Bridgeton pioneer., 1889-02-21
THE OYSTER INTEREST.
ARE THE PRESENT LAWS IN
FAVOR OF THE FEW.
An Open Letter to DIR. Charles Il.
Edwards. of HaddOnfield.
New JERSEY.

lease the oyster GROUNDS OF New Jer-
sey, is another step toward the abridge-
ment of the rights of the common peo-
pie to their natural privileges, and to
further place them in the hands of
moneyed monopolists and corpora
tions. The people at large would new
er consent to such an act, if they
could have direct vote upon a meas
ure which threatens to- eventually
deprive them of even the privileges of
recreation and the inherent and God
given rights to catch fish and oysters
in the navigable waters of the bays
and rivers of the State.
The laws already enacted termed
laws for the better preservation of
CLAIMS and OYSTERS" are in fact, laws
that go further toward the utter ex-
tinction of these luxuries, than to pre-
serve and promote their growth.
BY the free use of these otherwise
worthless grounds belonging to all the
people in common in the State, and to
which all had free access to as much
ground as he could proftably occupy
and plant upon, the oystermen have,
from business of comparative insig-
nificance in 1910, developed one now
occupying 100000 worth of vessel
property, upon which the State gets
its legitimate tax, and the United
States, her revenue.
The increased value of real and per-
sonal properties, and the dependen-
cias Of this oyster business in this
county alone, is we'll nigh incalculable
The Cumberland and Maurice River
r. r. and the Maurice River Branch
of the West Jersey r. r., are depend
encies of this industry, brought into
existence, maintalned and kept up. as
rsssssult of the poor class of people
taking advantage of their natural
rights and privileges without let or
hindrance.
How the act of 1856, authorizing the
Board of Chosen Freeholders to stake
Oft the Cove into 10-acre lots and sell
them to the highest bidders, was ex-
pected or designed to promote the
planting and growth of oysters in
sand Coye," | cannot explain, nor
could the Freeholders, and as the law
was never enforced, they must have
concluded the non intervention policy
the best.
Atthe start of culturing oysters by
making new beds and planting upon
them, the oyster men, as class, were
poor men, owning but very little be-
yond the implements employed in this
business, and their paraphernalia, con-
sisting of oil cloth coat, pants and hip
boots. They worked in common, one
with another, four or five men in a
boat, ON an equal share; with an equal
interest and mutual benefits, they
labored in common to build up these
worthless mud bottoms beneath the
pathways of the worlds commerce,
and without detriment or causing the
slightest impeachment to navigation.
Soon the improved financial condition
of the oystermen began to show itself;
more boats and larger ones dashing
with great energy and industry through
the bays and rivers, began to attract
attention from outsiders; new and neat
little cottages were springing up along
the old wharf roads and upon other
sites that could be cheaply bought
nearest to their boats and business.
The old rundown-at- -the-heel villages
of Port Norris, Newport, Dividing
Greek, Dorchester, Leesburg and other
little old towns began to show new life
and thrift. Their old stores began to
fill up with more goods and better
ones, supplies for the oystermen, oil
cloth coats, pants, gumboots, and un
der clothing, entering largely into
their stock. Second handed ship
chandler places were opened with all
sorts OF ropes, yarns, block, tackles,
and running gear of all kinds, suitable
for small crafts were kept in stock. 1t
had now been demonstrated beyond
'cavil that these turtle fingered oyster
men We're making more than living.
Capital always on the alert, eager to
seize upon any and all enterprises that
hard labor and honest industry brings
to view, began now to build boats too.
1t knew nothing, of course, about the
work of planting and growing oysters
in Maurice River Cove, nor any where
else, but like the first green horn when
asked why he didn't steer the ship
straighter, replyed that he didn't know
the compass, but he knew man in
Dublin very well who did. So with
capital, it could build boats, and it
knew very well where to find man