The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-27

to any applicant oyster planting
ground, not to exceed 5000 acres, in
the Chesapeake bay in waters from
fifteen feet or more in depth when
deemed best for the public interest.
and at as low rental as twenty five
cents per acre. thus clearly showing II
to be the policy and the desire of
the lawmaking power of the state 20
encourage the development of the
deep water oyster-planting industry
Ever since the enactment OF this
law the commission has tried to in
duce oyster planters to make expert
ments in this industry. Under the
former commission, Frank w. Darling.
of Hampton, Va, the most extensive
oyster planter south of Long Island
sound, was induced to try the expert
ment of planting shells In the deep
waters of the bay. The experiment
was a failure, as no strike was Sc
cured. and hts investment of nearly
ten thousand dollars was a total loss.
Starts Another Experiment.
In January, 1915, MIR. Darling ap-
pearej before the present commission
of fisheries and recited his disastrous
experience in planting shells, and
stated he believed IL young oysters
were planted in the bay they might
possibly develop. and that the deep
: NdItT lHodSlls Al llldl way
might be made success. He stated
the investment necessary to make this
! experiment on q large enough ale to
determine whether or not 1t could be
done profitably would be great and
proposed to the commission that he
and his associates would experiment
In three different localities, viz: off
York Spit. ocean View and Lynn
haven Inlet, II the commission would
/ l. -
ciates areas OF approximately ESQ
acres to each, at an annual rental of
twenty-five cents per year. and would
at the same time accept from himself
and his associates applications for ap-
iproximately ALSO acres for each, ad-
joining the said 250-acre tracts, and
would agree to hold said applications
until 1t could be determined from the
experiments to be made whether or
not the deep water oyster planting
could be successfully carried on here,
and would further agree, in the event
the experiments were a success. to
lease to himself and to each of his as
sociates all of the land so applied for
| by them, or so much thereof as they
might desire.
Due notice Of these applications
was given both by posters and as news
items in different papers, and not one
single objection or protest was made
against leasing this ground. The
proposition was accepted by the COM
mission of fisheries and the expert
ments have been made stt an invest
ment by Mr.. Darling and his asso-
ciates Of $4,000. At the time OF
making this proposition, Mr.. Darling
gave as his reason for wishing to file
! the applications then for all of the
land that he and his associates might
want--if the experiment should prove
to be a success-other parties would
at once apply for land all around his
small 250-acrs tract, and that he and
his associates. having risked their
money in the experiment, might be de-
prived OF fair benefit therefrom.
offered One Dollar an Acre.
His fears were well founded. Certain
gentlemen OF Hampton did apply for
land adjoining that on which he was
making his experiment as soon as 1t
became evident that the experiment
was a success. They were informed
they could not get the Identical land
they wanted. as Mr.. Darling had made
a previous application for 1t, which
the commission had agreed to grant.
So anxious were they for this land
that Judge Thomas H. Wilcox, of
Norfolk, representing. he said. Mr..
Newcomb, called on Commissioner
Parsons in regard to the matter and
stated that while his client, of course
wanted to get the land as cheap as he
could, that he would pay $500 per
acre for it. Judge Wilcox was told
that that particular land had already
/ been assigned to Mr.. Wallace. one OF
Mr.. Darling's associates. but that the
commission would consider the appli-
cation of his clients for any uras-
1 signed land in the bay. and that the
price to all at that time was twenty
/ five cents per acre Not being able
TO get this particular land for them
selves they at once saw the great In
justice that would be done their wards
the poor. dear fishermen, clammers
and crabbers-by the assignment of 4,
to anyone else. The next thing we
heard were threats of injunctions. and
/ then petitions were circulated from
! Hampton Roads to the Piankitank
river. in an effort to incite the fisher
men, clammers and crahbers to pro-
test against this assignment OF land in
tho Chesapeake bay. These people
were told that IL this land were as
signed they would have to stop fishing
on 1t, and. believing these falsehoods,
about 176 persons signed petitions OF
protest Many who signed these petit
lions never worked on this ground
knew nothing about 1t and did not
even know where it was. Some OF the
signers were schoolboys who had never
been on the land. Upon learning the
truth in regard to the assignments
some wrote requesting their names to
Do erased. and stated thy favored Ieas-
| ing the land for deep water oyster
planting. The members of the Oyster
mems Protective association of the
James river were requested to sign
these petitions. and refused. Each
ono OF the ITS signers of these petit
tons was notified by letter that as to
the land assigned or agreed to pc as.
signed to Mr.. Darling and his asso
ciates. 30 far as the commission OF
fisheries was concerned, II was set
| tled, but that we would be very glad
to have them present at the next meet
ing OF the commission, on February
2s. 1917. to give their views upon
other applications before us and
things in general. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
this notice to them. the gentlemen who
had themselves applied for some OF
the land assigned to Mr.. Darling and
others came before the commission
with their cohorts and four attorneys
and insisted on having the commits
sion consider resembling the assign
ments AMI contracts which they had
| made two years before. The commits.
| sioners explained to them that they
were advised nv their nfforca,, tbo,