The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-01
MoRNINGJoURNAL CoURIER ERIDAY sg5

| pOtb u SIGll llSll EOnlllilPSlOl4s L lC lAttAti
 Der dependent upon the industry does
 not probably fall short of thtrty-fYt
 hundred men
 Our genial friend has challenged 2
 comparison, so you will pardon the ego
 tism when we say that we created an in
 dustry which has furnished food fol
 millions of persons and work for thou
 sands.
 We have shipped oysters not only tc
 the eastern states, but to the middle
 states and to the Pacific coast, Oregon
 and Washington territory; to England
 Germany and the Bermudas.
 We have paid millions of dollars in
 wages to men and women in the busl-
 ness; to ship builders to build the sseY- enty steamers MT. Collins alluded to for building wharves, shops, dredges
 and hundred things which would tire
 you to hear mentioned, which we use in
 our business. We have paid great sums
 of money in wages to pilots, engineers,
 shovelers, deck hands, oyster openers both men and women-carpenters, builders, masons, blacksmiths, boiler
 makers, engine builders, mechanics and
 artizans, and professional men of eve
 ry sort. We have even paid considera- l ble sums to bacteriologists to examine
 oysters the past fall, to show the ab-
 surdity of that typhoid fever craze | long since exploded-which MT. Hall brought up as reason for his bill yes
 terday.
 I will not weary you with a fraction
 of the ways by which the industry has added to the wealth and prosperity of the state.
 I Our friends alluded to the railroad
 fares of sportsmen and challenged a l comparison. Why, we should say ln round numbers that the mere freight and expressage shipped in one single day by the oyster dealers in this state probably amounts to more than all the sportsmen's fares in q year.
 will not dwell longer on these gene ra1 advantages to the state accruing
 from the industry which we have crea- ted.
 Among the minor and more particular items, may mention that we have paid
 directly into the state treasury for this
 once worthless ground $60.70752, and
 since we have bought it we have paid in direct state tax the sum of $50, 0,555.24. This, as MT Merwin remarked early in
 
 our regular town, city, borough, school and other taxes, which we pay upon our wharves, shops. steamers and all our investments in our business. We have therefore paid into the state treasury directly the sum of $141,262.76 for the privilege of creating a great industry, while at the same time the state has been paying out great sums for the maintenance of the fish commission, and something-I do not know how much-for the protection of the game interests of the state.
 It has been producing fish for the sportsman to catch, at it's own expense, 1 while we have been paying the state for the privilege of raising oysters, and paying it we'll. I am not criticlzing the policy of the state in so doing. I would l not at all intimate that 1t Is not good policy. In fact don't want to express an opinion about any subject which I know little about.
 have been present in a waiting ca- pacity in hearings on finny fish matters l for twenty years, much longer than our 1 genial friends have been present at oys- | ter hearings but I do not know any more about legislation about ffnny fish | than they do about legislation on she'll | fish; onsequently have no suggestions to offer as to legislation about finny fish.
 The present shell-fish commission, all are agreed, is an efficient, economieali and praiseworthy body of state officials We want the committee to distinctly that the great outlay which was made for the shell-dsh commission to 1890 was not in any way to the oyster growers; more- over it was finally upon the effort prin- cipally of myself that the extravagantI and luxuriant expenditure of the old commission-not the present men-was cut short.
 Their appropriation was reduced by my effort in 1889 from $13, 300 a year to s4, 200, a saving to the state of over s. poo per year. which has amounted since t occurred to something over $50,000 1 The oyster growers never asked for the shell fish commission to be created. It was instituted by the state for the pur- , pose of diverting the proceeds of the sales of ground from the shore towns ; % the treasury of the state; and later or the purpose of laying and collecting ! ! tax upon the grounds.
 The business of the commission is z lone by the present efficient board for he small sum of five hundred dollars [ ear, covering pay and expenses. As I before remarked, the oyster in- t Iustry was more prosperous before the t institution of the commission than 1t | yer was after its creation. 6 Now I have laid before you some of [ he general considerations that bear [ pon this bill; but more specifically we presume it is the intention of this com r 1ittee, of the legislature and of the t tate of Connecticut, to lay no obstacles, r or hindrances in the way of f he oyster industry, 2 One of the duties of the clerk of sfiell- t sheries is to make assessments on all n yster grounds throughout the iurisdic- h ion of the state. S The clerk of shell fisheries has to a lake, an assessment on all these diff o srent lots, varying with the quality of 1e ground, the depth of water and the o revalence of starfish, the probability F 2 injury by storms, and many other d lcidents which I will not now stop to cI xplain. It requires long and exten- D we experience to qualify him to do this ls ork properly f,