Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-26
Even THE PIRATES" our OF JOBS
Graphic, Though Slightly Exaggerated
Picture Drawn by Staff Correspond.
cnt of the Richmond Times- Dis
patch, Who Spent TWO Days Here
investigating Conditions.

oyster seasons In the history of Nir-
Sinia, and the fact is attracting wide
spread attention. II Is claimed cs-
pecially by trc oyster planters. that
next seascnswill be stlll les profitable
man this. Talk OF this kind caused
Tue Richmond Times Dispatch to
send stan correspondent TO Tide.
water for the purpose of Investigating
conditions and reporting upon them
for the paper. .
After spending two days IN this vi
emily, the correspondent returned TO
Richmond, and yesterday the Rich
mond Times-Dispatch printed an en-
haustive article from him. Though
The deplorablc condition Of the James
river oyster beds ate slightly cxag-
geratcd, tho article gives Il fairly ac-
curate description of tho state TO
which the industry has fallen.
FOLLOWING Is n part of the article:
Though admitting that the oyster
season which will close Saturday on
Tho public bottoms has been the most
disastrous since the winter of lS65.
Planters and tohgmcn are far apart
on the vital question which concerns
Vhe future welfare and protection of
great but vanishing industry. Re
manning here 10 the last with the
nope OF striking neglected pa;ch.
the vagabond fleet OF negro oyster
t'oats hoistcd sails today and beat
out toward tho far mlets of the bay.
never to return. They have strIppcd
me heus as clean MS Il hand of hun.
Ery pickannies would rob n black
berry bush.
Negligence OF Commonwealth.
carrying Goals to Newcastle was
not unlike tho conditions revealed yes
to-day when q Connecticut planter,
WITH q cargo of seed oysters. sailed
INTO Hampton to sell them to local
planters who could not procure them
atthomc.
This may sound and seem rldicu-
lous, and so 1t is, yet II merely serve;
10 emphasize the negligence of the
commonwealth which has pcrmittcd
these things to come to pass. Vitgin-
la, once the mother of the industry
must buy seed from Connecticut or
MARYLAND. or else discard It's vessels.
It's packing houses ana its invested
wealth.
me cause of this distressing stu.
at!oE IS not hard TO find. The thou.
sands of acres embraced In what is
known as the Baylor survey. To he
held by the state for the benefit OF
the entire people, are the legitimate
prey OF the tongmcn. They can in :
wade these waters at WILL pucl, the
oysters from the rocks and sell them.
So gradual and steady has been his
drain that tho beds are cmpty An
abominable law denies TO cvc,.v iii :
zen the right to plant ana replenish.
THAT is the story in u word. oysters
can no more grow without The fos-
tcrlhg aid OF the planter than one
crop OF gran cnn voluntarily spring
from the fields from which another
crop was harvested the autumn be-
fore.
Learned From Experience.
but tho tongm,n have learned
from bitter experience that The oys-
teT rocks of the State have Mt last
reached period where they viii no
longer yield a living. Long suffer.
ing and bonntiful have they been.
but continuous and unrcmitting MT
tacks hy man and nature hive uroycd
TOO mucl, for their once marvellous ca-
pSc'ty. and like the camel that fell
under the UNEQUAL battle. Oystcrmcn
Ill virginia. planters. packers. tong
ers and vessel owners have crncri-
cnced terrible year The scarcity
OF the fine food produce has WOLF
nigli ruined many of them. with tho
outlook for another season more dis
courasins than that which is daggin,.
on toward its close. Not many of
those mfortunptcs who have gone
away VIII be bold enough 10 ATTEMPT
TO follow the business again.
That this lamcntable change
should come nj time when the In
boring man particularly needs work is
deplorablc, but there had to be n day
of reckoning when the debt. created
by years of waste and cxtravacance
must be paid And more pathetic
than all Is the fact that tho Gcneta:
Assembly, because of ignorance. nor.
haps, has failed to pass laws by which
the industry might be saved.
& meanwhile appropriations have
hncn increased to guard the beds,
hut 1t is not necessary to send guards
here to trail tho pirates. Pirates
mnst seek new anartc's when there
is nothing to steal. The only hone
OF salvation must como from The
breaking of the BAYLOR survey. which
will mean that beds may be leased
10 planters who will bring them back
from poverty TO aflucnce aud wealth