Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1895-02-21

on a jury In our OOuibs WHeu auotueI
oystsrman Is on trial for stealing our
oysters, and we all know how hard 1t
Is to get conviction.
This proposed law Is too expensive;
1t costs $27O0 for the three commission
ers to get Its machinery In operation
and we have not got a watchman yet.
1t proposes sarvey of the oyster
beds In the cove. I was once on a
committee with Surveyor Sharp to
make survey of an oyster bed; we
took the lines from the shore by trian-
gulation, and by this proceeding 1t
took up two days to survey the plot.
There are 1900 grounds In Maurice
River cove; to survey these would re-
quire period of eight years!
This law destroys entirely our Oyster
Association, and when this Is gone and
the work of protecting our industry,
our grounds and the oyster business,
Ia thrown into the hands of three men,
our business will be ruined"
Captain Dillahay Is member of the
Oyster Association.
Capt. Chas. Howell, of Dividing
Greek, member of the Executive
Committee of the Oyster Association,
had strong obj 9ctions to the bill. He
took it up section by section, and could
not find any good point in any one of
them. He also had with him the min
utes and resolutions of a meeting held
in Dividing Greek Friday night, con-
demnatory of the bill which he sent up
to the Secretary's desk.
Major McDaniels, of Port Norris,
who is not member of thes Oyster AS
ISOLATION, said he could wind up the
whole subject In nut shull. ''The
man" said he ''who drew up this bill
did 1t In the lack of wisdom. Dumb
as I seem to be, dumb as I look to be,
1 would have more sense than to have
introduced such bill. / would not
present such a bill to the Legislature
and ask them to make law of It,"
These remarks brought Col. Austin
to his feet, and he said that 1t was
partly on Mr.. McDapiel's evidence be.
fore the Oyster Commissions that the
bill was introduced, He said that Mr..
McDaniels evidence before the COM
missioners was to the effect that the
State should have control of the oys-
ter grounds.
Mr.. McDaniels deniel that his evil
dence was to that effect, and Col. Aus.
tin said he had Mr.. McDsniel's testi-
mony at hand, which was taken down
by the stenographer as uttered. and
he read from the report Mr.. McDaniel's
evidence where he said, 'In my opin'
ion 1t would be wise for the State to
take control of these grounds If the
take proper MEANS"
Mr.. McDaniels said he had said that
and he could not back out from 1t
either. IF they take the proper
means," but he didn't want this bill;
he IVES opposed to it; 1t was a null
ssnce; under its operations the oyster.
men would be no better than slaves
who hoed corn or picked cotton"
Things were getting warm at this
time, and Senator Stokes poured oil
upon the water by soothingly saying
that he and his colleagues were not
there In the interest of the bill; what
they wanted was to find out what the
oystermen desired, so that needed
legislation could be secured.
Chairman Dillahay stated that a
meeting had been held in Port Norris
the afternoon before and that meeting
had unanimously condemed the bill;
the proceedings of that meeting would
be shortly presented.
He said he had something to say
about the bill. The bill, In several
features, was not worth the paper 1t
was written on. Sections and 10
were particularly referred to. Section
10, he said, proposed to give the three
commissioners authority to do just es
they pleased; they were do-as-you-
please commission, having power to
pass ordinances to regulate the oyster
business to suit themselves, and the
oystermen "were not In it." He be.
lieved that the very perfume of the
bill was riparianism from beginning to
end as hint of this he said section 8
had named every pigeon hole OF
natural oyster beds, exempting them
from lease, and prohibiting them from
being dredged, excepting Fort
This, la itself, was sufficient evidence
that the bill was engineered In favor
of riparian owners.
Captain James Philips, of Port
Norris, was opposed to the States
control of the oyster business. He
compared such a course with the
course pursued on the Delaware side.
He thought the State should give the