Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-03-11
CRISIS In OYSTER AFFAIRS.
This the Opinion Of the State Fish.
cries Commission. ).
IRichmond Times-Dispatch.l |

tteSihActto AAheo-bicbalCu-l
Calamity and disaster face the tong
ers and planters Of the James unless
the Legislature will sanction the
Strengthening of the lines of the Baylor
Survey, in the opinion OF Fish Commits
sioner w. Mcdonald Lee, who came to
Richmond last night. Mr. Lee is very
much in earnest in this matter and is
hoping that action will be taken which
will tend to preserve the oyster inter-
ests in the James, especially above the
Gull line, where the seed oysters are
located.
Asked regarding the situation, Mr..
Lee said:
''The Tidewater is divided. People
who come here lean to the side their
interests appear. A few who have
given the law officers trouble in the
past think others will get favors, and
they none. 1t is bad heart that thinks
others have hidden motives.
eff the officials charged with the
administration of the laws, intrusted
by Governor and Legislature with the
disbursement of thousands of dollars,
who have brought in in ten years half
a million net profit to the State cannot
be trusted in this matter, and their
judgment taken where sentiment is
divided, then how will it ever be settled
or properly administered.
1--WE care nothing for the details of
the bill. The State can rent, give away
or let remain idle the few hundreds of
acres Of hard bottom and the several
Thousands of worthless (uniess culti-
vated) bottom now thrown out by the
Commission of Fisheries lines, now
commonly termed the Lee lines. If it
be rented, this department would be
glad to be relieved of the duty and it
intrusted to others. All we desire is
Strengthened lines on which we can
maintain watchhouses and buoys.
This measure passed the Senate
unanimously two years ago; it failed in
the House by vote of "a to "a in the
hubbub of the closing days. Had it
become law, the State would have been
saved $4,000 expended in uncalled for
policing. been advantaged $1,000 or
$40. 900 in increased rentals, and the
public natural rock been in far greater
state of prolifeness today.
'Just as well demand of ten cowboys
that they keep 1000 head of cattle off
900 acres of prairie. depicted on
paper with forty lines and angles, but
with not stake, post or fence to mark
it on the earth, as to require of Us the
preservation Of the mythical Baylor
lines in James river. The best we can
do is to keep up q continual circuit of
patrol boats, guarding only an eliptical
sphere four miles by twelve, as near
where the lines ought to be as judg-
ment will permit. AS to toaccuracy there
can be none. Squatters hailed TO court,
escape because they can outswear us as
to the mythical boundaries. Some Sd, 600
spent on these court cases in the past
few months finds the situation virtually
as it was before.
"Our sole object is to preserve and
increase the productiveness of these
seed beds of the tongers. This cannot
be done much longer without excessive
cost Of money and energy. and We
frankly admit that we do not feel war.
ranted, in the States interest, in longer
keeping up the unequal struggle. At 6
great sacrifice in four years the seet
beds have been to a great extent
wrested from the ravagers. and W,
have held on with the hope that reliet
would be given by the General Assem-
bly,. To lapse into former condition,
will mean the destruction of Virginia