The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-02-18
Absolutely Pure.
Fish Pound Owners Mad.

HoU uMttu VWttEtS tUods
! Assemblyman Scovers bill wipine
out the fish pounds on the New Jer
! sey coast has stirred up the owners
of these big fishcatching devices, and
they visited Trenton in force or
| Tuesday. They were given public
hearing and presented some strong
| arguments against State interference
with their business. incidentally.
they denounced the State Fish and
Game Commission, and claimed II
had made false statements about the
pounds in it's annual report. All the
argument was against the bill. Next
Tuesday the interests that would be
benefited by its passage-the hook
and line fishermen, boatmen and sea
shore hotelkeepers- have their
inning. State Fish Protector Shriner
will also probably have something to
say in answer to the attack on the
! Fish Commission.
The anti-pound bill is as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and
General Assembly of the State OF
| New Jersey: /. If any person or per-
sons or association of persons or cor
porations, shall erect, build, set up,
repair or maintain, or shall aid assist,
abet in the erecting, setting up, re-
pairing or maintaining, any fishing
dam or pound or other device what
soever, except fishing with sweep
! ing seine, gill nets, hooks and lines,
darts, scoop nets, or eel baskets for
taking fish in the Atlantic ocean, or
any of the bays of this State, he, she,
or they shall be deemed guilty of a
luisdemeanor, and on conviction
shall be punished by ~ fine not ex-
ceeding one thousand dollars or by
imprisonment at hard labor for the
| term of three years, or both, at the
discretion of the court.
The delegation at Trenton on Tues
day was composed chiefly of pound
net owners from Monmouth and
ems, of Asbury Park, president of
was organized to market the fish
1 they were doing the public a service
\ in bringing fresh fish to the people
( of the large cities at greatly reduced
/ prices. He claimed that fish had been
| sold from their cars in Newark and
4 Trenton for cents Il pound, when
! the retail dealers were charging 10 to
| 10 cents. He claimed that the small
fish were put back, alive into the
ocean, and none of the fish caught
in tile pounds were sold to be made
into fertilizer. He admitted that two
pounds at Bradley Beach he'd caught
as high as 10000 pounds of food
| fish in one haul. The argument oi
Mr.. Citizens and all the other pound
men was that the supply of fish was
| r,ro cfioalIu iuaYha ustihla
The Hennessy brothers were mucf
in evidence at the hearing. There
were three of them, John, Walter
and Garret. They came from Long
Branch, and are all interested in fish
pounds. John, who is one of the
owners of the Stone Harbor pound
which lie claimed did not pay, saiC
they caught sheepshead, butter fish
founders, weakfish; sea bass ant
occasionally blue fish.
Walter Hennessy created a sensa
ton by thursting himself in front 0
Chairman Scovel and demanding:
Are you the man that drew VI
this bill?''
''Yes that's my bill,' req lied tn
chairman.
why did you do it?''
$50 that no fish monopoly or trus
could exist on the New Jersey coast.
"Well said Hennessy, banging TIN
desk, you don't Know your busi
ness.
Chairman Scovel, who had beer
very courteous in his treatment o
the pound owners then flushed at thi
insult and hotly retorted:
Il want you to know sir, that
! think know my business and that
shall endeavor to pass this bill.
Capt. Ben Griggs, of Port Mon
mouth, poured oil on the troubled
waters by paying a neat complimen
to Chairman Scovel, and then max
ing an argument that nearly all th'
1 men interested in pound fishing wer'
+ Republicans and were entitled I,
| protection from Republican Legis
| lature.
Some of the Raritan Bay pount
men said they only caug hit lnenhadel
| for nait. and the bill would make j
almost impossible for the hook anC
/ line and menhaden fishermen to ge
sufficient quantities of bait. Th'
Weehawken Oil Refinery refuse anC
New York's garbage, they claimed
had driven all the food fish out o
Raritan Bay
Garret Hennessy. in answer Il
Chairman Scovel said he though
/ the pound net owLers would be will
ing to pay fair tax. snch as tn
menhaden fishermen are now com
pelled TO pay.
AS showing the value of the hool
\ aud liz e fishing. Captain II. II. Eos
ter said the profits Of the Seabrigh
fisherm en- ia 1888 aInornted TO abou
j $500, 600
4 1t was stated after tlie hearins
! that the Atlantic Fish Company is i
! financial difficulties, a receiver hav
ing been appointed on Monday
The officers are John A. Citizens
| resd ent; Senator G. Asa Francis
vice president. aid +. Jeffrey, treas
urer Mr.. Citizens claims tnat h'
| hasNlost $4,000 in the pound fisbins
business in the past two Years. a
! bury Park Press.