Evening star., 1912-09-01
QUERY FOR TONGERS
Doubt Whether Potomac Sea-
son Opened at Midnight.
VIRGINIA CHANGED LAW
Made September Is Time for Begin
ming Operations.
LICENSES DATED THE FIRST
State of Maryland Said to Have Con-
Cured in Action of Old
Dominion.
VIRGINIA CHANGED LAW
LICENSES DATED THE FIRST

Dld the oyster longing Season on The
Potomac river open at midnight last
night and is II now legal - take oysters
from the natural rocks In the Potomac
with oyster tongs, or did the legislatures
of Maryland and Virginia change the old
law SO as to keep the Potomac closed TO
tongers until September IL
This is question tho oyster men would
like TO have answered. Tho general oriu-
ion among them seems to be that the sea-
son does not start until September u.
but they are not certain ~ 70 tins N
act Of the Virginia legislature. approved
March IL. 1912. says:
"It shall not he lawful for any citizen
of Maryland and Virginia to take or
catch oysters with scoop. scrape. drodge
or any such instrument IN the waters oi
the Potomac river between the 10Th day
of March and the first daN al NoNemb"t
of each year: ii shall not be lawful For
any citizen OF either state to take oysters
with tones from the waters of the Poto-
mac river between the 9th day of ATtll
and the 18th day of September nt eaob
year; il shall not be lawful for any psl-
son to have Ia possession any oysters
taken from the waters of the Potomar
river between the first day OF May ana
the 18th day of September each wear
Every person found guilty OF violating
any or the PROVISIONS tl ttlAS Stt5AlRl StAAti
be fined not less than &lp or more than
$500 for each offense and the Vessel to-
eether with its equipment and cargo,
used in violating any such provisions,
shall be forfeited to the state.
1t would seem from this, II the state
of Maryland concurred in the legislation,
and it is said il did, that the tongins
season opens September l. aud tie
dredging time November ].
Give September l as Date.
The longing license which the Virginia
authorities are issuing to oystermen.
however. states that the longing season
opens September ] On the Potomac, and
i'm other waters in Virginia September
Is, while the dredging license reads
that the season for taking oysters with
dredges begins in the Potomac October
l5 and i'm Chesapeake bay November
L. This is the contradictory situation
that confronts the oystermen. Ia order
to ascertain the opinion of the Mary lana
authorities regarding the matter, IN"
Star Yesterday called the state house
at Annapolis by phone, and was re-
ferred to the state fisheries board. but
there no definite information could be
gotten. The official answering the phone
call stated that while he was Of the
opinion that the season for longing
opened today, still he understood there
had been some legislation on the sub
ject, and he could not give an official
expression to the law.
The dealers in oysters at the wharf
market who handle a large proportion
of the bivalyes brought to this city.
say they do not look for any heavy run
of oysters until after September -.
Some few of the tongers may take the.
issuance of the license by the Nirginid
authorities as allowing them To start
work today, but II Maryland concurred
in the law as passed by the Virginia
legislature i'm March they make them
selves liable to arrest by the Mary land
authorities So the oysterman is in .
quandary as to what TO do.