The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1915-12-31
Sees DEATH
OYSTER INDq
B. HOWARD HAMAN SEQ
HERD LAW IN LECIUFl
JOHNS PARISH HALL. |

A@s 4AS " 80 - @@----N
Haman Oyster Law, lectuE
night on Oyster Cultu
Johns Parish Hall, befd
audience. Mr.. Joseph N.
sided. 1t was the first OF
lectures to be given by
Of Columbus MIR. Haman
tanned while here by Ar.
Shriver, Centre street
MIR. Haman, after review
tory or the oyster industr
land and legislation affec
clared fatty that the Stat
system Of oyster culture W
and that the Legislature 81
enact a really effective d
the development of the
wipe out all existing oys
laws.
Every intelligent, pract
student of the subject k
Mr.. Haman, that we a
up the bay now to get az
than one-fifth of the prod
easily in the palmy days o
try. The quality Of the 81
shipped is not comparable
20 years ago"
Mr.. Haman denounced tA
bill, which was made a
legislative session of III
Shepherd bill" he said, III
plished two results. TlI
amount Of land held unde|
good standing according
formation from the SheH
mission, is about 1900 acN
under lease in good stand
opinion, amounts to abo|
1000 acres.
Under certain pTovisil
Shepherd law, the area of /
which had been set aside
termen under a survey aJ
the Act of 1906 has BEG
increased by about $4,000
indirectly increased througl
ing out of what are call
zones, other areas aggreA
thousands of acres. In d
the public lands to be sd
dredgers, tongers and SCI
been increased by about
reckoning the aggregate OH
zones to d. $1,000 acres
the lands on which nearlM
has been spent and a grq
nearly destroyed.
More than this, throuA
known as the 'condemnaticl
the Shepherd bill, procet
been instituted TO condemnl
acres of land under lease d
that these lands were publ
unscientific and wholly er
finition of the natural bed
ed in the Shepherd law, a
suit of this definition, a
the operation of these cd
proceedings, 2,515 acres
condemned, with verdicts
State aggregating S257, ,95
diets for similar amounts
ed in the other cases pen
ties Of the State will
100000 through the pasA
Shepherd bill.
Granting that the 65,0N
land added to the public laN
the new survey was we'll III
had partly caught up as
men say, what is the value
in the hands OF the oysteN
the present destructive syst
pared with the value in tN
planters? The verdicts rent
condemnation cases are
answer to this question.
added to the survey, if
would be worth in a short I
900 and would produce a d
ue. In the hands of the'
they are worth nothing d
and little to the industry 4
Quoted.
Upon the aforegofng l
the present system of oysteH
Maryland, both as to naturR
barren bottoms, il a failrA
know that we have the md
i've lands of this kind In NJ
we continually boast Or tH
W. have shown ourselves iA
To use what nature has pN
us a. a free gift"
Having declared that, unA
ton that would serve effectN
velop the oyster industry N
the States interest in it q
cured, the Legislature Sid
all oyster-culture bills and
to the old system" Mr.. HI
1t is a no-good system,
tve system for everybody
in the industry. Better a
done than a false
progress at the exepnse oil
ury OF the State and all its /
1T is sad, indeed, to q
the total depletion Of the bl|
we have not now more than Il
seed il a proper planting 81
adopted. However, if the
to be destroyed 1t would NJ
quick. or course, the busheN
to 20; the oyster navy ouN
and then the little coterie
trolled the Jolly band w ard
roughed the State House in
have AZ an without furth1
cost.
The repeal OF the She
would at once relieve the III
liabilities. First, that arA
the judgments of condemnaI
referred to. amounting toI
and of a contingent liabilit]
200 for account OF the pend
Four hundred thousand dol
Is that much gained"
Miss Grace Elgin entertl