The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-09
VIRGINIA'S OYSTER BEDS.
From the Washington Post.

tional amendment which will result in
proprietary rights in the oyster beds in
Virginia waters, including the Chesa-
peake Bay, is decidedly unpopular one
in the oyster regions Of that State. 1t
will be fought with all the force possible.
as has been done on other occasions, for
this scheme to take from the oystermen
the right to use in common the oyster
beds is by no means u new one. For
years and years these wealth.producing
oyster beds have been the object of de.
sire on the part Ola few capitalists who
would like to own and regulate them
Every form of aggression possible has
been made by these people, and it has only
been 10y constant vigilance and hard work
that the poor FISHERMAN of to-day is per-
mitted to have the same access to the oys-
ter beds that the wealthier- classes cniov.
The industry is II large one, realizing an.
nuallv 81, 800 600 TO Virginia. and lit is
feared that should the State allow propri
etarv rights To the oyster beds the entire
industry would be controlled Shy syndi.
cate and thousands who depend on it to
support their families would be forced
out of the busint So
1t is admitted by all oystermen that al
ready the beds have been over. worked
and they would 'ong ago have been ex.
hausted by rich dredgers had it not been
for protecting legislation obtained by the
very men who are now preparing for IL
new battle under the name of the Nir-
ginia Oystermans Protective Association.
a competent authority on oysters said
yesterday:
1.-The beds of South Carolina have been
practically exhausted: the famous OYSTER
beds of Maryland and Virginia in the
4 Inns. a,I- 1t.
Inns, IL high authority, calls, the most
imnortan, oyster region in the world,
are being so depleted of oysters that the
gravest apprehension is caused rs to the
future. The conditions in the Chesapeak.
Bay have been made by nature the most
perfect for oyster culture in the universe
but man has outraged Il bountiful nature
by fishing for the oysters without replant-
ing, and as u consequence this remarkable
oyster region is becoming rapidly less i'm
portant. The people engaged in the oys-
ter industry realize this, and trained from
childhood to look upon the oyster grounds
as their patrimOny it is perhaps not re-
markable that 1.-The fishermen of the
Chesapeake have bitterly, and to this
time successfully, opposed nll attempts at
legislation intended to convey proprietary
rights in the grounds. The value OF the
oyster business alone to Southeast Vir-
ginia is about 81, 800, 600 per annum. It
is crop constantly harvested except in
the months of May to August inclusivcn
1t is claimed by the friends of the pro-
posed constitutional amendment that if
proprietary rights were granted to the
famous oyster beds they would be care
fully replanted and so cultivated that the
crop would ever be OH the increase, and
not rs it now is said to be on the decrease
Al -
sons employed in the industry would be
greater than now, but admit that the
number would he few who engaged in it
in any other capacity than as employees
The last statistics obtained by the Uni
ted States Fish Commission concerning
this industry was in 1880, and since then
1t has increased perhaps 20 per cent. In
that year the number of "canoes and
skiGs employed were .i,4Sl; the number
of men OH them, $500; the number of
larger vessels, l,3l1, and the number of
men on these. 1916, IA total of l., 236
men, of which {, 53S were white and I 1858
We're colorcd.'
The report of the Fish Commission for
1895 shows that in Virginia, 43. 693, $50
pounds of oysters, valued at 50, 560,31S,
were captured, and that in 1891 fifty
firms were engaged in packing oysters for
market, employing 1906 persons The
value of property used was 1866, 900, and
the cash capital S29j,000. Wages paid
amounted to $405,306 The number of
bushels handled, 2,617,Gi7, the value of
which was 81, 1874 ,694 The number of
gallons sold open was 1851, 040. valued ut
81 800, 542. Sold in the she'll, 295. 0l3
bushels. valued 1T $3.50, 209. Canned 396,
G26 quarts, valued at $56,6l
These fifty firms gave business to each
individual FISHERMAN, for they bought all
he would sell, and n very large majority
of the oystermen sold to these firms. The
prices received were about the same as
obtained if shipped to any other market
The opponents to the scheme Of proprie-
tary rights in the oyster beds say that rs
soon rs such an act becomes a law the
men who may now ut any time place
their tOngs in their boats and labor when
they will, will be driven from. the bust.
ness They will make Il strong fight for
what they really believe TO be their rights,
as against those of monopoly.
THAT CATARRH Is A LOCAL AF-
FICTION.
of the nasal passages is..a fact established
by physicians, and this authority should
carry more weight than assertions of in
competent parties. that catarrh is blood
affection. Ely's Cream Balm is local
remedy, composed OF harmless metlicants
and free of mercury or any injurious
drug 1t will cure catarrh. Applied
directly To the in!lamed membrane, it re-
stores it to its healthy condition.