The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-01
PROTESTING AGAINST TAX
ON THE OYSTERAEEN.
Jurisdiction OF the Committee ON Shell
Fisheries Is Questioned by MIR.
Ryce-Argu1nents ON
Merits, Though.

The joint standing committee on
shell fisheries gave a hearing at the
state capitol Tuesday on a bill which
it is proposing to raise and which
would require all oysterInen to make
returns to the tax commissioner of all
oysters sold, or removed out of the
state, during each tweIvemonth period
and pay q tax of one and a half per
cent. thereon. Senator Stanley of
New Haven is the senate chairman
and representative Evarts Of New
Milford is the house chairman of the
committee.
BIr. Rycc's Contention.
To the evident surprise of the chair
man, Representative Ryce Of West
Hartford took the floor first, and held
It, though challenged, claiming that a
plea to the Jurisdiction of the commit
tee should properly precede the argu-
ment of the proponents Of the bill. He
pointed out that the bill was labeled
Substitute for Senate Bill 414," and
that If was taxation bill pure and
simple. Senate Bill Ala had been
referred to the finance committee, and
a hearing had been had on it. No
one appeared for the bill, though the
introducer had been sent for and
tn ough the tax commissioner had been
sent for. Mr.. Perry, clerk of the
shel1fsh commission, was in the room,
but did not speak out loud. He prob
ably had in his hands at that time this
very bill, which, as it's caption show
ed, was intended as a substitute for
s. B. 414. and which was now mas
querading as a bill raised by the shell
fisheries committee. Mr. Perry had
next appeared before the farmers al
lance and sought to interest the far
mers of the general assembly in this
very bill which he had read to the
meeting. No bill taxing oysters or
oyster franchises had been referred
to the shell fisheries committee by the
general assembly, ana the rules gave
it no jurisdiction to raise tax bill.
Mr.. Chandler.
The committee reserved decision
and heard the arguments on the ner-
its. Former Representative George
B. Chandler of Rocky Hill opened at
a good deal of length. and argued with
eloquence that the oystermen were not
being sufficiently taxed, and that, al
though their paid attorney. the first
speaker had argued forcefully, the
committee could raise this bill and get
a lot OF satisfaction and political cred
1t by doing so. Mr.. Ryce interrupt
ed and spread confusion over Mr..
Chambers features, drawing also an
apology and an explanation that Mr.
Chandler had not previously identified
him, and that Of course he was no
body's attorney.
TAX Commissioner Corbin condensed
the same arguments that were pre-
sented in 1911 and questioned Mr..
Perry in order to draw out some fig
ures.
Milk in the Cocoanut.
No one else wishing to be heard
for the bill and Mr.. Ryce having
taken the floor to oppose, Senator
Stanley announced that the oysterm en-
could have three speakers. Mr.. Ryce
declined to speak at all if the commit
tee placed him in that position, and
again received an apology and a dis
claimer. He argued that Governor
Woodruff and the governor of Rhode
Island met at dinner in 1908, and the
former learned that Rhode Island got
from oysters a large revenue. He did
not learn that Rhode Island had new
sold its oyster grounds and could
lease them.
For Connecticut to tax oyster prep
erty enough to yield as much as Rhode
Island got from rents would be wrong.
Yet that was the meat in the cocoanut
in 1911 and again this year. The
property tax burden was about 10
mills, and unless it could be shown
that the oystermen had property sub
ject to state taxation which not being
taxed to that extent under the law now
on the books, no reason for a new tax
law had been shown. He had heard
assertions, but had listened in vain
for any facts or proof. In 1911 the
oystermen had agreed to bear large
ly increased tax, and he had told many
Of them that were 1t ever to appear