New-York tribune., 1907-10-27
OYSTERMEN WORRIED.
SALES FALLING OFF.
Typhoid Germ Reports Hurt Trade,
Then Sag.

Tho o,-s+ar dealers of New York have determined
10 make strong effort TO convince the puolc ti1
the reports of sewage and archaeological experts
are overdrawn If not entirely wrong. in declaring
,,sters taken from waters about the New York and
New Jersey shores are tainted with typhoid germs
Alexander Frazer president of the wholesale Oys-
terrnen's Association, said yesterday committee
had lust been appointed to take up the matter and
that A F. Merreu. of the Merrell- Haviland Com
pany was the chairman. Various means have been
discussed informally, and a meeting Of the special
committee Will be held next week to map out a
of action.
Ever since last spring reports have been made
by the Sewage Commission and the Committee on
Harbor Pollution as well as by bacterologists and
physicians, that many oysters were taken from the
south shore OF Staten Island, from New York Bay
and Jamaica Bay, and that all these waters con-
tanned strong solution OF sewage. Besides II was
charged. that in the Raritan and Railway rivers
where oysters are fattened just before selling, the
sewage influx great.
These statements, widely published. were OF i'm
mediate importane TO the oyster. mems Assoca-
ton, which IS made up of the fifteen firms on
barges along the North River front, opposite Ganse-
wort Market These dealers control the New York
wholesale trade, shipping oysters all over the
United States, we'll as doing an export business
Regarding the effect of the reports and comments
on sewage, President Frazer. speaking for the
dealers, said yesterday:
There is no doubt whatever that these III advised
reports circulated throughout the country have
caused a falling off IN the demand for oysters Oys-
ters not necessity and If man reads that
they may cause typhoid he Is likely to decide that
he won't take any chances and that he WILL
therefore, give up eating the shellfsh. have re-
ceived from press clipping bureau extracts from
papers all over the country. and they show tlat
these typhoid reports go wherever oysters sold
Indeed, dealers in far away places have written to
me and TO other members Of the association ask
ing what truth there in the TYPHOID scare.
Our business has been injured. and we are GER
tain that the so-caed experts wrong They
jumped at conclusions For instance, the oysters
taken from New York Bay are seed oysters. They
are small 10 be eaten by anything but birds.
These seed oysters are planted in grounds the
seaward side of Staten Island, or off Rockaway, or
off the Connecticut shore. They not large
enough to be gathered for three years. The place
where they Matched out has nothing to do with
the oysters after they have been three years
in other waters The members of the association
have discussed way to offset these reports
that frghten people II that perhaps the best
method would be to have psychologists given
opportunity and assistance by the growers to ex-
anime the oysters from the various producing fields
We feel certain that by submitting their reports to
the public we could show that this talk Of typhoid
from oysters is wrong"
One interesting side issue of the oyster situation
was made known by Mr.. Frazer He said that al
though there had been an increase in the demand
for oysters this year, It not large It should
have been. when the increase in population was
taken into consideration. This disparity he ex-
pIaineo, was undoubtedly due TO the typhoid propa-
ganda However. oysters selling wholesale at
90 cents more thousand than they were last year
1his ls Que to shortness in the crop because for
three years up to this the "set" was spoiled
by weather and water conditions. Thus under the
circumstances. IL the demand had Increased as tbe
dealers expected, the price would have been forced
up much higher than II is at present