Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-02-16
THE FESTIVE OYSTER.
Its Growth and Sale ON the PENN
sula and In Maryland

AphktFs WINE ROT AtrtuoWa nAtht Ate
Greatly Abused.
The Baltimore Sun Of to day says
Thomas g. Weeks. chief of the Bureau
Of Industrial Statistics and Information
-of Maryland. has complesed his fourth 81
ennial report to the governor and General
Assembly Of The state. The document,
| making a volume Of nearly AGO pages 10
which are added fifteen pages of care
/ fully prepared Index, is the most eompre.
hensive Of the kind thus far issued in
Maryland +"
Taken as a whole, says s satistclan
Weeks. "the Industries of the lower
Peninsula have increased In number and
prosperity during the past two Years.
/ Wages have had an upward tendency.
and employment has been reasonably
certain.
PRESERVATION or GREAT IMPORTANCE.
"A moments thought will suggest
how Important to the welfare Of the
people Of this state Is the preservation OF
the oyster supply bow important 70 the
labor Of the state Is the preservation Of
their individual rights il these
common fisheries, and how the wealth
derived must, Ia It's distribution sfTecl
he condition Of 81 other branches Of our
state industry. No Industry gives EN-.
ployment TO so many workers as this.
AL agree IN protesting against the
2 ivate ownership OF beds. but there Is e
uniform acceptance Of the Gull law. Tire
ongers IN Talbot county secured an act
providing that the man and not the boar
shall take ont license. Out Of the in
crease two vessels were chartered to
.nft fs
George received COMMISSIONS as CON
81 tblea. | everywhere heard this
method Of policing well spoken 81
BY tina oysterman The tongets Of 81
Georges Island, ST. MGry's county, tx
pressed the wish TO have local inspec,o or
appointed to see that oysters are prop
~ culed aud measured into the pur
chasing boats. They complain that the
tub b againeJ them, but they must sel
by the buyers measure or not at al
These men expressed a willingness to DAY
one cant n bushel as fees for the support
Of such an Off CT Oh the Island.
THE GREAT DEchEAsE.
can examination shows that the con.
clHsions reached by the commission Of
1892 are largely correct computation
Of the catch in the last four seasons
shows that the yield has decreased
longing. 50 per cent; scraping, AZ per
cent dredging, AZ per cent, while
prices have Increased 6S, 80 and 100 per
cent. These facts cannot be ignored.
They are partly explained by the Gull law
10 1870 81, but the evidence shows that
the ieiiag Oft was going on long before
NE Gull law.
RETURN or TIE SHELLS.
SIN ST. Inlgoea district. ST. NTarys
county, and on The Patuxent. land has
oeen more generally taken mp By color ed
onpers. seven acres ale taken up where
there Fas one four years ago. Great com.
plAlut 's made against the pillage 81
oyster gronnns. IL Is al easy matter to
Grape d hye-acre lot clean "a one night
Public sentiment Is not loud IN coudem-
na.iou q such trespass and the law pro
ducca ew results,
NJ have TO hesitation In saying that ]
believe ucn patch Of land would afford
. comfortable support TO an ordinary
family The rel urn Of shells fresh from
the suuck ug-house to the waters would
save an enormous crop Of otherwise use
less, uDdevel ped oysters. Untold guam
titles 81 thtss hells 80 out OF the state
every season 10 be utilized In Virginia
and eastern waters. So large a quantity
we're ahirp.d from Crisfeld the past sea
son ~ II TO cents bushel
that none we're to be had at
the close OF the pack there.
''fhers are three causes for the in
creased APPROPRIATION Of oyster land dur
ing be past two years. First, the pas
sage o. lscd lass IN Somerset; second,
au agitation ot tho subject of planting.
5ff 4Nf a
trent THAI their present right to secure
the water privileges bordering on their
laud might become valuable; third. tho
facs thes sbe supply Of oysters has d.
mlnished
EXTREME PUNISHMENT INEFFECTIVE
II submit" "a continues. "that the
p3pUlhr IDEA ~ extreme puui shmeut for
violations he's never been found very 81
fsctive. II share has been diminuifion
Of cnme Ia connrotlou with dredging. il
may more properly ba attributed TO the
falling of "a tha number of dredrers Who
have taken out licenses This Industry.
bike others hes few violaters In lis
ranks
THE T0NaERs NOT yIRrUOus
~ do not ballev4 that all the crime Il
to 20 credltea % the dredger Practical
experience proves that It Is the excep
tionally bold reck Tess spirit who secures
returns by the invasion OF forbidden
grounds,
The tonrer is by no means more
viriuous man than the dredser ANY one
making g study Of this industry will OBJ
serve the facility with which the small
canoes Of The ionger slip out OF shallow
inless and depre0ate forbidden grounds,
catching seed oysters out Of season for
transportation TO other states, and the
ready way in Witch they evads arrest by
retreatiIg into the shoal waters. where
heavy draught vessels cannot pursue
am. however, convinced that
heavy punishments engender defiance of
law rather than respect. and | suggest
the limitation Of punishmepts within
more reasonable grounds. l have found
the majority Of men In the oyster fisher.
les are resdy to respect restrictive laws
passed for the good Of the whole In
dustry. A touger will not steal he will
take oysters. Ills social life is q credit
TO the state. More than one hundred
thousand souls live in independence on
the products Of the rivers and BAYS. Yes
An Independent, fearless people --Ameri-
can items Ia all that the name implies
| have journeyed far abroad, but never
uoder ang government have I come ia
contact With 50 marked an individual
as that among the oystermen Of the bay
counties Of Maryland. To do anything bv
legislation which would tend to alter this
condition would be an intolorable wrong
TIE laws should be made to perpetuate
this condition