Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 215 



time of their appointment. The term of each of the members 

 of said Board shall be two years from the first Monday in May 

 after his appointment. They shall be appointed by the Board 

 of Public Works of the State of Maryland. No member of said 

 Board of Shell Fish Commissioners shall be in any manner 

 interested in any land leased or taken up for bedding, planting 

 or cultivating oysters. The acts and duties to be done and 

 performed by said Board under this Act may be done and per- 

 formed by two of said Commissioners, and in all cases-, the 

 decision of a majority of the Commissioners shall be binding. 

 One of said Commissioners shall be designated by the Board of 

 Public Works of the State of Maryland as president, and his 

 salary shall be Two Thousand Dollars a year. The salary of 

 the other Commissioners shall be Eighteen Hundred Dollars a 

 year. The said Commissioners shall be allowed to employ a 

 chief clerk upon a salary of Twelve 'Hundred Dollars a year, 

 and such assistants, not exceeding three in number, and not 

 more than be absolutely needed for the performance of the 

 work of the Board, at graded salaries, to be paid by the Com- 

 missioners, not to exceed One Thousand Dollars a year for any 

 such assistants, as it may deem necessary to aid it in the proper 

 performance of its duties, as prescribed in this Act. The said 

 Commissioners shall employ a competent surveyor, who shall 

 also be a hydrographic engineer, upon a salary to be named by 

 said Commissioners not exceeding Twenty-five Hundred Dol- 

 lars a year. If the Commissioners deem it expedient to employ 

 a hydrographic engineer, who is also a biologist, capable of 

 investigating oyster propagation, an engineer of such qualifi- 

 cation may, in their discretion, be employed. The sum of Five 

 Hundred Dollars per annum shall be appropriated, to be ex- 

 pended under the direction of said engineer, if he be a biologist, 

 who shall, in that event, establish one or more stations for said 

 investigation of oyster propagation. All salaries, outlays and 

 disbursements authorized by this Act shall be paid out of the 

 general treasury of the State of Maryland upon requisition 

 made by the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners, endorsed by 

 the Comptroller of the State, but the same shall be repaid out 

 of the first revenues arising from the leasing of land for oyster 

 culture contemplated by this Act. The Commissioners compos- 



