The evening times., 1899-03-28
Ten Millions of New York Cap
ital Behind It.
Eastern Shore Expert Discusses the
Proposed Scheme.
How II Will Affect the Maryland and
Virginia Industry and the
Planting Interest.


experienced ST. Michael's oyster buyer,
planter and packer. He said:
Il am quite well acquainted with the
conditions that surround and confront the
oyster business in Baltimore and Chicago
and among the extensive oyster planters
inn New Jersey, New York and Connecti-
cut waters. I also know something about
having had some correspondence on the
subject. 1t was first mooted year ago,
but found very little favor at that time
1t has certainly taken fresh start and
Will probably be pushed with some ASST
duty, if the capitalists who are to furnish
the money can agree upon the formulation
of a plan, which has not yet been done.
| would say, in the first place, that the
amount you name, 600, is not
enough, nor half enough, capital TO build
up even limited oyster trust. Nothing
less than S50, 1000, 600 should be thought of.
In the second place, an oyster trust is a
very difficult thing to organize, and might
become very dangerous thing if estab
lished. The difficulty lies in the assimila-
tion of the different interests connected
with the oyster business as whole. Sup
ering leased lands-and that is ali that is
now suggested-is followed by packers
trust, and that re-enforced by a combina-
tion of the catchers of native growth and
planters in free waters what would be-
come of ii and the $4,000, 600? Dangerous,
because the true business and commercial
objects of all organized efforts to deal with
the oyster trade should be 10 increase the
supply as rapidly as possible 10 the great
est extent possible, whereas these North
ern planters propose 10 effect a combina-
tion to limit the quantity planted and SO
TO limit the catch. This is very crude
The very idea is unworthy of intellig snt
business men. 1t is not the way to control
the oyster business nor to settle prices.
The oyster trade, in all its ramifica-
tions. from catcher and planter TO the re-
taller of shuched oysters needs; more con-
sumers of common stock. We want oys-
ters in such quantity that every respectable
living family in the United States and
British America can afford to use them as
a common article of food, and there would
be good money in it for everyone connect
ed with the oyster business. If the supply
OF selects were increased a hundredfold
there would be a market among the rich
for them all at the present high prices. No
millionaire can now get one-tenth of the
prime oysters he wants. The proposed
planters trust is wall from an uneX-
pected quarter If it is interpreted in 9TH
er sections as a confession that competi
ton and the difficulties of oyster culture
are minimizing the profitableness Of plant
ing in these Northern waters it will boom
the development of the same business in
the waters of the Southern coast, might
result in mighty unexpected and astonish-
ing consequences"
Chesapeake Bay Interests.
What effect would such a trust have
upon the Chesapeake Bay oyster busi-
ness?" was asked of the ST. Michael ex-
pert.
In my opinion, was the reply. '.the
Chesapeake Bay oyster trade is entirely
Independent of such a combination It is
worth more now than all the trade in all
the waters north of Cape May. A planters
trust of fifty millions would neither hurt
nor augment it. But here is the harm such
a trust would do to Maryland: The best
results of the Chesapeake oyster busi-
ness, both for the State itself and the peo-
pie, will not be attained until system of
State leasing of oyster grounds for oyster
culture by individuals or companies is de-
vised and legaliZed. This can never be
done until the voting people are convinced
it is the proper plan. Some of us, and
some of the newspapers, have been trying
to educate them up TO that point. We
are getting along fairly we'll The objec-
| tion urged most frequently is that under
any system of State leasing and private
ownership, capital, through trust combina-
tions, would get possession of the whole
bottom of the Chesapeake and throw out
of employment the tongmen, cullers, shuck-
ers, sail scrapers, and dredgers and small
packers. Let il become a fact, and an
oyster trust be formed even such fool
| ish and futile one as we are discussing,
then these people will become alarmed
| their worst fears will be verified, in theiI
! minds, and our missionary work among
| them will be set back generation. Here
| is where the New York trust will hurt
most among u.s.
Southern Oysters.
You said something about Southern
| waters in connection with this trust. vii
you go little more into detail?"
Yes; there are good oysters from the
Chesapeake capes to Mobile Bay. There
are no finer salt oysters in the world thar
are found in the bay of Mobile. Saddle
rocks and Blue Points, when there were
| any, were no better. Have you eaten oys.
ters in New Orleans and Mobile? Yes
| Well did you ever see any as large oysters
as the gulf oysters sold in New Orleans,
The ordinary oyster knife will not oper
them. 1t takes an 1S-inch chisel. There
are the two shells of an oyster set UP ir
| front of restaurant, on pillar of mason
ry in Custom House Street but the nfor-
| nation given the enquirer is that the oys.
ter came from the Azores. These two
shells weigh nearly d thousand pounds
The raw-box oysters at Mobile, taken from
| certain rocks in the bay, are said by naval
! officers and foreign travellers to be the fin
| est in the world.
Before the war between the States York
River, Virginia, was a great oyster-plant-
| ing place, and but little planting was done
| in Northern waters. The Smith brothers
Captain Peter and Captain Washington
were the principal York River operators
| They bought hundreds of thousands Of
| bushels in the Chesapeake, commencing
early in the spring and continuing until the
weather got too warm for safe carriage
| and they made great deal of money. The
| war destroyed their business, their vessel.
being burned and their oyster fields raw
aged This Northern planters trust viii
| most assuredly set this Virginia planting
| in motion again.
North Carolina Packers.
"a few years ago Baltimore and other
| Chesapeake packers commenced operations
| in the North Carolina sounds, making
| Elizabeth City the principal packing an6
| shipping point. The time was ripe fol
| putting great deal of capital in tide
water North Carolina. Our friends dowr
| there, however, were short-sighted enough
| to drive our people and their money oul
! by imposing prohibitory license on non.
| residents. A Northern planters trus
/ would open the eyes of these people. Sa.
| vannah could be made an important oyster
( packing centre, and many other places