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Worm diggers, rcluikrs m^tBy SUSAN BERG KJ eoj respondentWISCASSET - Nine bait retailers from the eastern seaboard arrived here Monday morning to meet with local worm digger representatives and dealersDespite a five-hour meeting at the municipal building, the diggers’ strike, Which began last week, continued.The out-of-state dealers did offer a one-third increase to sandworm diggers, to $35 per thou-santf worms, according to sandworm digger James Hammond of Wiscasset He said 20 sand wormers, including representatives from Down East, voted later to hold out for their original demand of $40 per thousand.Hammond said thd dealers made no offer to bloodworm diggers, who are asking $70 per thousand worms, a $20 increase over the present rateWiscasset worm dealer Frank Hammond, who attended the session, said out-of-state dealers report that fishermen's demands for squid, shrimp and night crawlers have increased 300 percent recently. They claim there are no demands for blood worms or sand worms, Hammond added.Wormers outside the meeting complained that out-of-state dealers chose the digger representatives who attended the session.Digger Gerald Sirois of Dresden said, Some of those representatives the dealers picked would settle for less than $70. We must be allowed to pick our own representatives ”Wormers also complained about the meeting Monday They did not expect the meeting until Wednesday. Only about 50 diggers were on hand, not enough for a vote had the dealers made an offer, many argued.All the bloodwormers present Monday agreed they would continue the stnke as long as necessary and would not settle for less than $70.The meeting between diggers and dealers previously scheduled for noon Wednesday still will be held at Stanley Fairservice's cellar here The out-of-state dealers came from Virginia, New York, Connecticut and Boston.
Newspaper Details
Kennebec Journal
Augusta, Maine, US
Tue, May 25, 1976
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
ME, USA 10 May 2025
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