The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-17

care competent mon In each county
affected being selected by the county
courts because Of their peculiar knowl-
edge and fitness and their familiarity
10 advise With the engineer. while they
doubtless made mistakes. they ala their
work ns accurately as II was possible
to DO. The making OF the survey occu.
pied two years, willie the investigations
Of the Joint ttrtt1lttec, on whose re-
port ti,e pending Bill was based. devoted
Tut seventy-seven days to the work The
stand by the work Of tho first rather
than the last commission.
Tho people Of Tidewatar had no desire
to retain tirproductlve lands. and its peo-
pie would always be ready to join hands
with Tho people OF the State In enacting
wise legislation that would produce rev.
enus from the oyster interests. The
speaker pointed to the creation -of the
i3oard OF Fisheries, tho work OF Tide
water mon, as an instance OF this willing.
ness to enact Just and wise Legislation
relating to the oyster. Under this plan
the revcnt1es OF the State had been IN
creased until they now aggregated $4,000
per annum In concluding. the speaker
earnestly appealed e tho Senate not to
Nh. STANDS OPPOSES.
Mr.. Stands. OF southampton. another
Tidcwnter representative was tho next
sneaker. He made an earnest and per-
suasIve appeal for the defeat OF tho
measure. The speaker declared that sorno
OF the gentlemen urging this bill had
been ultra and extreme IN their positions
on many measures. and were. therefore.
not saf 70 advisers for the Common wealth.
He regarded the present bill as a serious
menace to the interests OF the people OF
Underwater, and whether 80 Intended or
not, as In tho iritensst OF the large plant
ere and packers Of the State. Mr.. Stands
reviewed the various arguments against
ire bill mado BY other speakers. and
made some practical points against It
that had not been touched upon by other
speakers. He warned tho Senate that II
tho Jordan bill passed It would not BE-
trolled by the large planters and the
prices Of the oyster. would be controlled
and dictated, so that the consumer would
have to pay more.a
Mr.. shands adverted, to the fact that
already the oyster&interests we're paying
to tho State a larger revenue than ever
before, and advised the Senate to let
we'll enough alone and not take away
from the people dependant thereon ths
livelihood now afforded them by their
access to the natural rock now within tho
suISGys Uul WtlClIlS9 was PIOpOSCu ~
lease. FIe drew a picture OF the effects
which he predicted would follow the bill.
which was gloomy. indeed
Mr.. Gold Of Clarke. was the next
| speaker, making brief argument against
the bill. He stated that he had become
Interested In the subject especially since
/ he was made member Of the, Committee
| for Fish and Game and had gotten many
4 Of his Ideas and much OF his information
l a, no e,,,},4 po4 NJ fhe r1A ~
legislation from the late senator from
Accomac, whom he? regarded as an au-
:. ,thorty on the subject. Reviewing his
\ legislative experience and the oyster log
I islatlon enacted or proposed during that
1 time. he quoted the late DR.. Le Cato as
4 authority for the. statement that there
! was much barren area within the Bay
j.lor survey. He referred TO several bills
/ offered at forme r: sessions by gentlemen
4 from Tidewater. proposing to do just as
1 the present bill proposed. Mr. Gold also
! N entioned the bill introduced by Dele
l gate Mathews to break the survey and
4 o subsequent bill goffered by the same
| gentleman to repeal his former bill. re-
/ ferrlng to this to show that the oyster
representatives. themselves were as liable
4 to no mistaken as others. "a; n
4 HIGHLANDER ADVOCATED
4 Mr.. Keezell, Of Rockingham. took the
| floor In advocacy OF the bill, to which,
I however, he suggested certain amend-
| n.ents. He stated In opening that for
/ twenty years he had heard the oyster
\ question dlng-donged into his ears. For
! much OF that twenty years he had been
1 a member Of the Committee for Fish
4 and Game, and had sat often until after
| midnight listening to the contending fac
! tions, the tongmen and the dredgers.
| These two factions were constantly en-
4 ga ged In their atntermnable warfare
4 twenty years ago. sAt that. tmle the plant
ling Industry had not been begun or was
| IL IT'S early infancy and the dredgers
und tongers were contesttng Now. dredg-
| inG had almost passed away, being now
/ no longer profitable, owing to the de-
| rletion of the oyster beds. Last year
i the revenue from dredgers. was less than
| 1900, and that from tongmen hardly
$4,000 All OF this revenue and more
was paid out for maintenance Of the oys-
te navy for the protection of the States
! oyster beds, first from outsiders from
other States, but alter on to protect these
| oystcr beds and seed oyster against the
citizens Of this State during the closed
season. AS matter Of fact, the heavy
! expense Of maintaining the oyster police
boat to-day, which offsets the revenue
from the tongers and dredgers, is an PAID
| out to protect the States oyster Interest
L
protesting against the passage OF the bill.
Practically all Che net revenue from oys-
tiers during the last year., more than
forty thousand dollars. had been derived
from the lease of grounds to planters.
Mr. Keezell briefly traced his long con-
nection with and his deep interest In oys-
ter legislation and his connection with
the State Board Of Fisheries. dating from
Ills appointment thereon BY Governor ".
Ter, Necessarily In the discharge OF his
official duties, he had made close study
OF tho oyster question, tho condition and
needs OF the industry. }s VI
The speaker then declared that the
oyster interests Of the State had been
greatly diminished and were constantly
| being reduced.
/ Unless some such remedial legislation
as that proposed In the pending bill shall
be soon enacted. the oyster industry viii
become extinct, save for the planting In
terests from which, the State now draws
it's revenue. The tonGnnen who are here
opposing the Jordan bill are steadily and
surely exhausting and extlnguishing the
very interests from which they derive q
I