The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-06
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.


the most important subjects TO occupy the
attention Of the next Legislature. In fact, the
people all over Virginia are just beginning to
appreciate the necessity Of exercising n fos-
tering care over the industry, and to realize
what mine Of wealth there is in it, judi
ciously cultivated, for the State. II is no ex-
aegera;ion to say that with the revenue which
might be, and should be, derived from this
source alone, the payment Of the present
State debt. as enormous as il is, would be a
matter Of very easy accomplishment.
The great trouble which has heretofore ex-
isted. and still exists. is with our present oys-
ter laws. II looks as if those laws bad been
constructed by men who either knew moth
ing Of what they were doing, or who tried to
frame laws more TO avoid doing anything
than for any other purpose. TO start out,
the Constitution Of the State prohibits
imposing license tax on any tOngman, and.
following this, the law very inadequately pro
yides for the protection of planters, not only
giving them n lidiculously uncertain tenure
Of their lands for only one single
year. hut making no proper provision for
meies and bounds of the oyster lands rented.
The planter therefore does not really know to
a certainty where his land begins or ends,
and on this account it is that planters do not
feel inclined to make heavy investments for
the improvement Of their lands, a. they
neither feel secure in theirpossession, nor that
they are protected as they should be from the
depredations Of thieves and pirates Under
such conditions it cannot be expected that the
industry can thrive and prosper.
TIE TrIHs has for several weeks past been
publishing series Of interviews with the
leading planters and tongmen Of the State.
These have proved very interesting, and have
attracted very general attention TO the great
necessity of promoting and guarding with the
greatest care this most important industry.
From these lettersi the following general con-
illusions have been reached:
First. There should be full and accurate
survey made Of all the oyster lands Of the
State 50 as TO absolutely determine their ex-
tent, and what are suitable for plant
ing. and what are natural rocks. These
should then be divided up into lots or
parcels Of ten acres each. and offered for rent
at public cutlery the lowest bidder to bid not
less than one dollar an acre, and the highest
TO be assured Of lease of AT least ten years,
with the privilege of a renewal for ten years
more at the end Of that period. OF course
the same bidder should not be confined to one
ten-acre lot alone, but should be permitted to
bid on as many as he desires.
Second. The Constitution should be amended
so az to permit imposition ofalicense taxon
tongsmen as well as dredgers. The clause pro-
hibiting this was placed in the present COnsti-
tuition for two reasOns-(D 10 catch votes IN
the oyster sections, and CD because in those
days the tongs used were small shallow water
machines. which could grasp a very limited
supply Of the biyalves Now. however, the
oyster industry is realized TO be entirely too
valuable to the State at large to be hampered
by political demagogy, while the patent
toncs now used can be handled in
deep water, bringing up whole areas
of oysters Of every kind and de-
scription. tearing up everything, and even
uprooting the natural rocks. TO say that per-
sons handling such destructive and wholesale
oyster-gathering instruments, which are every
bit as bad as dredges, should not pay license
to the State. is absurd. The fundamental
law, and the State law based upon it, should
be so changed as to permit license tax per
head of not less than $40 year, and all I'M
merchantable oysters, that IS. oysters not
more than an inch and half in length, should
be required to be thrown back on penalty Of
fines and forfeiture Of license. This should
apply to dredgers as we'll as tongmen
Third, The natural rocks should be marked
of by buoys. SO that the domain of the plan
ter would not be interfered with, while the
tongmen and dredsers would be fully guaran-
teed in all their legitimate rights.
This is so vast a subject that it is impossi.
bic to treat of it in the limits of single or
binary editorial, and It Will require a series Of
articles to discuss it az thoroughly and ex-
haustively as it should be. These suggcs-
tons are thrown out more in the
way Of Introduction than anything else,
and they will be elaborated on from
time to time. They afford food for very
healthful thought, for it IS within the bounds
of common sense reason TO say that with pro-
per attention given to our oysters. such as is
given in Rhode Island, Maryland North Caro-
ina, Connecticut, and other States. and with
the revenue derived from the rents and
licenses suggested, they could be made to pay
hundreds Of thousands of dollars per annum
into the State treasury.