The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-22
Means Tax Ten
 Times Old One
Oystermen Claim $4-An.Acre Act Would Mean an Enor- nous Increase

New Haven, July 22.-Oystermen in this city are not slow to express their displeasure at the bill reported by the finance committee Thursday to the house for the purpose of taxing the oyster property of the state. The bill, which has been called the Chandler bill, because offered by Representative Chandler of Rocky Hill, as substitute for the Corbin, CT board of equalization. measure provides for a tax of s4 an acre on developed oyster grounds and s1 on undeveloped oyster grounds. The oystermen claim that this is a most unjust form of taxation, since it makes no distinction between the good and poor grounds, which vary much in production. Some oyster lands are capable of producing more oysters than others and to tax all alike, irrespective of their ability to produce, is, they claim, out of all bounds Of justice. Even the produc- t1vlty tax, which they opposed stren- ueusly at two hearings before the committee ia Hartford, is fairer than this, they say. This provided for d tax of three cents per bushel on oysters.
 The oystermen now are paying a tax of 15 mills on the dollar on the valuation of their land, and are not dNEfS0 lO SuCn a CaXat1On. To be obliged to pay the Chandler tax, they claim, will increase tenfold the taxa ton they are now paying. The ff- teen-mill tax on the acreage plan is said to average about 35 cents per acre, whereas the proposed act will place a tax of $4 on the acre.
 Again they claim, the best land to- day is assessed at s150, and the poor est at S5, under the fifteen mill tax At any rate. they are paying a tax of s2.25 on the very best land, little more than one-half the amount of the proposed tax.
 No Hearing, They Claim.
 Moreover. the oyster dealers have another claim of injustice against the bill It is, that they had no oppor- tunity to appear to protest against it. When the Corbin bill was argued be- fore the finance committee the leaders Of the industry appeared in force be- fore the meeting, and so strong was their protest that they were given to understand that no oyster taxation bill would be reported this season.
 A time was appointed for the con- sideration of the substitute measure, the so-eaEed Chandler bill, but the pie understand it was cancelled be- cause the bill was not to be con- sidered. They claim they have been taken undue advantage of, in that they have had no opportunity to be heard on this substitute bill.
 The oyster men have said that were the bill passed they would be com .pelled to withdraw from the state, and again the report was that the public would have to pay the tax in the form of increased prices on the product. One of the prominent oyster men said yesterday that it would not be possible to raise the price on the bivalves, because the price is not regulated by the Connecticut growers, but by competition in the open mar kets of the west with many southern growers.
 What Dealers Say.
 Senator Franklin F. Homan, presi- dent of the American Oyster com pany, which has large interests in this state and Rhode Island, was much surprised when he learned of the provisions of the bill. 'The bill will mean much to the important financial interest in this city, which must suffer severely under such a re- straint. It might mean the death knell of the industry"
 Henry Laneraft, of the firm of Lan- craft Brothers, says that bill such as proposed, should it pass the house, would take all profit from the indus try, and may drive oystermen from the state. The oyster men," said MT. Lancraft, "are already paying a yearly tax to the state on the valua- tion of their property, and are willing to pay that, as all industries do. but they object to this tax which places demand on bad land equal to that of good"
 Frank Mansfield said he thought the bill outrageous. "The oyster men understood" said MT, Mansfield, that any legislation against the industry was long ago knocked in the head This bill will be g. surprise to the oyster men, but I suppose we will have to peg along as best we can.''
 A meeting of local oyster men to tako action on tha coSa will ha haJd