Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-01-22
NRV OYSTER BILL.
Full Text of The First Bill In
trOduced in The New Legls-
lature, And to be Known
AS The New Jordan Bill.
A BILL

AS The New Jordan Bill.
A BILL
To define and determine the natural oyster beds,
rocks and shoals Of the State, to provide for
an investigation and examination Of certain
public grounds iUithin the Baylor Geodettc
. Surrey, TO determine tChat port OF such
ground e natural beds. rocks or shoals and
tChat part bdFTen ground, to prOuSde for
leasing such barren ground TO citizens Of the
State, to appoint q special Joint committee
TO carry into effect the provisions Of this net.
and to appropriate money 70 defrdy the er-
penses taeuTred hereunder.
WHEREAS, there are within the limits of the
Baylor Geodetic Survey many thousands of
acres which are declared by law to be natural
oyster beds rocks and shoals, but which either
did not at any time produce oysters naturally
or which have become SO exhausted and depict
cd by ovework or otherwise as not TO be
profitable to the citizens of the State author
lied by law to work upon the same; and,
WHEREAS, such barren or depleted or ex-
hausted ground within said survey is now of
no value TO the State or to any citizen thereof.
but the same can be made valuable to the
State and TO the citizens thereof by leasing
the same for the purpose of planting and prop
agating oysters thereon; and,
WHEREAS, there is a pressing demand for
more planting ground in order that the plant
ing industry may be fostered and developed:
therefore;
j. BE il enacted by the General Assembly
OF virginia, that natural oyster beds, rocks
or shoals In this State are hereby defined and
determined TO be such grouna under the
waters of this State within the Baylor Geod-
etic Survey as either now produces naturally.
ll,-,.
from the time this act shall 20 into effect.
oysters in such quantities as to make the tax
ing of the same I'm the manner prescribed by
law profitable TO the citizens of the State au-
thorized by law TO work upon such ground. Ali
other ground within said survey is hereby de-
lined and determined to be barren ground and
shall be open to lease and assignment for
planting purposes i'm the manner provided by
this act; provided, however, that IL shall be a
conclusive presumption of law that all ground
within the said survey is natural oyster beds.
rocks or shoals until otherwise determined
In accordance with the provisions of this act,
and all the laws of this State relating in any
way TO natural oyster beds, rocks or shoals
shall remain and continue applicable to such
natural beds, rocks or shoals before the pro
visions ofthis act shall have been carried out.
And afterwards shall remain and continue ap-
plicable TO such ground as is declared under
the provisions OF this act TO be natural beds.
rocks and shoals
:. BE itfurther enacted, that.
members of the House,
members Of the Senate. be, and they are here
oy, constituted and appointed Special Joint
committee Tor the purpose OF carrying into
effect the provisions OF this act, one of whom
ha sala faA El,os.
retary. Any citizen or citizens of this State
may apply in writing to the chairman of saio
committee. or to any member thereof, TO have
any public oyster ground in the State EXAM
ined for the purpose OF ascertsining and de-
termining what portion thereof Is natural
beds, rocks or shoals and what portion barren
ground within the meaning of section one oil
this act, and such citizen or citizens may also
state In such application what portion of such
barren ground he or they desire to lease for
planting purposes. The said committee, be-
lore examining such ground. shall give notice
Tor at least ten days before the TIME fixed for
such examination, by printed hand bills posted
at the front door or the Court House of the
county In which said ground lies and Mt NOT
less than three other public places in the
vicinity OF said ground, that upon a day
named IL such notice the said committee will
proceed 10 investigate and examine the said
ground as hereinoefore provided. In making
such Investigation and examination the said
committee shall avail itself OF all the infor-
nation obtainable from those eugaged i'm the
oyster industry in the vicinity of such ground
as well as OF such expert testimony "a said
committee may deem necessary. and shsll
make such actual examination of such ground
as shall enable the said committee to fully
satisfy itself of the condition OF the same. ana
In making any such actual examination of
said ground the said committee shall have
with 1t at least one licensed tongman resident
In such county, who is not Interested In the
planting industry, and at least one planter
residentin such county, who is not licensed
tongman. If after such Investigation and
examination the said committee is satisfied
that any portion OF the said public ground is
not natural oyster beds, rocks or shoals and is
OF sufficient quantity and so located as that
the same may be leased without injuring or
ehoangering the natural beds, rocks and
shoais IN the vicinity OF the same. then said
committee shall have that portion of the said
puphc ground, which is natural oyster beds.
rocks or shoals, surveyed and the lines of the
same properly defined and determined, and
shall have the same marked with suitable
or by other metes and bounds, courses and
distances having their places of beginning
and ending designated by permanent objects
on the shore. And when such ground. has
been so ascertained to be natural beds. rocks
or shoals and has been surveyed and plotted.
and when the action OF said committee shall
nave become final as hereinafter provided. the
same is ishereby defined and determined TO be
and shall be construed in all the courts of the
State TO be natural oyster beds, rocks and
shoals And said committee shall cause the
other portion or portions OF such public
ground which is not natural beds, rocks and
shoals as aforesaid 10 be plotted in sections of
tenacres each, or as near ten acres as it is
practicable to make them, which said sections
snail be squares, or as nearly square as ii ia
practicable to make them, and shall cause
such sections to be numbered consecutively.
beginning with the number /. And when the
action Of said committee shall have become
maj as hereinafter provided the last named
portions or portions of said public ground is
hereby defined and determined to be and
shal be construed in all the courts of the
state to be barren ground and subject 10
oo ieascd Tor planting purposes under the
psoNisions OF this act And when the action
Vi saio committee shall have become final as
hereinafter provided the said committee
snail cause to be delineated upon the chart
or charts of the Baylor Geodetic Survey. ON
ME In the Clerks ofhce OF the said county. the
lines OF such natural oyster beds, rocks or
shoals. as well as the lines of such barren
ground including the lines and numbers OF
such sections herein provided for, and
small cause to be fled In the said Clerks
once a description of the metes and bounds
coursesand distances and permanent objects
on the shore by which the lines aforesaid NAV