The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1916-01-07
Mr.. HAMAN'S ADJ
DRESS ON OYSTER
CULTURE.
DELIVERED AT ST. JOHNS PARISH HALL
DECEMBER 2S---THE ADDRESS Is
INSTRUCTIVE AND CONCERNS
CARROLL COUNTY.

We publish below in full the ad-
dress made by Mr.. B. Howard Hannah
on Oyster Culture" at st. Johns
Parish Hall, December %, which we
are indebted to Mr.. Joseph N. Shriver
for.
the oyster resources of Maryland. 1 pro-
pose to consider this topic with especial
reference I" three questions; FIRST, tne
spent and is now obliged to spend for
having these resources. admittedly the
most valuable of their kind in the world !;
for the State and it's citizens under the
existing laws upon this subject; third,
what means. if any, should be adopted to
improve the present system OF conserva-
ton.
The fundamental fact which lies at the
root of all discussion upon this question
is, that the title to the land beneath the
tuc Bay. its tributaries. or elsewhere, is
in the State The inhabitants of Garrett
County. or Carroll County. are interested
of The ideWater counties. These lands
are a. much the property of the State as
are Tia, securities in the public treasury.
NJ proper conservation of shell-fish is
accomplished i'll two ways; first, by con-
serving those parts of the public domain.
which oyStermen call the natural beds or
by private capital of the other portions of
Gn,, land beneath the waters which are fit
for oyster culture and which are known
as barren bottoms.
THE NATURAL BEDS.
l'rior to 1906 the State legislation OF
Maryland. with Il few negligible excep-
tion@. WAS concerned with the natural beds
alone. These natural beds some $50 in
number, are scattered throughout the bay,
its tributaries. and certain other waters
of the State. Three classes Of oystermen
arose.--thc tongers, using hand imple-
ment@ in shallow waters. mainly the tribu-
taries of the bay; the scrapers, plying
in such rivers as the Patuxent, the Chop
tank etc. and using small dredges; and
the dredgers proper, who generally used
tin. open waters of the bay and certain
waters of Somerset County. All these
classes Of oystermen work only upon the
natural rocks They are working in the
same general locations as were occupied
by the oystermen of forty years ago, and
using the antiquated methods of that
time.
OYSTER NAVY AND OYSTER FUND.
The State Fishery Force or the Oyster
Navy established mt first mainly for
the purpose of affOrding protection 10 the
tongerS from the marauding attacks OF
drcd gers. The Oyster Fund was also es-
tablished. This was at first largely made
Ur from license fees paid by the dredgerS.
Tive law requires the Oyster Fund to he
kent separate from other funds i'll the
treasury. and is to be drawn upon only
q TO maintain sufficient and proper
p0li"c regulations for the protection of
fish and oysters in Maryland waters; t2l
10 pay the officers and men: and go to
means Of sailing the boats and vessels of
the Stat" Fishery Force. An examination
of the Cnmptrollcr'S reports since 1850
shows THAT tn" total sums received for az
count IF the Oyster Fund amount 1"
S2.1tE},@ii.G>. An ilemiZed statement of
tnrS" receipts Will appear in separate
paper. marked Exhibit A."
The balance 10 the credit Of this fund
in 1879 WAS S272,014.14; in 1894 there was
deficit of $i:Wt:.@9. The balance on the
%Qth of September. 191I WAS SN!'S3.21 This
time amounting I" iittl" over S3l',00O'
if il had Hut been for two successive
pieces If legislation.
The first was the succession Of acts
which imposed what are usually called
the "lHI>hrl taxes. This is IL burden up
um the oyster business. These taxes var
j"d from the first. which was imposed in
l>>>. amounting 10 ten cents per hundred
bushels. until the present time. when it
is cent Il hnSh~l. The packers have
paid int" the State treasury on account of
these taxes up 10 1914 sums agGregating
$fI>.1-l.>@. y host of employees. known
a> ''Mr"Surrr>' and "InSTrrtorS. were
appointed under the act of 1900. which is
the date of the imposition of the cent Il
bUShcl tax. The salaries of these en-
p0yeeS absorbed. all the revenue nj first.
and from three quarters to tive-SiXthS OF
~ uuIIhS inc years I:bl I''-. l''Ij. l''|'
and 1906.
These salaries amounted to $31 $50 in
1901. exceeding the revenue by the sum Of
S2-0O. In 1903. the sum of S15.9S1.91 of
revenue was exactly taken up by the sal
aries Subsequent Legislation was more
moderate in the way of salaries. the
nearly tw"-ifths Of the amount OF the
tax imposed upon the business. The
hard working mra$urerS and inspectors
got the balance.
nf luti if.h
saved the oyster Fund from bankruptcy
was the succession of acts apprOpriating
various sums. amounting in the aggre
gate. to $lioMN from the general treasury
Of the State. ISce Exhibit CO.
An analysis of the tables filed with this
paper will show great many interesting
only remedy for deficits i'm this fund
seems to have been the imposition OF adj
ditIonal taxation.
LONGING LICENSES.
The tongcrs had for many years prior
treasures their license money for plying
t"eir small boats within the territorial
limits of the tidrwater counties. These
moneys We're PAID over to the schools Of
the counties where the tongers who paid
the licenses lived. In 1892, it becoming
evident that the industry was going down
and the revenues therefrOm leSSened, the
counties were required to pay one-tenth
of the longing license money into the
oyster Fund. This amount was increased
to one-thrd i'll 1>94.-two- thirds thereof
still going to the county schools find
that the aggregate amounts paid from
these license lees into the school funds Of
the respective tidewater counties since
1892 is $54I.212.56, as will appear from
Exhibit b. \ careful estimate Of the
amounts probably paid from longing
tidewater counties from 1880 TO 1892,
based upon correspondence had by me
with the clerks of all the tidewater cOun-
ties, from 1888 to 1892, shows the further
sum Of money so paid to the tidewater
counties in those twelve years to be
into the tidewater county school funds
from longing license fees since 1880 jig
aoout 1896, 1888 (See Exhibit D.
1t was unique idea, though successful
ly carried out, to impose upon the oyster
industry the. bushe' taxes when the tide;
from the treasury Of the State the
moneys properly belonging 10 the State
from their longing licenses l presume
this sort of legislation was justified by
idea that the waters within the county
limits belong to the. counties. This wet
land is part Of the States farm, and
sooner or later will be managed as such.
Any revenue derived therefrom awarded
to the counties Is money improperly di-
verted from the treasury OF the State.
RESULTS OF LEGISLATION
Such legislation. non constructive. Who'll
ly ignoring economic principles and the
experience of enlightened states and coun-
greatest heritage of it's kind with which
Nature has endowed mankind has Deen
wasted and squandered. Many of the
people, who ought to. be ashamed Of it