The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-01-01


from The Chesapeake bay. Very r,w oysters
tor this raw trade come now from the
chesapeake bay The most of them are ilrn-
i~hvh from the waters of other States.
The other branch Of the oystcr-pnci:ing in
duStry is i'll as bad condition. if not worse. |
yctrr To the cove oyster trade. or the steam
trade. When this convention met in 1898
Ii houses were engaged. in the. business "f
stcIming oysters in Baltimore. SIX houses
I are now engaged in that business.
| Mr.. Hannah then went on to state that
| very isI OF the StcaminE houses were running
full time and that while the total amount
stc:tmed in S93 in Baltimore was .+u+, 49,
| bushels, in l9O2-O3 it was only 419, 1913
| bushels. He said that more than 1870
| lahorcrs employed in the oyster business had
| been discharged in that time and many
! houses had moved to other places.
| MIR. Hannah said that the condition OF the
"ystermcn themselves had also grown much
| worse and that in many sections of the State
| the tongcrs had been almost completely wiped
| out The conditions with the dredgcrs. he
| sad, had become even worse, and whereas
| in l9nl-O2 TO dredgers' licenses had been
| issued this season the Comptroller reported
that only about 400 licenses would be issued.
He said the once famous grass oysters from
Targicr sound were now unknown except to
tradition, and the once famous beds from
Holland Point, down by Governors run. as
far down Cove Point. are now practically
exhausted. He said there WAS not now a
living for Il dredgcr above Magothy river.
He said that a prominent member of the
marine repairing trade recently told him that
not shop would now make any repairs on
an oyster boat unless the owner was person |
ally responsible outside the claim on the boat |
The conditions as they affected the con- |
sumner were also becoming serious. Mr.. Ha- |
man said. and oysters instead of being a |
cheap article of food, were becoming both 4
source and high priced article, even in the
tidcwuter counties.
In accordance with the resolution passed
by the convention of 1898 / prepared two
bills. the Oyster bill and the other the
Roads bill, which 1 am now presenting again
for YOU approval. The main features OF the
two bills the same. Both are industrial
measures without any political features.
The Oyster bill does not interfere with the
business OF a single FISHERMAN, 1t provides |
for the leasing of the barren bottoms of the
bay md its tributaries. The Roads bill pro-
viGeS for Il distribution of the revenues to be
derived from such leasing among the counties
Of the STAG. The roads to be built or repair
ed with this money are to be built or repaired
under Tie direction OF competent engineers.
Tie contracts are to be let ont to the lowest
responsible bidders. The whole plan is
excellent. The only question is
wht Their it is practical.
I'm the former paltny days of the in lustry | {
the oyStermcn took annually from the waters
o. the bay aud It's tributaries 10000, 900 ;
bushels of oysters. These oysters were taken
from what called the rocks or beds where
they grew naturally. The area of these
natural rocks is roughly estimated at about
2nu,uuU acres. the area of the barren bot
toms where oysters do not grow, but can be
made to grow. is, according 10 the best csti- | .
mates, about 400. 900 acres. Competent | I
Judges have estimated that the whole of this
vast area of 400, 900 acres is tit for oyster | I
culture. suppose only oue-halfof it is adapt
I'd for that use. If that is the experience I
If other States and other countries shows us
hat this now barren and unproductive region '
,;tn hc made to produce annually at least [
"a, n"", 900 bushcls of oysters. Here is a [
measure. then. which hurts nobody, and 4
would &c OF immense and lasting benefit to {
ne treasury of the State of Maryland, to its
great packing trade and to every citizen of
hc STATE.
IL u p'ISuc-lnlcSteu patient were OftSfcd |
milk he probably would not want it. The
cudcncy al Il very sick man is to stay sick. o
lie rejects food if he is in Il bad way and will :
i"t have noufiShnent at the time he most {
reeds it. This is the OF the patient in Il
Maryland. The disease is not as widespread =
Is it WAS. 1t is confined only to Il few OF the r
idcwatcr counties. The pest is. however in 9
hcse counties of a very malignant type. h
f,.N,rn ,ruI |
hcsc counties hold up the legislation of the I
state because of the prciudiccs of these oys- n
crmcn. Their passions have been aroused T
~ misleading appeals TO them before the last r
lection. The hold-up is accomplished by the +
'ystermcn acting in Il solid bod Y against any \
andidatc Tor the Legislature who states he y
: in favor Of the most beneficial legislation ! 7
hat could take place for the oyStermcn q
themselves. Then the candidate for the T.
legislature is buIliozcd and iutimidated into q
promising to do something which he knows /
: bad even for the oystermcn. q
i cannot conceive how any man in Mary
and think his services to the State so r
'lluahlc that a seat in the Legislature ought Y
% be purchased at price which sacrifices his s
cal conviction and makes him deny an hon II
st opinion.
Il am " ell within the mark when say a
cry great majority of the thinking people,
indeed. believe nearly all of the truly repre-
cntativc citizens of the tidewater counties r
want this legislation. which was proposed at =
oar former convention and which has been :
pressed up TO tho present time
The real question to he decided Ivy the =
legislators who will pass upon this proposed
measure is whether Maryland will progress
II rctroGradc. The oystermcn are like the
hunters and trappers of old: thcoySter plant
RS are like the men who cut down the forests !:
or human habitation and cultivated the
LanGiT-: and the order is coming int it's .
,lace. Ihc cradle and the binder give way y
o tn" rcrpCr and mower. the stage coach is
'y the railway, the wcavcrs and :
pnncrs are only Il tradition of the past,
while the loom has taken their place. ,
Maryland must decide whether the old e
state will move on or step backward. AS a
native Eastern Shore man it has been my
nope that the counties of the Eastern Shore,
IL whose interest and for whose benefit l | .
AVE earnest sought to prepare just and 6
.tiuitabic bill. would aid in the contamination l.
If this great enterprise II the political con- -
such to prevent this from ,
lein2, effected it is the duty as it is to the in
crest, of the rest of the State to force the
measure through regardless of the votes of
The Eastern Shore and other tidcwater coun-
lies which may opDosc the coming change