The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-12
Annual Report Of State Commissioner
|. P. Kibbs
PROTECTIVE LAWS ARE MUCH NEEDED
Texas Coast Offers Superb Opportunity
for the Raising OF Oysters on
Commercial Scale.


With | beg to hand YOU my report for wear
ending August 81. 1902, with following 70.
marks rs 10 conditions OF trade along the
coast aAl other items which may be o. M.
tercst.
IN comparing this report with that Of
iSOi. the item OF SsaS95 ION meuhaden
Should be considered. The FisheHes con-.
pany Of Port Arthur loit the state short
~ after the report Of 1880 was made ANA
nothing is reported FROM them Ia this lust
report Deduct their catch OF meahaden
from 1901 report and Il will be seen taat
the other products than last report. thls
hsn nnd oysters, Via, Increase of ush,
IsoS0z pounuS aud S4l ltd -, ur ABOUT lO
per ueuu, lncI ehso OF cystts. le,I1z narrcis
aud SiA,fl2, on ABOUT As per ceuC C0nui
tons were more favorable for oysters Los
lAui ANA lsV@ toah lpVg ana HOO. as many
bUaB we're destroyed los the fteshuts Of
those years. Ne uow nave O nuv set 90
AUuhg oysters on ueaIiN every reef aud
new beds or reefs are forming, whlcn gives
encouraging prospects for uukt year
tue Investigating committee ptOvdrd for
by TIE last legislature mas made d report
on the various state Departments. ana II IT,
now betote the pubic ana Val duuNucsa
he considered at the ueyi session. rhc no.
port embraces the Following m regard %
lut NeA NNO oyster JAW ana tNN tumMl-
sipu or Which 4 nave the honor Go bc ihC
hcdu, AMI the tohlWing Is tuelr report u0
tnis department. rae conuitteo nus net
siycn TINS subject az thorough rXnmluI
tiou as Il demanae, Dat suuicifut into. aa
tion was obtNntd 20 wn}iNH tue conclusion
ttdt no benchci0l rtsultg whatever accrued
to tho state under ctlsiiuG law. wuich {
nowhere enforced, and 10 rs recommended
that the STATUTE Ice SO amended that re
turn 10 the hrst ACT on inc subject be hnd
toi IN the change fram is tn salary f0g
ouicial Is 10 Ice round tAe lAgE ot vigilance
w the enforcement Of pcrhapa a wise law,
We Ind the law unpopular 10 thc extreme
With t0e coast-dwehns peupio County oi
nciula report no good results nor uyon AZ
tempt 20 enforce The Jaw We have breu
uuahle to hnd even an Attempt % enforcp
the law
No honest man or officer objects 40 am
Investigation W fully AMI fairly made As
admitted In the paragraph quoted. the o.
Ncstirutmg committee did not make 81 fan
or thorough Investigation IN liis depart
mcnt. AlY Office. / regret tu SAY WAS not
called upon fut any Information whatever
ond Il will be necessary for me To reply
60 the misleading statements made. My We
ply shall he as BRIEF as possible and Is
really an answer to the uurucuar lndi
vidual OF member Of the committees villa
assumed the responsibility of looking into
the affairs OF the nsh commissioner on the
coast, and does not refcs properly 10 the
other gentlemen on the committee
Mr. Henderson, ! ann advised, Is the mem
her who came to the coust and his con-
duties faithfully Is accepted aud II win
doubtless be regretted by his associates
that he permitted himself TO make surh
reckless aud unsupported rhnrgcs Had be
demanded II | could haYp rcajlly shown
him where mtn have been arrested. trled
and convicted for the violation OF tide ush
and oyster law during De time iuyesli.
gated, and to- verify this statement / ia
close certificate OF the courts. which Is
Hat contradicticu TINT tile law u nowhere
enforced" mud the rendlr can place his
~. IN ~ ID /. .rI
follows certificates showing complaints
made und disposition Of the cdsca.
| could have further shown wherein tbe
state did aud would receive Dcnoacinl
results mnder the existing law" Us proof
Of this ] will say my report shows The ioca-
tion Of over 1900 acres Of oyster land for
acre per nnnum for $50 ACRES located within
the last sixty days, and also receive rcuts
on the balance
win admit that tho law has not been
properly enforced and mainly for the FOL
lowing reasons The orlgiuui fish aud
oyster bill taxed senes cents per fathom
for every six months, which was very rcn
sonnble tax hut the Twenty sixth lcgis-
laturc reduced the price on an seine
licenses one-hnlf by extending tho time to
twelve months instead 'uf six. ANA for the
same price Taking Mr. Scribuor's sworn
statement FOR II. Captnin Armstrong my
DEPUTY nj ROcllpnrt) received $50 per wear.
Now, ~ II reasonable 10 suppose That Cap
tain Armstrong or any other man would
the duties Of Il deputy for $40 velrY IN
some sections the collections are so small
II is impossible 10 get a denuty The mere
fact of collecting license from INC fisher.
men Is and shOnld lie "A see0ntlarv consldprn-
ton. ANA II nothing further Il contaminated
by the law. the sooner Il N repealcd the
better Regardless Of the opinlou ~ otherE.
gny observation has convinced me thnt hay.
Inc closed season FOR the north shore for
nh BAYS along tile coaet for breeding
grounds Is very benelcinl M II lorslizes
Ash 10 these localities II nothing more hut
hive good reason 10 bclieys tbat ne
nortl shore Is the only place on our coast
tbat mo aeh breed b5tb sboye H., nc itl,
portapce Of protecting and Datr0iline these
can not be done by anyone for $50 per
year.
| prepared a bill providing for an appro-
priation Of 5000 Der annum for four depu.
lies 10 have Jurisdiction over the entire
boats. etc. and stipulated thar each be
lee. the bill also provided that MI sene
licenses should be 3 cents Der fafboui Tor
Six months Instead ~ twelve, and tho state
10 receive an fees Of every descflpton "
this bin Ind been passed tie State would
pay out $500 per year. aud tallng my
report " 1896 for q basis would get bnck
S267S rs fees. leaving the expense S2l22
per year instead OF S2i00. and have i've
men continually IN service The fees and
rents on location would reduce this uud IN
i've years would more than pay an OK
penses. Possibly u would be better 20 To-.