The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-25
OYSTERMEN AT THE CAPITOL
COIEKITTEE ON FISHERIES GIVE
THEM Il HEARING.


of This City Gives Valuable Information
Animated Discussion on the Proposed
Act Concerning Increase of License Fee
for Working Natural Beds.
A hearing on several bills relating to
the oyster industry took place before
the comtmittee on fisheries and game
at the capitol, Hartford, yesterday af-
ternoon. oyster growers from varl-
GUS towns in the state were present
The shell fish commission was repre-
sented by Commissioner Swartz of Nor
walk, the clerk of the shell fisheries;
Mr.. Mathewson and d. C. Sanford, en-
gineer Of the commission. The Connec-
ticut Oyster Growers association was
represented by President Henry c.
Rowe, Secretary D. C. Sanford, Captain
Charles Palmer of Sound Beach, d. p
MerWin OF Milford, and others. The
Oystermen's Protective association was
represented by William A. Lewis of
Bridgeport John Mcneil of New Haven
and others.
Most of the bills considered related to
the public or natural beds.
The first one brought UP was senate
bill No. 166, increasing the appropria-
ton for the engineer of the shell fish
commissioners fro m$200 to $500 This
was advocated by Commissioner
SWartz and Clerk of Shell Fisheries
Mathewson. They Informed the COM
mittee that the map of New Haven
grounds, made several years ago by
the former engineer of the shell fish
commission, had been found very faulty
and that in order to replace it with
correct may, it would be necessary to
have an increased appropriation.
The next bill considered was house
bill No, 297 which shortened the CLOSE
season in the Housatonic river, making
it's commencement July 20 instead of
January in each year. This was adj
vocated by Mr. Porter and Mr.. Beebe
of Stratford, Mr.. Ball of NorWall< and
Representative Brakeman Of Stratford.
The next bill brought up was house
bill 305, amending section 2,4O3 of the
general statutes so as to make it neces-
sary that every person engaged in the
oyster business, either as employer or
employe, shall have been resident OF
the state for not less than one year,
This was advocated by Mr.. Lewis,
representing the Oystermen's Protec-
tive association. Henry C. Rowe, rep
resenting the Connecticut Oyster Grow
ers' association, said that in behalf of
the association he should object to this
bill applying to growers and their en-
ployes; the growers should have the
right to employ any residents OF the
state, whether they had been year in
| it or not in the same way as those en-
gagged in any other private business.
| Mr.. Rowe offered a substitute bill to
the committee, providing that the bill
should apply only to the natural or
public beds. Mr.. Lewis accepted this
| substitute bill in place of the one which
| he had offered, and the committee re-
! ceived the substitute bill and will prob
| ably recommend it's passage.
| House bill No 100 was next consider
ed 1t was advocated by Messrs Lew
| is, Mcneil and Palmer, and opposed by
| General Frost, representative from
Norwalk: Captain Reed, Mr.. Soper and
Mr.. Bell of Norwalk.
the opponents of the bill claiming that
the increase of the license fee for work
ing on the natural beds, from two to
| ten dollars, would be q hardship to
some of the natural growers. Those
| in favor of the bill claimed that it was
necessary to raise more money in order
to provide for buoying the natural beds
and for use by the shell fish commits
sioners in catching starfish on those
beds. IT was claimed by the advocates
of the bill that the starfish destroyed
| the young oysters very rapidly, and
| that there were great quantities Of
them on the public bed which not only
destroyed the young oysters on the
natural bed, but also came over onto
| the private oyster grounds of neigh
boring cultivators, the natural oyster
beds being a breeding place for the
starfish
President Rowe, for the Growers as
sociation, stated that the oyster grow
ers of his association had not much di-
rect interest in this bill, because most
of the members of the association did
| their business with steamers, and
steamers were forbidden by law to
work on the natural beds. The grow
ers he said, propagated all the oysters
| from the spawn on their own grounds.
| Alluson having been made to the in
come of the shell fish commission, Mr..
Rowe called the attention of the COM
mittee to the fact that the income was
in reality the taxes paid by the oyster
growers. The oyster growers had paid
nearly a hundred thousand dollars to
the state for grounds, and have paid a
much larger sum in taxes; the tax COL
lected during the past year was SO, 1885,
As: the amount received from boat IL
censes on the natural beds was only
| $3.50. $3.50 that the income to the state
from the cultivated grounds has been
about eleven times as much as from the
natural beds. In the case of the grow
ers, they raise all their own oysters at
their own expense, while on the natural
beds the business is simply to catch
what nature has produced. He said
that his association did not either adj
vocate or oppose this bill, but he was
of the opinion that it would be advan-
tageous to those who worked on the
natural beds, if a sufficient sum was
raised to catch some of the starfish
which infest the public beds; it would
also be an advantage to planters own
ing ground adjoining the natural beds.
He said that he spent about $4,000 for
catching starfish annually, and that his
| Taught him If 9