The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-07
||GlIIB|E|l BILL |
s. IS BLACK EYE
VS. Com111T5EE nEroRrs cArrArN
crkrAlr rAvoRrrE MEAS
0nn uxFAvSRABLr.
Mr.. LEE is WITNESS
wsnsF COMMISSIONER SAYS THE
raesExr LAWS SUFFICIENTLY
PRoTEcr ALL OF THE
FooD FISH.
Mr.. LEE IS WITNESS

Tho Houee Committee orr the Ines-
epeake and Ms Tributaries on yester-
day afternoon voted 10 report unfavor-
ably the Curtis bills relating TO the
fish and oyster interests OF the State.
The measures were ef reaching
importance 70 those interests. The
renhatieu hsh bill prohibited men.
haden fishing inside the Cares of vIr-
Cinis. cutting the large fertilizer
plants on the Chesapeake Bay from
making use Of any OF the merhaden
which come into the hay
Captain Curtis opened the discus
zion, explaining that the catching of
menhaden operated to destroy the food
nah Of the Commonwealth making IL
impossible for the people Of Richmond
to get the cheap food fish to which
they were entitled. He told how. In
years back. the menhaden fishery folk
had carried hundreds of barrels OF
trout into Norfolk ct one time. He
placed upon the nfenhaden people the
responsibility for the scarcity OF food
nsh In the upper waters Of the rivers,
declaring that they were gathered tn
In large numbers.
Commissions Lee Explains.
Commissioners ~ Fisheries Mcdonald
Lee was then called on for informal
ton by the committee. Tho commits
siener made good Witness for the
nsenhaden people lie declared that ths
laws procured two years ago by his
department for The protection OF the
food fish we're absolutely obeyed: that
fhe menhaden craft did not take
encuxl. food fish tn supply their own
crews with fresh fish: that other fist
did mot run In the schools with tht
menhaden. and that tho purse nets
Ira tair s,f taaI dam =
Of stlrh fine twins that they were
readily broken by the large fish.
He referred to the reports of the
United States authorities as favora'
bie 10 tile contention that the men
haden peoples infringement upon the
food fish was infintesinial.
He showed that the catches of food
fish referred to Try Captain Curtis hap
pencd before tho existing laws Wen
into effect. bnt explained that thu
captain Of the craft making the catcl
had been summariiy discharged BY
the owners. s&
He declared that 1t would be ixacl
against the states interest to adopt
any such measure and that II wouif
ruin the menhaden industry In Nir'
Etnia.
Asked by members Of the commit.
tee from inland counties to explain
tho scarcity of herring In their waters
Commissioner Lee said that the set
ing OF nets at the mouths of the
rivers, and rot the fne,,haden fish
eriss. were responsible. He explained
that on the bay herring was giu1
In the market. that they were so cheaT
~ not to be worth catching and pack
ing, ara that II was case or trans
rortation and middiemcn II the people
, 1T the inland cities were not properl,
supplied.
Captain r. G. Fisher and MIR Georg'
Reed, OF Reedville, representative o.
the na<nhaden fishery interests, were
also heard by the committee.
The Curtis bill permitting citizens
OF other States to come In and ieas'
Virginia oyster grounds was next taker
MP. and the whole oyster question wal
threEhed o,... Senator Walker. %
North,..-speffand, Alfred Won Nyven
be14, OF Norfolk. Delegate r. w. Nil
! stead, OF Newport News, and Others
speaking on the subject
The committee then went into exc
cuffve session, and coon decided upon
adverse reports upon both measures.