The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-05
CONNECTICUT OYETERMEN TO
GIVE VIGOROUS BATTLE TO
PROPOSED PRODUCTIVITY TAX
Big Intimate Further Upon
dustry Threatens Drive Altogether



posed legislation that aims to put a
tax upon the productivity of the oys-
ter grounds in the waters of this state,
and at a meeting held in Bridgeport,
on Tuesday, q committee was appoint
ed by the Connecticut Oyster Grow
ers to make a fight against the pas
sage Of the bill for productivity tax.
A measure such as is now sought was
defeated two years ago in the 1egts-
Iature. The oysterTnen find that they
are picked out an object for rails
ing more revenue for the state, and
like other classes of taxpayers to the
state who are just now being looked
to to pay more taxes and swell the
Golfers of the state, the oystermen
are put in a position to defend them
selves from further taxation.
Frank J. Mansfield, of Fair Haven,
who is one of the large oystermen of
the state who will be affected if the
productivity tax goes through, de-
clares that the attempt to saddle any
more taxation upon the oyster indus
try of the state is an outrage and
should be stopped. : He says that he
strongly is against it and all the oys-
termen are to. object to it. Other
Fair Haven oystermen declare that
the increased taxation would drive
the oyster business away from Con-
necticut altogether.
The claim is made that 95 per cent
of the oysters used in the market are
brought from other states though the
beds in the waters of Connecticut are
growing grounds that are not finish
ing grounds for the oyster.
The sfOyster & Fisherman which
is the official organ for the oyster
growers, prints the following about
the oyster taxation situation in Con-
necticut:
ttInteiligent public opinion is now
demanding that great productive in
. -
ments shall not be subjected to dam
gerous and serious depreciation by
unnecessary and oppressive restric-
tfons or by misdirected official in
reference Intelligent men agree
that corporate management should
have suitable regulation, but when the
movement for such regulation be-
comes so exaggerated as to destroy
or greatly injure our productive in
dustries, popular opinion swings back
to the realization that our most inn
portant Industries must not be sacri-
feed.
There is no more striking Illus
| tration OF the result I of harassing
interference than the history of the
oyster industry In Connecticut. From
reasonable prosperity and growth it
has in recent years been reduced to
a, very depressed condition.
This is true Of the industry in both
Rhode Island and Connecticut. and
while the business of growing oysters
/ in Maryland increased fifteen hun
dred per cent in less than one year,
! the Industry in these two states is
rapidly declining Many of the lead
ing firms in Connecticut have in the
/ last few years removed their business
wholly or partly from Connecticut,
/ and many who have not facilities for
making the change, have gone out of
/ the business. There are now thous-
I 2 J1r1T7 n
uals in Connecticut than four years
ago, and the oyster business has not
4 been in such depressed condition
i during the past thirty years as it is
at the present time. A brief outline
/ of the history of the industry will be
: instructive.
Between 1875 and 1881 the oyster
y growers created a great food produc-
I ing industry in the deep and barren
waters of Long Island Sound They
were granted lands under water upon
terms fixed by the state and offered
upon the same terms to every citizen
of the state alike.
This was not a franchise granted
to some particular person or corpora
4 ton which may of necessity become a
monopoly, but the grounds were in
the nature of homestead settlements
/ in which those men who had the cour-
1age and the industry to try to Guilt
vate these lands were permitted to
lido so. Those who did take the risk
Iwerel regarded too venturesome and
the common opinion in SIG was that
Il it was a case of the fool and his mon
ey soon parted,
tsThose pioneers encountered many
difficulties and great losses, but crea-
ted and established a food prodJ1cine
industry which has furnished em-
AFTER a few years, the demand for
4 ground increased by reason of the
success of the pioneers and a Shell
Fish Commission was created prin-
cipal1y to sell oyster grounds of the
state in order to benefit the state
treasury. Under the extravagant adj
rninistration of this commission the
= expenditure for selling these oyster
grounds far exceeded the proceeds SC
that the state instead of netting forty
five thousand dollars before 1887, ii
had in fact expended forty-five thous-
and dollars more than the proceeds
of the grounds.
..In 1887 the oyster growers petit
toned the General Assembly to abol-
: fish the Shell Fish Commission, but
through political influence these off,
deserving Office holders.
six or seven years ago, a move
ment was started to increase the rev.
enue from oyster grounds to the
8 state rms was paSeQ upon the Iacl
! that the oyster grounds of Connecti-
cut did not yield nearly as much in
come to the state per acre, as the oys-
ter grounds of Rhode Island did
This has been shown repeatedly tic
; be an entirely superficial meaning
less com parison because even at the
rates characterized in Rhode Island
Connecticut planters removed theiI
| business from Connecticut to a. large
/ extent and preferred to pay the rates
in Rhode Island because grounds were
SO mucsh superior. But even in thai
case, later developments have proved
that the rentals in Rhode Island were
far too high because the industry in
Rhode Island has proved unable tc
carry these burdens, and is now de-
Ill