Norwich bulletin., 1915-10-21
sTONINGToN
Law Under Which Capt. Manuel Clay Was Fined-Matter of Sidewalks for Pawcatuck Discussed.

Capt. Manuel Clay, who paid $50 and costs for auto-trawling in Rhode Island waters, was prosecuted under the law passed at the January session of the Rhode Island general assembly, which reads as follows:
 NO person. except he be a citizen of Rhode Island, shall take any fish with any kind of beam or auto trawi or set any beam or auto trawl for the purpose of taking any fish herewith, from the public waters of the state, and no person shall take any fish by such means from the state waters ad- 1acent to New Shoreham. and every person violating any provision of this act shall be fined $50 for each ofrense, one-half to use of complainant and the other half to use of state, or be imprisoned not exceeding twenty days. or both. in the discretion of the court"
 Ignorance of the Law.
 Stonington fishermen have been vio- Iating this law through ignorance of it's existence and Chief Deputy Louth of the Rhode Island fish commission has been so busy watching out Tor violators of the law farther to the eastward, he did not seek for violators near the state boundary line until last Monday, when he boarded. off Watch Hill, Captain Clay's power boat VII liam C., and placed the captain under arrest bringing him to trial in the
 I uty Louth said there were two other Stonington fishing boats in the vicin ity. but they succeeded in reaching Connecticut waters before he could reach them. Some Stonington fisher men doubt the constitutionality of the law, but have no desire to expend the | large sum of money required to test the law in the higher courts
 Sidewalks for Paweatuek.
 At the annual financial town meet | ing of Stonington, William F. Lou don, of Pawcatuclk, was elected mem Der of the highway commission to suc- ceed Eugene O'Neily resigned. At that l meetin, MT. Loudon questioned the right of the commission to lay gran | olithic sidewalks in Mystic and ignore other sections in that respect. stating that Pawcatucl<. the largest voting dis | trict in the town, should be given consideration. He was informed that the commission apportioned $1,000 for sidewalk in Mystic last year, for a | continuous sidewalk, on condition that the abutting property owners paid one-half the total cost. MT. Loudon | was also told the commission was ready to do the same for Pawcatuck. | At a subsequent meeting of the com mission, with MT. Loudon as a mem Der, the majority favored granolithic | sidewalks for Pawcatuck, while MT. | Loudon favored the tar walks, the so- | called concrete walks on the ground
 that more walks could be laid for the
 money appropriated and that the tar walk, well laid, was almost as ser
 viceabIe. It Is Mir. Loudon's business
 to build walks of that kind, and as he
 had been so engaged for quarter
 century, he talked from the book of
 experience.
 l Commission VIII Decide.
 1 In order to test the public pulse | on this matter, MT. Loudon called a
 meeting of the citizens interested in l the town building in Pawcatuck, Wed
 nesday evening, and the question was
 thoroughly discussed, pro and con l Whether the expression will have | weight with the commission, and
 whether property owners along a con- | tinuous stretch would bear half the
 expense of the proposed walks. either | granolithic or tar, are questions that | will be determined later.