Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-30
OYSTER BAN
Maryland Virginia Men Here:
Enter a Protest.
DENY BEDS ARE POLLUTED
Demand a Hearing and Further
Tests by Secretary of Agriculture.
CHARGE OF PREJUDICE MADE
River Men Declare They Are Allow
ed to Sell Polluted Bivalves
After Paying Fines. q

Aroused by the harm they claim has
oeen done to the oyster industry Of Mary
land and Virginia by the report recently
promulgated by the bureau of chemistry
which charged that the sewage of Wash
ington and towns along the Potomac was
poiiutinS the oyster beds of the two
states. representatives OF MARYLAND and
virginia met in conference today at the
willard Hotel and formulated plans To
demand of the Secretary of AgricuIture
nearing on and further tests of the oys
ters taken from the Potomac river beds.
Marylands representatives at the con-
ference today further charge that pref
udice has been shown against MARYLAND
and Virginia oysters I'm the bureau of
cnemstrys report, and that notwith-
Standing the fact that MARYLAND oysters
captains who bring oysters to the
washington market are fined for having
polluted oysters In their possession no
real attempt is made by the government
to prevent these oysters from being
placed on the market
The Maryland men declare that there
nave been number of cases wherein
oyster captains paid their fines and then
sold their cargoes, and that these cap
tains understand that the easiest way
out of any charge of having polluted
fine asked of them, dispose of their
oysters and go back for another cargo
Want State Bacteriologists.
sentiment against having a bacteria
logical expert of the bureau of chemistry
participate in today's conference devel-
oped as soon as the Maryland and yir-
ginia men got together.
Representative Thomas Parran of the
nth Maryland district. had been asked
oy the Governor Of Maryland to be
present at today's conference. and to
ask the bureau of chemistry to detail
a bacteriologist from the federal bu-
reau to be present, which he did. but
the Maryland and Virginia men de-
cided that they would prefer to have
any further oyster tests made by their
own state bacteriologists
The meeting today was called by Gov.
Mann or Virginia, and Gov. Colds
borough OF Maryland. who designated
various fish and oyster commission off,
cials OF the two states to participate
Gov. Mann was aroused by the recent
chemistry bureau report which declared
that Potomac river oysters were un-
healthy and should be avoided as food.
and after conference with Gov. Colds
borough Of Maryland he instructed Nc
Donnell Lee. chairman of the board of
fisheries Of Virginia. and William D.
Saunders the dairy and food commission
the meeting.
Maryland was represented by a num-
ber of officials concerned with the
oyster business of the state. as well as
individuals. led by the attorney general
of the state Edgar Allen Poe Repre-
sentative Thomas Parran. Shell Fish
Commissioners Revell. Graves and Malt
by. Oyster Police Fleet Commander T
|C: B. Howard, Deputy Commander Z. j.
PlOwden, State Senator Wilkerson, State
Senator Lancaster, DR. Walter b. Dent
Of st. Marys county, Enoch e. Abel of
st. Marys county and Charles c. Lam
caster Of Washington.
Bring Oysters Here for Tests.
The Maryland men brought to Wash
ington for test oysters from the so-called
infected districts. namely, the Blackstone
Islandn bar. the Cobbs Point bar, the
Swan Point bar and the Lancaster par
in the Wicomico river. These oysters We're
taken by Commander Howard in deep
water along the river and from the shall
low water at Blakistone's Island. and
Commander Howard pointed out that il
there Were any germs or microbes coming
down the river as the bureau of chemis-
try claims, they would appear in the
tests of these oysters, and. he told his
feilow-conferees. that fact would also be
evidenced by ten dead men in the crew
of his vessel, the Gov. Philip +. Thomas.
all of whom had been partaking of these
oysters for some time.
The Maryland and Virginia men are of
the opinion that the national government
or the District should do something
toward providing a sewage filtration plant
for the city of Washington, such as Bal
timore is about to establish, to forever do
away with the question Of what effect the
sewage of Washington is having on the
oysters of the Potomac.
Dr. Dent, who has been a practicing
physician in St. Marys county. Md, and
the surrounding section for twenty-three
years. told the conference that he and his
fellow practitioners In St. Marys county
regarded the oysters criticised by the
bureau of chemistry as being perfectly
safe.
No Typhoid in County.
He said that there has been absolutely
no typhoid in St Marys county in the
past quarter of century. and very little
in Charles county. notwithstanding the
fact that people in that section have been
eating the suspected oysters for years.
Dr. Dent said that the testimony of DIR.
Greenwel, the present health officer Of
the county, and of DIR. Lynch. the former
health officer Of the county. also would
be to this effect. He claims that there
have been no epidemics of intestinal dis
eases in the oyster-eating counties for
twenty-three years, and that he rarely
sees or hears of the bacillus COLI. of which
eaters of oysters from the Potomac are
warned by the bureau of chemistry.
Representatives OF the oyster packers
of the south Atlantic and gulf states
will meet in conference at the Raleigh
Hotel tomorrow at noon, upon the invita-
ton of number Of Baltimore packers
and representatives OF can manufacture
ing concerns.
At this conference. which will be at
tended by about twenty-five members OF
the packing and can manufacturing in
dustry, questions of general interest to
the oyster trade will be discussed. in
Guiding the recent report Of the bureau
of chemistry of the Agricultural Depart
ment that there has been pollution
among oysters in the Potomac river.