Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-16

Gatncr OystcrS from tne naturhi oyptes
beds Of Virginia might be increased u
| season hand-tong-tax and s. per season
patent-tong-tax in advance. This ehd
would be attained II. where the tong
| man elects to pay a percentage on MS
| weekly sales. he was required to render
to the County Clerk Of his county week
ly account OF these sales. He
would then be glad to pay ms
annual tong-tax In advance. Al
would fare alike If this was done. ana the
gross frauds often practiced where per
| centage Is paid by fongmen on tneif
weekly sales would be prevented.
There are about ten thousand tongmen
In the State, and this would mean a gross
revenue from this source alone or S9'"o
| a year to the State, and would innlct no
great hardship on the tongmen. There
seems no reason why Virginia should not
derive revenue from her hshing IN
terests. and laws might be SO framed as
10 accomplish this, and. at the same
| time. to benefit these interests.
Take. for instance, the pound nets Of
1 Virginia. The statistics ! am about to
use are taken from the bulletin OF the
| United States Fish Commission Vol.
| KILL. 1898. They represent the personal
inquiries Of feld-agents Of the United
States Fish Commission. That ofiice mas
a permanent force trained for the col
lection and compilation OF the statistics
| OF the ocean, shore. river. ana lake
| fisheries Of this country. Ample encour-
agement has been given to this sta
tistical service. and Congress has APP
propriated annually. since lsss. specific
sum for it's use. The figures must be
| essentially correct:
| At the time these statistics were col
lected there were in the State OF Virginia
| GIG pound-nets. trap-nets. and weirs
valued at sl62, 800. their average cost beins
sl77.G0 The value of the products taker
from these pouni-nets. trap-nets. and weir'
was si76. 2si an average annual product Of
S519.97. a net Is usually owned and run by
very few men. who are employed In this
| business only a small portion OF the year
The apparatus In attached firmly to stakes
and is kept. while in use, in the same Pc
4 sition. Under our present laws there ].
no way Of regulating the location Of these
nets along the shores Of Chesapeake bay
proper, and along the Atlantic coast
| shores OF Virginia. The value Of one OF
| these nets can be. very seriously impaired
by placing another in c.ose proximity &c
| H. BY system Of license taxes the loca-
! ton Of the nets might be regulated and al
| the same time the Wholesale destruction
| of fish be prevented. There seems no good
reason why Virginia should not obtain ar
| annual revenue. Of say S5WO, for such
! license taxes. and in the end those en-
| gagged In this business would be greatly
| benefited by such license taxes
| A reasonable license tax should also be
| imposed on all purse-nets. gill-nets, fyke-
| nets. seines, and on all boats used In
Grabbing. Thus only can their Use OF
| abuse be regulated
| VALUE OF OUR FISHERIES.
The annual value Of the product Of Vir'
| ginia fisheries exclusive OF oysters) Is
| 81 PA This enormous product should
| yield some direct revenue to the State. An
| annual revenue Of $4,000 might be obtain
ed by a system of license taxes which
would in the end prove beneficial to the
people from whom the money was obtain
Cd.
The writer has taken the trouble to OBJ
tain from every oyster State in the United
| States the exact amount OF the direct rev.
| enue derived by each oyster State from
| her oyster interests. No State I'm the
| Union has so far derived large direct
revenue from such interests. 1t is not
| difficult to see why this has been the case.
| Only such States as Connecticut, New
York. and New jersey have largely de-
veloped their oyster industries by the
rental of bottoms to individuals and firms.
| None of these States has so urgent a need
for revenue as has the State of Virginia.
One OF the largest and most successful
! discrepancies In Connecticut is on re-
cord as having frankly admitted that his
State parted with her oyster grounds
on terms entirely too liberal. Virginia
| cannot afford TO be liberal as Con-
| necticut was. The interest on her State
| debt will in a few years be very largely
| increased. and she will need all her re-
| sources to meet it.
| l do not believe that the recommenda-
tons embodied in this report would meet
| with violent opposition. even in the oyster
| regions, if they were to become laws.
| LIBERAL TOWARDS THE SURVEY
The Legislatures of this State and its
| Chief Executives, have been extremely
| liberal In their attitude towards the sur
vey. Ii will be source of great disap-
pointment If the results obtained shall
| be of no real value to the taxpayers
of the State. or in settling the compli-
Gated questions involved
The recommendations heretofore made
! in regard to the purchase OF steam
launches of light draft and economical
| construction for the use of the Virginia
| oyster police force were partially carried
| out when the Legislature made an APP
preparation for the purchase of the
| Accomacl. Under your immediate d.
| rection she was armed and equipped.
| How efficient the Virginia oyster police
| has been during the past season Is best
| shown by the fact that the papers have
| been entirely free of any complaint as
| to depredations on the Virginia oyster
grounds by Illicit dredgers. The oyster
men themselves in Tangier and Pocomoke
| Sounds, have had no complaint TO make
| during the past winter. This should be
| conclusive evidence as 10 the efficiency
| of the oyster police force of Virginia. The
very extensive natural oyster beds along
| the ocean shores of Accomac and North
ampton counties still have no protection.
| The class of oysters found there will be
ultimately very extensively used by plant
ers. a small launch of very light draft
| Is needed 10 protect these beds from out
side depredations.
Before closing / must give fuli credit
| 10 the cordial and efficient service rem
dered by Mr.. Burton Marye and Mr.. T..
c. Warwick, Jr. Most of the field work
along the Atlantic coast shores OF Vir-
| ginia was executed by these gentlemen.
TO Mr.. Burton Marye, much OF the
| credit of the preparation of the Atlantic
| coast charts is due.
The demand for some OF these oyster
charts has been so great that those OF
part Of Chesapeake bay and its tributaries
are largely exhausted
| III would be well LOT tne LeSisia'"ie
| 10 have all of these thirty charts re-
published In colors. They can be so
| published for about sl,2W. The state
would be reimbursed If charge OF "a
| cents per chart was made.
| Dr. John w. Bowdoin, the Commissioner
! of Fisheries for Virginia, has cordially
| seconded me In my efforts to bring the
SURVEY to a successful completion. lie
| will himself embody his views In a re-
port.
THE YEARS REVENUES.
The revenues derived from the oyster and
fishing interests during the last hscal
| year. for which the returns are com
| plete. are given In the suSjoined fur
nished table by the State Auditor;
| Statements of amounts reported by In
spectors of tax collected during the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1894, and from
| what sources derived-to wit:
| From patent tongs ................s 22Io y.
! From tongcrS ........,..........'. 5V'. ..
| From dredgers ...................'. -'t-o W
From rent OF oyster grounds. 2o6U "
| Eines ....... 593 II
| s35. $50 S;
The annual revenue which Virginia OBJ
tanned for the fiscal year ending Septem'
Der 80 1894. from those who rented bar
rem area disposable for the purpose OF
planting or propagating oysters thereon.
was S. 1851 greater than the annual reve-
nue. which she obtained from her Dl.2l6.'