The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-23

! prior to the time that the waters were I seriously polluted by sewage and ot11- | CT wastes, and certainly the State had title in these lands long before there contamination. Forty years ago the | rivers, bays and harbors were pure,
 and were utilized for producing oys- 1 ters and olams for market and pro- | viding a remunerattve business for | employer and employee. Owing to the purity of the waters, oysters pro pagated in these waters, and a set l could be depended upon almost every year. Since that time the popu1a- ton of the cities has increased, man ufacturing plants have multiplied, and the wastes from both have been
 dumped into the streams, with the
 result;
 That owing to the impurities in
 the water the spawn does not fertil-
 ize, with the result that the catching
 of a set has become very uncertain,
 and instead of having a prolific set
 almost every year and some set ev
 cry year, we do not average a set
 more often than once in five years,
 and in the western part of the state
 there has not been a profitable set in
 ten years. The result being that the lands in Long Island that ten or more years ago were valuable for setting
 grounds are of no value for that pur-
  Iy be made available by being used to transplant onto from other lands that have not as yet been destroyed for setting ground. How long 1t will be before the whole area is destroyed as a place for propagaHng oysters no man can tell, but it is a question that must give every thinking planter cause for grave misgivings. When the time does come the value of Connecti- cut Oyster Lands will be reduced to negligible figure.
 Twenty-Five years ago oysters could be raised for market on any of the area planted. The color was good, the flavor fine, and the healthfulness unquestioned. About that time oys- ters began to show a green color, and to have somewhat pungent or cop perry flavor, and 1t became necessary for the planter to transplant his stock to other waters in order to have the color right, the flavor improved and in general to make them marketable. This imposed 8 large burden of ex- pense on the planter with consequent loss of profits.
 Since that time matters have gone from bad to worse. Population has increased and with it the increasing volume of household wastes have been dumped into the streams. Manufac- turing concerns have multiplied, and the wastes from them consisting of acids, gases, dyes and pofsons of many kinds have been added to the other pollution, until now our rivers and harbors are rapidly becoming unfit for use for raising clams and oysters for consumption, and a hitherto produc- | tive and valuable resource is being destroyed.
 ''shan the State of Connecticut al- low these conditions to exist, and to grow worse as they inevitably will, as the years go on and population in creases and manufacturing plants continue to multiply. or shall steps be taken right now to stop the in crease of the evil, and start made in the direction of eliminating the pres ent evils as soon as it is practicable to do so.
 We believe that the State of Con- 1 necticut will arise to the occasion and | meet this question squarely by enact 1 ing the legislation asked for in this | streams We know that the question | is a large one and we know that it | will take time to accomplish all that | we hope for, but that is all the more | reason why a start should be made now.
 "In the meantime, the Oyster Plant CTS and Dealers in response to the ask that the State Board of Health be given supervision of the oyster beds, shuektng houses and methods in handling shell fish, to the end that the public health may be and the public mind may be satisfied that all shell fish, shipped or offered for sale, is healthful and above suspicion from a sanitary 
 ''The bill provides that no oysters shall be taken from the grounds un- il after inspection by the State Board fo 1yfu sf1 r. I ng that beds and oysters are in a and sanitary condition. It also provides that the snucking houses where oysters are handled, opened and shipped shall be inspected and a certificate given, and if found sani- also made the subject of inspection md certihcation by the State Board of Health.
 ''This portion of the act follows the of Rhode Island, where 1t has been found to work satisfactorily and o be of large value to the industry. The aim of the inspection and certi- ication being that pending the time when the purihcation of our streams hall have been accomplished, the consuming public may be assured as o the hea1thfuIness of shell fish, and he dealers can show certificate from tate Authority that all sanitary laws lave been compiled with.
 Attorney Edward M. Day appeared or the Westport Fire district in op- tosition to the bill.
 Among those who favored the bill nd advanced reasons for the pas age of the proposed law or one close y related to it in principle were Os- orn Congleton, a New York consult ng engineer, who said the cost of quipping a plant properly for any fty would be two cents a person 7eek: J. H. BIakeman of Stratford, James Walsh of Greenwich Captain Bell f Norwa1k, president of the State ( ,yster Farmers Association; L.. H. Z, TeaIey master of the state grange nd secretary of the State Board of ] AgricuIture; Representative Kopple- l 1ann of Hartford, W. J. Barbour, ,