The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-06-02
VIRGINIA RECEPTIVE TO MARY.
LANDS NEW CONsERvA-
TION SET-UP
Economics of Bay Sea-food Indus
try Bound Up With COnserva-
tiOn.-Sportsmen to Control
Game and Inland Affairs

survey or DOth maryland ana VIZ
ginia's Tidewater country, just now
completed, reveals general approval
of Governor Herbert r. O'Conor's
move in abolishing the superannu-
ated Conservation Commission, and
establishing in it's place Commits
sion of Fisheries, and State Game
and Inland Fish Commission. The
people whose living depenos upon
the bay particularly praise the Gov
ernors recognition of the fisheries
problem as being an economic one,
which demands immediate action
| towards marketing the Bays sea-
| food at prices profitable to the now
starving industry. The old Conser-
walton Commission, they say, still
| functioned in the manner of past
generations and allowed the Bay in
dustries to founder along totally
unconscious of the lapse Of time,
and of the new marketing end COM
petitive conditions the industry must
face today.
| People now days, they contend,
demand modern packages of seafood
and they will respond to interest
ing publicity regarding the neces-
sity in the diet of certain minerals
and vitamins found in abundance in
the Chesapeake's products. The old
Commission, they complain, gave no
help or encouragement to the in
dustry to adapt itself to modern
distribution of fresh foods, through
rapid transportation and vastly i'm
proved refrigeration. Nor. appar-
emily, did it realize the necessity of
well-directed advertising, to assist
seafood to get its share of the high
ly competitive food market, which
is crowded with other food products,
produced under strict standards and
sold profitably with the aid of huge
advertising campaigns.
Back To Prosperity
| Governor O'Conor's program, they
point out, expresses his determine
ton that the Commission Of Fisher
les shall lead the industry back to
prosperity. With the abandonment
of the outdated Oyster Navy set-up,
and the installation of modern
mechanism of law enforcement; to-
gether with an efficient method of
collecting the important statistical
information vital to all great enter
prises, the Commission will be able
to do many things for the Industry
that have been impossible hereto
fore.
1t will be able to cooperate in
seeking the best methods of prepar-
ing and packing the products. 1t will
furnish every opportunity to take
advantage of modern means of dis
tribution; and it will establish col
lective advertising program to pro-
fitably publicize the Bays seafood.
All of which activities, conferred
under the leadership of the Commits
sion will again make the public con-
scious of the necessity of seafood-
Maryland seafood- in the well-bal-
anced diet.
Virginia'S Help Needed
Another point of great import
ance deals with cooperation with
our sister State of Virginia, with
whom close and continued harmony
is absolutely imperative if Maryland
is to get anywhere with even the
most carefully thought-out Bay
Conservation program. Our efforts
heretofore, for instance, to stop Vir-
ginia's sponge grabbing, SO detri-
mental to the Maryland Crab Indus
| try, have been fruitless, foi many
reasons, mainly political. Virginia
also controls the supply of finish
in the Chesapeake Bay, her control
of the Bay. Not until some mutual
cooperation is established will the
Chesapeake Bay again bee come fill
ed with fish.
The survey of the Underwater
Counties showed beyond doubt
that Virginia's fisheries, as well as
members of her government, enter
tain high hopes that now at last a
| feasible plan for joint action will
be accomplished; and they were
even kind enough to express their
whole-hearted willingness to do their
part towards bringing about a sat
isfactory working agreement pro-
fitable to the industry cf both
states. They contended that Gov
ernor O'Conor's move in this direc-
ton was the first courteous and
comprehensive approach made to
them towards settling this import
ant problem of lack of cooperation
that is now wrecking the fishing in
dustries of both States.
Sportsmen will Rule
| With respect to the new State Game
and Inland Fish Commission, what
it does is to provide. that all pres
ent game and fish law shall remain
intact, but that the affairs of this
section shall be taken from the con-
troll of the Commission that handles