The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-30
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Answers ROuntree
To the Editor of The Age-Heraid:

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: A few days ago your paper pub. 1ished an interview with MT. J. Asa
 Rountree which was so unfair to the oyster men of Alabama that I ask you as a matter of Justice, to present our
 side of the controversy to the public
 Heretofore 1t had not been generally
 known that MT. Rountree had particu- lar knowledge of this great Alabam ma industry, nor was the public aware that he had ever shown any great in-
 terest therein. MT. John Craft of this
 city, is president of the Alabama oys- ter commission, and also of the Ala
 bama good roads committee.
 The fact that MT. Rountree Is secre- tary of the latter body may have some
 thing to do with his sudden interest in
 the oyster
 Tn his published interview MT
 Rountree says: "The oyster Mems
 Protective association is fighting the
 present law and desires to have 1t re- poaled. A few men want no law or
 restraint of any kind. They have been
 used to fishing oysters that grow on
 the wild reefs of the state. They are just like the man that depredates on
 government timber, or the man that
 makes illicit whisky, or any others that do not believe in progressive or modern development"
 This characterization of a respect
 able body of Alabama business men is
 so palpably unjust that it demands prompt response. We are not moon sinners and we are not poachers. The Alabama Oyster Mems Protective asso-
 citation is composed of men engaged in the wholesale and retail distribu- ton of fish and oysters. Our whole in terest is in the growth of the oyster industry. Our business has been in- jured to large extent by the opera ton of the law as it stands at pres ent, and at the next session of the leg islature we will ask that it be amended.
 So far as conservation and replant- ing are concerned, we would be foolish to oppose them. Does it not stand to reason that the better the supply the
 more business we will do? We would
 like to see oysters growing on every available bottom in Alabama waters AS matter of fact, Mir John Graft
 and his associates of the Alabama oys- ter commission at the present time are collecting about $S000 year from the people of this state for which no ade- qudt6 btINlCce are IeHueTeu. MT. CTdll
 and the others on the pay roll of the
 commission occupy sinecures The ta>
 imposed upon the small dealers--those in the little towns scattered over the
 state of Alabama has practically
 driven them out of business. This is
 condition concerning which we pro test. The 25 cents a barrel tax upon shrimp has destroyed the preserving industry in this state. Shrimp now caught in Alabama waters are taken to the ports of other states for canning purposes. The big oyster and shrimp canning plant at Bayou la Batre, whicl once gave employment to probably 1000 persons. has long been closed down.
 The Oyster Mems Protective asso citation will ask that supervision of tho
 industry be taken from MT. Craft and his associates and transferred to the state game and fish department. The law in it's present form operates to the financial advantage of Mir Craft
 and few others and to the disadvan- tage of all of the rest of the people of the state. This is the sum and sub stance of our complaint.
 As a matter of fairness, I ask that you publish this statement
 DON F. PETTY. Mobile, March 27. 1914.