New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-18
vrRGIYIA-TAX on OYSTERS.

Speaking on the subject of Revenue, Gov. Wise
says:
Put has Virginia no resources besides taxation She
has vast and inexhaustlble sources oi revenue IN
touched and unnOticed. She hes an Eastern mine Oh
wealth, part of her eminent domain public property,
telon gng 10 the State which Yields per annum more
than So 100000 10 individuals and to the State not one
cent of revenue because has heretofore been wholly
overlooked and neglected for fiscal State purposes.
She has from the Potomac TO Lynn-Haven Bay, from
two miles up the Easern-shore creeks to twenty miles
up the w stern shore rivers % miles from north 70
south BY IS miles saw from east TO west on the Ches
apeake Bay; and from Chincoteague Island to Cape
Charles, IS miles from west to south and from tho
islands to the mainland five miles, say from east to
west on the Atlantic front-n the whole 1000 miles OF
salt alter fuudum covered with the matrX OF oysters
Not less kdn fg thousand TINS Of licensed and other
ressels are employed "a taking these sheash from 9B
this State fuHdUul.
The oysters worth, in the market, not less than
so cepts and at the rocks where they are taken, AZ
least 90 cents per bushel Each tun takes about 30
bushels trp and about Is trips are made on an av-
eiage, by each vessel per annum nus not less IMAM
o. 10000 Of bushels of oysters are taken rom me VIZ
gipa fundum per annum, worth at 20 cents per bushel
the sum OF IS 400 coo per annum. About one sixth
only are taken in Virginia bottoms and five sixtAs IN
vessels chiefly from Maryland, Pennsylvania and New
York This il property Of the State, and sold at one
cent per bushel il would produce s270 900 per annum
of revenue. system of revenue laws should be
framed to regulate this trade and to provide;
l. For monopoly of our own citizens IN the trade.
., To protect the reproduction o the sHt ns' og roy
Mating the times places and of taking them.
3. To produce a revenue, by system OF revenue,
cutters and inspectors to superntend the catching and
planting of them, levying tax licenses to take
them and plant them the fundum of public waters,
SO as not TO interfere with the navigation laws OF the
United States.
Labor in this trade is productive than in the
gold mines Of California. Hands can earn from ~ Ia
$40 per capita per diem. tax of one cent per bushe
would be the ghtest burden Of taxation known in this
or any other State aud would yield at east one fourth
of one million of dollars net revenue. With two small
steam cutters to cost not than $4,000 each and
with inspectors or the creeks and harbors to be paid
| out of fees Of Inspection the whole system could
under the orders of the Executive, be made
effective and to yield more and more revenue every
| wear as it is demonstrnble that the trade is indie
stnctble. The oyster Is 90 reproductive and pro
life that il yields two families tit for market every
seven yesrs and ia iucalculabe in the number of it,
spawn | am confident, from the data have col
lected that in few years the State could be made 70
reaize Laf million of dollars Of revenue per amman
from the oyster rocks And besides the purposes o
the revenue these steamers could be made subservien
to purposes of police very necessary TO be provided
| for in other aspects of State policy.