The evening times., 1900-03-20

MARYLbND'S OYSTER BILL
Proposed Legislation to Promote a
Prof able lndnslry.
A SheIifish Commissioners Provided
For-saturaI~ Beds to lie Exempt.
Acres to BE Leased to One Person.
The General Situation at Present.

ANNAPOLIS, Md, March IA generdi
Oyster Planting bill was presented last
evening both In the Senate and In the
House OF Delegates. The bill is entitled
'An act to establish and promote the
industry OF oyster culture in the State of
Maryland
The bill provides that all natural beds
or bars shall be excluded ftom the opera
tion of the act. Subject to this qualifca-
tion the right is given to any bona fide
residents of Maryland to plant and cu.ti-
vate oysters upon any land covered by tie
waters Of this State.
The bill provides for the Office of She'll
FISH Commissioner of Maryland. The term
of the office is four years and the sal-ry
So 0e0 per annum. Provision is also made
fer the employment OF a CHIEF clerk upon
a salary of 81 500, with not more tnan
three additional assistants The COmmis-
sioner is allowed 10 employ a competent
surveyor, who shall also be hydi ogra phic
engineer, upon salary not exceeding
$2.500.
The Commissioner is directed TO prepare
set of maps, each map to represent Gis-
trict OF the bay. When the map for any
one district shall have been finished the
district shall be declared open for oyster
culture, and applicants who shall be bra
fide and responsible residents of Maryland
shall be given the right to take up Lind
not exceeding 3G0 acres TO any enc pere-
son. The land shall be leased and not sold.
The leases are to run twenty years, and
the rental is to be a fixed yearly sum, to b..
named by the Commissioner. not less than
81 and not more than 81 per acre per
aDnum.
Provision is made for clear and simple
set of forms of coBveyances Ior leases and
assignments of land to be used for Oyster
culture.
Among the general provisions of the bill
the following may be noted as important:
Owners of land bordering on the bay or its
tributaries are given the first right to take
UP oyster lands adjacent to their property,
not exceeding. however, 800 acres TO any
che person. No assignments made to nom
residents are valid, and no person, firms,
or corporations are permitted to acquire
more than 300 acres of oyster land.
The revenues arising from the operation
of the act are TO be applied in the follow
ing manner: First. to the payment OF all
salaries. expenses, Outlays, and disburse-
ments authorized by this act; second. TO
the support of the State fishery force. in
SO far as the revenues arising from the
force may be insufficient for that purpose;
third, the balance. if any. to be paid into
the treasury of the State.
r Howard Haman who has studied the
oyster question for years, came to Anna
polls with the draft Of the bill and made
the following statement regarding it,
This bill was prepared with good deal
Of care by Alonzo l.. Miles and myself. Mr.
Miles and l are going to press for a speedy
- -
Senate and House. which, l presume, will
be the Committee on the Chesapeake Bay
and us Tributaries
No private interests are in any manner
connected with this bill. Ii is an effort
to put iTto practical shape some Of the
great scholarly work which Prof Brooks
has done for the State Of Maryland.
Upon low and very moderate estimate
the revenues capable OF being produced for
the State treasury from a fair administra-
ton Of this act will be not less than
$3.50. 0oa year.
The State of Maryland seems to be
asleep while its principal indus;r~ is
threatened with extinction. Miles and |
shall do our best for few days so to pre-
sent this subject as 20 interest everyone
who cares anything about the packing IN
dustry of the State or who desires to see
it's revenues increased and its taxation
lessened.
Not many years ago the oyster fund Of
the State Treasury had nearly $500 600 to
its credit 1t is now entirely exhausted.
Ten years ago the oystermen. tongers
scrapers ard dredgers were busy and
prosperous. They are now, for the most
part impoverished.
The greatest natural supply Of oysters
in the world existed at one time in the
Chesapeake Bay. This supply has been
wasted and thrown away in the most
reckless and negligent manner, until now
all classes of people who depend for 4 liv-
ing upon the vast packing business of
Maryland are threatened with the loss of
that living at no distant date. When the
oyster supply Is gone. as soon Will be the
case under the present wasteful and ig-
norant system, the entire canned goods in
dustry will be destroyed. so far as Mary
land is concerned. Packing houses cannot
be run during the entire year unless la
borers are kept employed during the win
ter months as we'll as in the summer II
present conditions continue even a few
years longer Virginia. with its BROADER
policy, will attract not only the oyster
trade of this State, but also the kindred
industries which belong to it and depend
upon it,
1--WE want this proposition criticised.
We invite debate and solicit intelligent ex-
animation and investigation of the plan We
propose. We hope all the papers of the
State will copy the provisions of this bill.
We hope to meet it's opponents at Annapo-
lis. and we promise that the inherent
merits of the bill will challenge enquiry
ard discussion. The bill is in the interests
of the oystermen, in the interests of the
tax-ridden farmers of the State, in the
interest Of every business enterprise whose
taxation will be lessened by the revenues
which the State has only to reach out it's
hand to gather from the black mud under
the waters OF the Chesapeake Bay and It's
tributaries