The evening times., 1900-03-20

ANNAfOLlS, AQ-. MdfCh IA 8eneEdi
Oyster Planting bill was presented last
evening beth 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 f.om the opera
tion OF Che act. Subject TO this qualihca-
tion the right is given to any bsra-hde
residents of Maryland to plant ard cu.u-
yate oysters upon ar. land co"ersd by TIE
waters OF this State.
The bill provides for the Office Of Shell
FISH Commissioner of Maryland. The term
OF the Office is four years aad the sal-ry
5000 per aEnum. Provision is also made
Ger the employment OF a CHEZ clerk upon
a salary OF 81 $40, with not more tlan
three additional assistants. The COmmis-
sioner is allowed 10 employ a competent
surveyor, who Shall also be a hydi ogro phic
engineer, upon salary not exceeding
$2.500.
The Commissioner is directed 10 prepare
set Of maps. each map to represent a Cis-
trict OF the bay When he map for any
one district shall have been finished the
district shall be declared open for oyster
culture. and applicants who shall be b.ra
ide and responsible residents Of Maryland
shall be given the right TO take up md
net exceeding 800 acres 10 any enc pere-
son. The land shall be leased and not sold
The leases are to run twenty years. and
the rental is 70 be a fixed yearly sum, to b
named by the Commissioner. not less than
81 and not more than s. per acre per
annum.
Provision Is made for clear IND sim-Ie
set Of forms Of cOBveyanCcs tOr eases aad
assignments OF land 10 be used for oyster
culture.
Among the general provisions OF the bill
the following may be noted as important.
Owners Of land bordering or the bay or its
tributaries are given the first right 20 take
~ oyster lands adjacent 10 their property.
not exceeding. however. 800 acres TO any
cne person No assignments made 10 non
residents are valid and no person. firms,
or corporations are permitted 20 acquire
more than 300 acres of oyster land.
The revenues arising from the operation
Of the act are 10 be applied in the follow
Ing manner: First. 10 the payment OF all
salaries expenses Outlays. and disburse-
meuts authorized by this act: second. 20
the support g.. the State fishery force IN
so far as tie revenues arising from the
general oyster laws OF the State Ecw IN
force may be insufficient for that purpose:
the treasury OF the State
r. Howard Haman. who has studied the
oyster q-estiOn for years. came 10 Anna
polls with the draft Of the bill and made
the following statement regarding il:
This bill was prepared with a good deal
OF care by AlOnZ0 /. Miles and myself Mr.
Miles and are going 10 press for a speedy
hearing before the proper committee OF the
Senate and House which. l presume viii
be the Committee on the Chesapeake Bay
and It's Tributaries.
NO private interests are in any manner
connected with this bill. II is an effort
TO put into practical shape some OF the
great scholarly work which Prof Brooks
has done Tor the State Of Maryland
Upon low and very moderate estimate
the revenues capable OF being produced for
the State treasury from a fair sdministra-
ts0n OF tEis act will be not less than
S25C 60n a year.
The State OF Maryland seems to be
asleep wEiiC its principal indUs,I- is
threatened with extraction. Miles and I
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 10 see
its revenues increased and its taxation
Iessened
Not many years ago the oyster fund OF
the State Treasury had nearly $500 600 TO
its credit Il is now entirely exhausted.
Ten years ago the Oystermen. fongers.
sCrspers. 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 Tor 4 liy-
ing upon the vast packing business OF
Maryland are threatened with the loss Of
that living al no distant date. When the
oyster supply Is gone. as sC-a will be the
case under the present wastefu. and ig-
nOrant system, the entire canned Goods in
dustry viii be destroyed. so far ss Nary
land is concerned. Packing houses cannot
be run during the entire year ~. ess la
borers are kept employed during the win
ter months as well as in the summer. II
present conditiCrs 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 il.
I'VE 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 its opponents at AnnapO-
lis. and we promise that the inherent
merits Of the bill will challenge enquiry
and 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 viii be lessened by the revenues
which the State has only TO reach out its
hand to gather from the black mud under
the waters OF the Chesapeake Bay and It's
tributaries -