The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-17
TEXT OF BILL
 INCREASING TAX
 ON OYSTER BEDS
Especial to The Farmer )


 Hartford. May 1.-The following is a proposed act to increase the taxa ton on oyster grounds, which was of fered in the House, yesterday, by Rep resentative Evarts of Milford, on the favorable report from the shell fish committee. Following the objection by Representative Ryce of West Hart ford the report was withdrawn to avoid an adjournment of the House. The bill:
 An Act Concerning Taxation of She'll
 fish Grounds.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House
 of Representatives in General As
 sembly convened:
 Section 1. Every owner or lessee of any shell fish franchise or lot ly- ing within the exclusive Jurisdiction of the state shall annually, on or before the first day of November, deliver to the clerk of shell fisheries a state ment under oath of the value of all of the shell fish taken from such franchise or lot and sold or removed from the state during the year ending September thirtieth. Printed blanks for such returns prepared by said clerk of shell fisheries and shall be furnished to such owners or 1essees upon application therefor. No such owner shall be excused from making such return on the ground that such franchise or lot is leased to another unless the lease Is in writing and re- corded in the records of the shell fish commission. Any owner or lessee who shall fail to make such sworn lot so owned or leased shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars All statements so made shall De alpha betically arranged, and said clerk of shell fisheries shall supply any miss ing statements from athe best infor- nation obtainab1e.
 Sec. 3. The shell fish commission CTS on or before the first day of Feb ruary annually shall determine the value of each shell fish franchise or lot, having in view the value, Aif any, of the shell fish produced upon such lot or franchise, following the mum bers used upon their maps to desig hereby laid on said lots or franchises at the rate of one and one-ha1f per centum of such valuation, which shall be payable at the office of said com rnissioners, on the first Monday in May, annually said tax shall be a lien upon the interest Of such owner or lessee in each such lot or franchise until paid.
 Sec g.. The shell fish commission CTS shall prescribe the form of keep ing records and accounts by fran chise ownern and Iessees and may in-I Sp6Ct Sucn records ana accounts ana call for such Information from time to time as they may deem necessary for the purpose of determining va1ua- tions; every person who shall refuse or neglect to keep such records or ac-1 counts in the form prescribed, or who shall refuse or neglect to afford said conn nissdoners, or their duly author fixed agents, access to such records or accounts or who shall refuse or neg-1 iect to furnish such information upon demand, shall be liable to the penalty prescribed in section one of this act, and such neglect or refusal shall be- deemed a separate offence with ref erence to each franchise so owned or leased.
 Sec. 4. Any person aggrieved by the action of said commissioners with respect to such valuations shall have the same right of appeal as Is provid- ed by law from the doings of the shell fish commissioners when sitting as a board of relief.