Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-02-14

the Times-Dispatch, are working for the
Watkins-Green bill. Tidewater repre-
sentatives, aided by the Board of Fish
cries and such citizens as they can ge
to come to Richmond, are waging ;
fight against the bill.
The greatest lift the bill has haC
comes from Lieutenant Baylor, VIII,
ran the lines. He sends this messag,
at the request of the Times-Dispatch
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Feb. 8, 1908.
''Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va:
Your letter received. The propose,
oyster bill l cordially indorsed two YEAR
ago / approved of breaking so-callet
Baylor survey, provided always it il
done by specific legislative acts, care
fully guarding the interests of ouI
$1,000 tongmen who live from our publ,
oyster grounds. When the BAYLOR sur
vey was made all it intended to do wa.
to separate by legal charts planting
area from public oyster grounds. L
was expected to be broken by specia
legislative acts as conditions of bottom
justify it. -. B. BAYLOR. -
THE WATKINS-GREEN BILL.
We give in full the text of the bill tc
break the Baylor Survey:
Be it enacted by the General Assem-.
bly,. OF Virginia, That natural oyster
beds, rocks and shoals in the waters OF
this Commonwealth be, and thew are
hereby, defined, declared and determined
to be such part or parts of the beds of
the rivers, creeks and shores of the sea
within the jurisdiction of this Common.
wealth included within the surveys
authorized by section two thousand one
hundred and thirty-G of the Code OF
nineteen hundred and four, which shall
yield to longer an average of two
dollars per day per acre at the average
market price of oysters of size con-
forming to the Gull law, or seed oysters.
Tor a period of fifteen working DAYS
wltnln a period of thirty consecutive
DAYS; and all of the beds or bottoms OF
the rivers, creeks and shores of the
sea, which do not yield to a tonger an
average of two dollars per day per
acre, at the average market price of
oysters, of size conforming to the Gull
law, or seed oysters, for a period of
htteen working days within a period of
thlrty consecutive days, whether within
or without the surveys authorized bv
section two thousand one hundred and
thirty of the Code of nineteen hun
dred and four, be, and such beds are
hereby, defined, declared and deter
mined not to be natural rock. bed or
shoal; and any and all acts, or part of
acts, in conflict with this section be
and the same are hereby, repealed. in
SO TAR as they, or any of them, are in
conflict herewith.
1t shall be the duty of the Board of
Fisheries, upon the approval of this act
to proceed to have delineated on pub.
llshed maps and charts Of the United
States Coast and Geodetic SURVEY of the
largest scale for each of the counties of
the Commonwealth in the waters of
which there are, or were, natural oyster
beds, rocks or shoals, the survey or
surveys made and confirmed by the
provisions OF section two thousand one
hundred and thirty. Code of nine
teen hundred and four, and shall cause
to be subdivided all of the area con-
tanned within such SURVEYS into blocks
containing five acres, if possible, or less
when necessary; and as nearly square
as reasonably can be done, each of
which blocks shall be known and desip-
mated by number and by county-e. o..
block number one, Accomac, and block
number two, Accomac; or block number
one, Warwick, and block number two.
warwick, and so forth; and the Board
OF rlsherles, as soon as practicable after
the approval of this act, shall file in the
office of the auditor of public accounts
one copy of each of such charts for
each county In which there are. or
were, natural oyster rocks, beds or
shoals; and also file in the county clerks
once OF each county in which charts or
maps or plats were filed under the pro-
visions OF section two thousand one
hundred and thirty-G of the Code of
nineteen hundred and four, one or more
copies showing such survey or SURVEYS
OF the natural rocks, beds or shoals in
such county, with subdivisions into
blocks. And any resident of this Com.
monwealth, whether he has heretofore
been assigned any other oyster plantino
grounds or not, who desires to engage
IN the catching, planting or propaga-
tlon OF oysters may apply to the Board
OF FISHERIES for the assignment of not
less than one nor more than fifty of the
SAID blocks or subdivisions of said sur
vey, which application shall be unon
such printed forms as the Board of
Fisheries may prescribe The Board of
Fisheries shall prepare such form of
application, cause the same to be printed.
and shall deliver to the county clerk of
each county requesting the same, and
TO each oyster Inspector in the Com
monwealth, sufficient number of such
form. NO application for any assign
ment of oyster ground under this section
shall be considered by the Board unless
1T be accompanied by an amount eonaI
to two dollars per acre for each acre an
Piled for, and five dollars for the survey
OF such land and the expenses incident
to determining whether the oyster
ground so applied for is in fact rock bed
or shoal, as defined, declared and deter.
mined IN this act. After such applica-
ton, and the money hereinabove re-
CURED to accompany the same. shall
have been received by the Board of
Fisheries, il shall require the oyster in
spector of the district wherein such
block, or blocks, may be located. to
forthwith post notices of such applica-
ton at the courthouse of the county
and at two or more places in his district
so as to give publicity thereto; such in
spector shall Immediately notify the
Board OF Fisheries of the time and place
OF such posting. After sixty days from
receipt OF such application, lawfully
made to 1t, the said Board shall examine
the block, or blocks, applied for and to
determine whether, In fact, any one or
more of the blocks so applied for are
natural rocks, beds, or shoals, as de-
fined by section one of this act; and in
the event that any one or more of such
blocks shall, in fact, be natural rock,
beds, or shoals, then such application
shall be rejected as to such block, or
docks, which are natural rock, beds, |
or shoals; but the remainder of the |
blocks applied for, if aScertained not tn |
be natural rock, beds. or shoals, as de- |
lined and declared under the provisions |
Of section one of this act, shall be as |