The Republican journal., 1912-05-23
The Value of Clam Flats.

CLANS may be expected to be smaller
and dearer than ever if the Legislature
enacts the bill which its Committee on
Fisheries and Game has reported relative
to the control of the clam flats, that one
remaining remnant of our public domain
in Massachusetts. A public domain in
Massachusetts? Yes, and upward of
60, 200 acres in extent, and capable of
producing, we are told by special re-
port on the subject, Sc, 100000 worth of
food per annum. Simply because this
public domain lies between the flow of
the tides its owners, the public, have lost
sight of it and are ignorant of its real
value. They know that clans are dear
and small. "The clans are petering
out" they say. Those VITO know tell
US it is needless; that the flats are being
worked lgnorantly and selfshly, under
the protection of unwise laws which
foster a species of destructive monopoly.
If the public domain of Massachusetts
consisted of $4,000 acres of timber land
up in Berkshire, for example, capable of
producing from 5000 to $500 worth of
prime timber each year from every acre
would that were possible), would the
shore towns be content to let the men of
Berkshire monopolize the business? And
if Berkshire mismanaged the property
so that it returned less than $50 per
acre, instead of 5000, would there not be
cause for complaint by every citizen of
the Commonwealth? According to the
official reports that, in brief, appears to.
be the situation on the clam flats, our
only public domain today. Not only does
the State at large derive no benefit from
this public property, but under the
present plan of local leasing, the rentals
going into the private pockets of the
local authorities mot by graft, but by
law, the flats are being run out and
steadily becoming of less value to any
body. 1t is the old story of the exploita-
ton of a natural resource for private
gain.
The fisheries commissioners urge, not
conservation, for little remains but the
mud to conserve, but restoration under
State control and for the benefit of the
State as whole. They assert, and with
propriety, that the citizen Of Berkshire
has as much lawful interest and right in
these mollusk flats as has the shore-town
man. What benefit does he derive from
them today? Just about as much as we
of Massachusetts have derived from the
grazing lands of the West, the National
public domain. And just as hue and cry
arose from those who had long freely
used and grossly abused those grazing
lands under the loose land laws when
public control and leasing was suggested,
SO the clammers along our shores are up
in arms at the suggestion that 1t IS time
to protect the public's rights in these
valuable fisheries. That the protest of
these monopolists against any tamperlng
with their ancient privileges has made
an impression upon the Committee on
Fisheries and Game is proved by the
character of the bill which has now been
reported for action by the Legislature.
Under its provisions no citizen of the
Commonwealth, unless he resides in a
shore town, can benefit from this State
owned property, either directly or in
directly.
To be sure, the bill provides that fee
shall be paid into the State treasury by
those towns in which the beds lie, but
this is not even a sop, but pure mock
cry Imagine the State parting with a
property capable of producing Sc, 600, 900
a year for an annual rental of $500 or so,
and tied up on a fifteen-year contract!
That proposal would not look attractive
even if it were certain that the property
would be improved by the lessees. or that
the food supply derived therefrom would
become more plentiful or cheaper to the
consumer. Under this plan quite the
reverse seems to be promised, however,
for it places the Commonwealth in posi-
ton of fostering a monopoly, and with
the almost complete assurance that the
property will be exploited to the limit in
the majority of cas- S.
This was the deliberate choice of the
committee Of the Legislature in prefer
ence to business like plan proposed by
the commissioners. The latter proposal
was designed to Systematically restore
the depleted mollusk fisheries under skill
ed State management, and incidentally
to provide reasonable revenue to the
Commonwealth. Boston Transcript.