donations of cars extended in our recent beavement of our relative and friend Grant Brooks, and also thanks to Mr.

Hoos for his service and choir. Tillie and Earl Duncan, Ethol and Otto" Norlin. PUBLIC NOTICE On and after March 12, 1937, I will not be responsible for any debts contracted by any other than myself. ARTHUR M. MCLEAN.

IN THE Weddings THOMPSON' SCHITKTTKR, Miss Dorothy Schuetter of the Sault anil Cecil L. Thompson of Brimley were married. Thursday afternoon, March 11, 1937, a 5 o'clock in the Presbyterian manse Dr. John VerStraate officiating. The bride chose a gown of navy blue chiffon with matching accessories.

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Robinson of the Sault attended the couple, Mrs. Robinson wearing a'dress of dark blue sheer.

I.ittlc Gall Robinson who was the ringer-bearer, wore white and orchid dotted swls's. A wedding dinner was served last night at the home of Mrs. Eva Anderson, 51(5 Court Mr. and Mrs. Thompson left last night for a trip to the east.

On THE FASCINATING STORY op A FATHE ft who was lo hii daughter's apron jiringi! TONIGHT AND SATURDAY RAILROADED TO PRISOR! f. FOR THE OP A MAN I WE HAD NEVER SEEN 1 HARVEY CLARK MURIEL EVANS "Love on the Run" their return they will their homo temporarily at Brimley. Mr. Thompson is employed at the St. Mary's Falls Canal and Mrs.

Thompson has been with the Ger- rlc Press. YEACK TO CAMPAIGN FOR QUAL ITYIfTDAlRY TOWNS 'SPECIAL JOH IX PENINSULA. John I-i. Yeack, Upper Peninsula pure'foods inspector, eald today he vas starting out Mnday on a 'quality campaign" In the U. P.

Page Three dairy counties of Menominee, Delta, Schoolcraft and Alger. Mr. Yeack returned this week from Lansing where he has been attending a school of instruction. In daii-y work. Tick's temporary shift from pure" foods'inspector to the dairy program was made at the- rcqueo-t of Burr C.

Lincoln, commissioner of agriculture he said. "The purpose of'the campaign is to cell attention to United States government and Michigan laws" he said. A total of 59,058 persona received old age assistance amounting to $1.862,998.94 i California In November. TEMPLE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY BINNIE BARNES WILLIAM HALL' JEAN DIXON HENRY ARMETTA BILLY BURRUD AKH PRESTON SHE WAS ALONE a BIG CITY I II H. JANE WYATT Louis WAYWARD HAT PENDLETOM EUGENE PALLETTE Latest News" Shots "ONE IN A MILLION" CALDER Fire Insurance spotlessly clean like your living room at home that's where Chesterfields are made.

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