The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-09-13
3 ,eiition Of
o Yeur's Big
dge Feored

Fish were dying by the thous-
ands in Leaf river late Thursday,
according to reports received Ly
State Senator c. w. Sullivan of
Hattiesburg, and prediction was
made that the latest slug of dead
ly effluent released by the Ma
sonite plant at Laurel would
cause damage as it moved down
the entire Pascagoula river
system.
A spectacular fish killing took
place last year during a similar
low water period and Senator
Sullivan, who is chairman of the
conservation committee in the
state senate, expressed fears that
similar damage might be caused
by the present body of waste as
it moves slowly toward the Gulf.
Aroused by the fact that this
wholesale pollution has continued
despite earnest promises of Ma
sonite officials given last sum-
mer that the situation would be
remedied, Senator Sullivan said
that leading citizens, lawyers.
businessmen and sportsmen of
South Mississippi would use every
legal recourse to force the big
Laurel plant to observe the anti
pollution statutes.
The attorney generals office in
Jackson, moving with greater dis
patch than was exhibited last
summer, has hired a leading at
torney. Forest Jackson, to seek
an injunction forbidding the fur
ther discharge of this effluent
until the company takes meas
ures to treat it so as to decrease
its damaging properties. The in
junction hearing will come before
Chancellor Neville in district
court at Laurel September 81.
Club Condemns
The Metropolitan Club of Hat
tiesburg also went on record with
a strong resolution criticizing the
violation of the pollution law and
particularly the recent state
ment of Masonite that ''Tallahala
Greek must serve to take care of
the pollution from Masonite and
other industries"
Whereas" the clubs resolu-
ton continues, the. above quo
tation is in effect, notice to the
Game and Fish Commission and
to the world at large that said
concern intends to continue to
pollute Tallahala Creek, the
rights of the general public and
the laws of the State of Missis-
sippi to the contrary notwith-
standing,
Nov, therefore, be it resolved
by the Metropolitan Club !. i.
that we deplore the wanton and
wasteful destruction of one of the
states greatest resources by self
ish interest and that we further
deplore the utter and willful dis
regard of the solemn law of the
State of Mississippi by one of
the large industries and we de-
plore its failure to cooperate to
the end that destruction of nat
ural resources should be stopped,
and we further deplorc the action
of the State Game and Fish Com
mission of August 7, 1916, in re-
ducing the minimum oxygen
content of streams at the re-
quest of the Masonite Corpora
tion of Laurel"
The resolution asked that the
commission call in DIR. NJ. M.
Ellis of the United States Wild
Life Service. a leading pollution
expert, to advise what should be
done to save the river system.
1t also called on the commission
ito revoke its order of August T.,
1916, lowering the oxygen content
of streams and to enforce such
rules and regulations as will clear
Tallahala so that fish can return
and live in the stream"
Committee Named
Senator Sullivan said that the
Metropolitan Club committee and
the legislative committee also
would seek to find out whether
the $4,000 % worth of equipment
which Masonite claims to have
installed but not yet put into
operation. in order to remove
wood fibers from the waste,
would actually reduce the deadly
qualities of the waste, or whether
this equipment were merely com
mercial equipment by which the
plant hoped to manufacture an
other by-product. He said that
grave doubts existed whether the
new equipment would have any
important effect in preventing the
killing of fish life out of the en-
tire river system.
Director Freeman of the State
Game and Fish Commission,
whose office IS charged with the
enforcement of the anti-poIlu-
ton law. said he would go to the
Masonite plant Friday and Sat
r1rdav IF The utooE - rim \ 4oe4