The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-23

sible to get them from all the oystermen.
Theysdo not care to give publicity to their
business. The market value OF the oysters
from this point is upward of a million Of
dollars.
The area in the Delaware Bay and Maur-
ice River Cove, known as oyster grounds,
covers over 10000 acres. This vast area
of waters is divided by an imaginary line
running from the mouth of Straight
Creek to Cross Ledge Lighthouse, into
two parts. The natural beds belong to
the public, the planting grounds belong
to the State, but the property of the
planters that they placed there belong 70
the planters and are guarded by the
| oyster police.
seed oysters planted and these are now
being gathered. OF this amount $685. CAB
bushels were purchased by planters; Az
1924 bushels We're gathered in the Delaware
Bay. but mostly in other waters of the
| State by the planters. OF the total plants,
636, 44S bushels were obtained from New
Jersey waters, and $50, 919 bushels from
| outside of the State, mostly in Maryland.
The total cost of the seed oysters pur-
chased outside of New Jersey waters was
$325. 907. II.
p~ugnaeious, and it is a tradition that these
oystermen are born fighters, not Marcus
of Queensberry rules, but collectively Tor
their rights. Thrilling stories of oyster
wars break out in the newspaper Win
considerable regularity. In fact Bivalve is
under a war cloud now, and the quota
IlOliS VI Slllctl GI4llS dlit -
watched daily. These oyster wars are
more or less confused in the public mind,
because of the mixing of the conditions.
Tho oyStermen believe that the Creator
made all oysters pro bono pubiico, and
going on that theory they claim oysters
where He put them, but they believe also
that mans b is his own so Jnat Wheh
they dredge out oysters and replant them,
that the Creator is released OF the pro-
prietorship and they are private property
Owe ten years ago individuals began to
aocJrira Ia ,aAc on aud admitting tho .nVSfpr
beds from the Riparian Commissioner un-
der riparian grants. Nearly six miles of
the frontage, and extending one-half mile
into the bay, were taken from public use
and made private property. This brought
about the oyster war of two years ago,
and the case was only recently settled by
the courts to the effect that the State had
no right to grant these lands. The oyster
men are, however, shut out from the beds
and are preparing to resist the riparian
owners again.
Bivalve is the headquarters of the two
oyster associations, the old and the new.
The Delaware Bay and the Maurice River
Cove Oyster Association is the Oldest and
most powerful organization among oyster
men in this country. 1t has a MEMBER
ship of about 1000. The Tongers'' Asso-
citation is new and limited in membership
having been only created during the last
session of the Legislature. The oyster as
ISOLATION is vested with extraordinary
powers by the Legislature. BY a license
fee, collected from each oyster bed, a
large income is derived. which is expended
for police work done in connection with
the oyster grounds in the cove.
The oyster police is quite a novel insti-
tuition, and it costs this association up
ward of $1,000 a year. Boats are continual
ly patrolling the cove watching the staked
grounds of the oyster planters and keep
ing off the oyster thieves. The $4,000 is
spent more as q preventive of theft, for in
the last six years only three boats have
been caught stealing oysters. The fact
that the planting grounds are SO well
watched has broken up that business:
There are more politics in this place
Just now than in Trenton. The association
takes a hand in politics every year, and
as they hold the balance of power in Cum
berland county, they take a and at slate
making in the spring months when the
oyster season gets slack. Any man who
is not Endorsed by the oystermen goes
quickly to the wall. William L. Shrop-
shire. the new member of the Assembly
from Cumberland, is an FISHERMAN.