The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1902-10-25

Il
| Freely This Season Opinions Ex
pressed by Biloxi Packers s-Loulsia
ma Law Will Not Work Hardship t.
the Mississippi Gamers Dnd Fisher
men.
The following from Thursday
Biloxi Herald is of material inter
est to our Bay St. LOUIS reader,
concerning the oyster supply il
| Mississippi waters, since, like
Biloxi,i the oyster season we are
largely dependent on the success
of that industry and since such in
furious reports that hay been cir.
eulated in Biloxi have been spread
in Bay st. Louis We copy as
followss
The report has been persistently
circulated by parties who are eth
er Ignorant of the facts or jealous
EofBiloxi's growth that the can
ming industry Of this city has re-
ceiyed a severe backset by the
operation of the Louisiana oyster
law. With a view to- aseertainiug
the fact in the case a representa-
tive of the Herald has visited sew
|eral or the Biloxi canneries and
interviewed both proprietors and
fishermen. Mr.. w. X. M. Du-
Kate of the Lopez & Dukate fac
tory, said on the subject: "The
mere fact that the laws of Louis
lana prohibit oysters taken in the
waters of that State to be sold
outside the State will work no
hardship to the Mississippi can
ners of fishermen, as we have with
in the borders of this State more
oysters than any others State south
of Maryland, except Louisiana.
Oysters are coming in as freely this
season from the Mississippi field
as heretofore, and prospects are
for a full pack. The culllng law
enacted by the last Legislature
decreases the supply to some ex-
tent, but the Improvement in the
quality and the additional yield
more than compensates for the
loss sustained. The market fol
Gulf coast oysters is entirely gov.
erned by the Eastern market, and
| it is not possible for the South.
ern oysters to bring higher price
than Baltimore oysters will bring
| '.This seasons pack of shrimp
has been the largest In the hlsto
Try Of the business, and the canning
business in Biloxi and along the
| Mississippi coast is in prosperous
condition.
"fhe idea which seems to have
prevailed that when the supply o.
/ Louisiana oysters was cut shor
the Mississippi cannerics woult
lhaye nothing to fall back on i
Ferroneons, as at no time have NOR,
than one-fourth of the oysters
which came to Biloxi canneriel
been taken from the Louisian;
field, and those were taken large
ly from the part of that State nov
in dispute. Instead of decreasing
the capacity of our Biloxi factory
as ] understand has been report
ed, it is being increased.
"The establishment of Il factor,
at Rigolets was done to compl,
with the Louisiana law and to in
crease the output, and will no
detract at all from the Biloxi bus
mess. .
Mr.. E. g. Joullian, in speaking
on the same subject, said in sub
stance: "The Louisiana Legisla
ture has cut the throat of its owl
people, as there are more availa,
BILE oysters in Mississippi thar
there are in Louisiana. There ar,
q million barrels of oysters un
touched in the Louisiana field il
twenty-five or thirty feet of wa
ter, but these will die of old agC
on the virgin bed, because the,
can not be reached except with
the dredge, and the Louisiana Law
prohibits the use of dredges il
any water, regardless of tht
depth. The Mississippi oyster.
now coming In are better than th,
Louisiana article, and are nearer
to Baltimore stock in quality
Last year, though we handled 15,
900 barrels month, less than 20C
of them came from the Louisian;
field. The effect of the cullin.
laws of this State will be to in
crease the prestige of the oyster
canned here. Our factories vii
begin canning oysters as soon a
the feet now out returns, and W,
expect to make a full pack thi
! season.
Mr.. /. Heidenheim, who man
ages large packing interests, is o
| the opinion that there are plent
/ u OyStcTS III biiiS Dtiite d1u say
they are going ahead and improv
ing the Barataria plant, havin
put in additional machinery {,
handle the bi-products. 9Th
Louisiana fishermen have bee
cut off from their marked marke
and are now forced to sell thei
catch at very low price, becaus
there are but very few buyers.
"The Louisiana oyster commits
sion recently leased the steame
Menefee from Biloxi parties, fo
use of tbe inspectors. They al
terwards found out that ther
werenot oysters enough being TAX
en- to pay the expenses of rur
ming the Menalee, and they mad
an unfounded report that she wa
unseaworthy and returned her t
the owners, who had just sper
900 dollars to put her in shap,
The fact is that it will take 600