Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-12-29
SEES PROSPERITY AHEAD
The Governor Commends The
Oyster Culture System.
POINTS OUT DEFECT OF LAW.
Recommends Changes in His Message
to the Legislature Which Meets
Next Wednesday.

Next Wednesday.
In another installment of his mes
sage, which he will submit to the COM
ing session of the General Assembly,
Governor Crothers, among other
things. treats of oyster culture and the
MARYLAND Shellfsh Commission.
The Governor goes deeply into the
oyster culture question and urges the
adoption of the changes in the pres
ent law, as recommended by the She'll
fish Commission. He says:
THE annual report for the year 1911
of the Shellfish Commission is quite
full and complete, and l refer you to
same for full and detailed information
of the work of this board
Under the provisions of the act of
Assembly of 1906 the survey of the
vast area of natural oyster bars and
rocks of the State has been COM
pleted through the cooperation of the
State and Federal Governments. and
it fully protects in every way the in
terest of those engaged in longing
and dredging oysters by the reserva-
tion for all time to this class of our
citizenship of the free and exclusive
use of the natural oyster area of the
State, and is the most thorough oys-
ter survey that has ever been made in
any State in the Union.
And for the first time in the his
tory of Maryland condition prevails
whereby private planting on barren
areas in the Chesapeake Bay and its
frsfn 20 hn frlxr
impartially without in any manner
conflicting with the rights of oyster
men or ever arousing a suspicion on
their part of any possible interfer-
ence with their ancient privileges.
They report that the act as a survey
measure is wholly satisfactory. Re-
garded as an oyster culture measure
it is entirely unsatisfactory. The
defects Of the law, as pointed out by
the commission, are as follows, and
should be remedied:
Il. The area allowed the planters
is too small. An individual is permit
ted under the act to lease maximum
of ten acres in county waters and 100
acres in other places. Experience
has shown that the business cannot
be conducted properly on such small
ares. The commission sugg ssts
thirty acres in county waters and
500 acres in other places.
20. The act, as construed in sever
al cases, does not permit an oyster
farmer to dredge up his oysters from
farms situated in longing areas. This
is cripping provision and makes
success impossible on the part of the
oyster farmers.
20. There is no adequate arrange
ment in the law for securing seed
oysters for the farmers. Seed is as
| necessary for an oyster farmer as to
any other agriculturist.
4. There is no proper provision in
the act for the collection of rents fol
the use of oyster lands. The commi S.
sion recommends. in response to a de.
mand among oyster planters, a reduc-
tion of rentals charged by the State
for the use of barren bottoms until al
least a reasonable opportunity has
been accorded those who have or may
hereafter be come engaged in oyster
culture to demonstrate the wisdom OF
such policy in Maryland.
81 respectfully urge upon your
honorable body the enactment of such
legislation Including especially the
above recommendation as may be
/ necessary to establish this important
industry, which has been of great
value to other Commonwealths and
which, if put upon a proper basis
here, will, l am convinced, add greatly
to the prosperity of the State of Mary
land.
THE act of the Legislature of 1910
providing for a cent tax for the dis
tribution of shells on the natural oys-
er bottoms, and which was believed by
many to have been most important
mesure to keep up the supply of the
natural beds for our oystermen, was
declared invalid by the Court of APP
peals in the case presented to it, and
tax therefor is no longer collie tied. -
Governor Crothers thinks that cleo
tions, both general and primary, now
involve too great a tax on the candi-
dates, and he thinks that the amount
they are allowed by law to spend in
their campaign should be materially
reduced.
The law as it now stands limits
the expenditures of candidates to s25
to each 1000 voters up to so, 600, and
$40 for each 1000 in excess of 5000.
The amount of permissible expendi-
lures on the part of candidates, he
points out. very far exceeds, in his
judgment, the maximum which may
be Justified by public considerations.
81 recommend, he says, "that a
candidate in the primaries, as we'll as
in the general election, be limited in
his expenditures to a sum net exceed
ing $40 for each 1000 voters up to
so, 900 and SIS for each l, 900 in excess
of so, 900, all to be paid and disbursed
by the treasurer or political agent
and not otherwise and that, in addi-
ton, candidate may be allowed to
pay personally his own expenses for
postage, kilograms. telephone, sta
tionery, printing, advertising, ex-
pressage, travelling and board, not ex-
ceeding in the aggregate $1,000 in
&ba noza nf nopI;Ia@o- far