Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-02-16
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES

FISH AND OYSTER NOTES
The crab men around Newport News
are now telling the General Assembly
that they have learned to Rev the day
when our old friend, Wilkins Matthews,
was defeated at the primary. Northern
Neck News.
The Heathsville writer in the Rich
mond News-Leader says that the fish
factories known as the Marsh Woodhull
Company and the Eubank-Gill Company
have been consolidated, and hereafter
will do business on the site of the latter
in Lancaster county under the firm name
of the Eubank- Company. tits
stated, however, by interested parties
that the arrangements are hanging fire,
not yet consummated.
Articles of incorporation have been
filed at Annapolis, Md, of the Tidewa-
ter Fishermen's Protective Association
ofsMaryland. Membership is to be linn
tied to persons living in the Tidewater
counties and in Baltimore, and actaully
engaged in fishing or hauling, selling
or shipping fish. About 1900 men,
with investments aggregating $1,000,
600, are interested in the objects of the
organization. A meeting will be held
in Annapolis next Tuesday, and deputies
for each county will be elected.
That "shanghaiing," as known in it's
offensive and inhuman olfense through
the newspapers, is pretty largely a
myth in Virginia waters is borne out
by an investigation of the Norfolk Dis
patch throughout that vicinity. Not a
case could be found. Inquiry was first
made among the oyster packing houses
on the waterfront, where oyster boats
come to discharge their cargoes, for
any information that may lead to the
detection of case of impressed service
aboard some oyster vessels, and finally
board the oyster boats themselves.
They knew of no shanghaiing aboard
vessels with which they We're familiar.
Laborers from the oyster boats seen
ashore, while admitting that conditions
aboard the boats were hard at times,
they knew of no one who was working
aboard boat who did not go aboard of
his own accord. 1t sometimes happens
that men go aboard to work, become
dissatisfied after they have gotten to
the oyster dredging grounds and are
disinclined to work. AS their services
are then imperative those are not
always then treated with much consid-
Grafton, but at times have to be forced
to work until the boat comes back.
Then they are at liberty to leave it.
But such cases as that are said to be
infrequent. But while not business
here, as it seems to be in Baltimore,
rare incidents of shanghaiing have oc-
cured in Virginia and will probably
continue to occur as long as the oyster
business endures or until ali bad oyster
masters become purified.
OYSTER PIRATES.
The oyster planting business on both
sides of our peninsula is growing in i'm
pOrtance and magnitude daily prom,
ising If properly protected great reve-
nue. to our people engaged in it. But
the pirate is abroad everywhere, and is
steadily and stealthily robbing men OF
the fruits of their work and money.
Thousands of dollars worth of oysters
are taken yearly, it is said, from the
beds of our planters by these slick
gentry, thus paralyzing to a great ex-
tent the profits and the enlargement OF
this great business. Men indeed, have
been driven to abandon the business
entirely, having had all their oysters
stolen off their beds, practically. Gu,
legislature should at once protect this
business by passing more stringent
laws governing the theft of oysters. II
the State makes it a penitentiary of.
Tense for dredger to take a bushel OF
oysters off the public rocks unlawfully
rocks which are protected night anc
day by navy at great expense to the
State, why shouldn't it be made g
felony also for man to steal oysters
off private bed rented of this same
State, while its owner is unable to pro
tect it because of his inability or his
enforced absence? We believe in en-
couraging our great planting industry
by every fair means, and we beIev,
that all men and all callings shoulC
stand on the same footing before tn,
law. When an oyster-planter steal.
the public oyster grounds he should b,
severely punished, and when any per
son steals his oysters from him, they
should be punished just as severely. :
Accomac News.
THE TATTLER DISCUSSES OYSTER LAWS
The bill offered by Mr. Rev, of Acco
! mac, providing for a penitentiary tern