THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 



161 



corner of Second Kent point to Wade's point, lint not on any oyster-bar within one and a half miles of Talley's point, Sandy point, 

 Hackott's point, Thoma.s' point, Holland's Island bar, Three Siisters, Swan Point bar, Pojilar island, onc-qnarter of a mile west of and 

 between the island and the main land, nor within half a mile of Plum point, and authorizes the said parties to buy and sell oysters in this 

 state, and does not aiithorize any steamboat, steam-vessel, or steam-machinery to be used for the purpose of catching oysters. 

 In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name, and afSx hereto the seal of the comptroller's otBce. 



Comptroller. 



Statistics of oyster-licenses, 1870-'80. — "For reasons explained elsewhere," continues Mr. Edmonds, "tliis 

 law has never been fully enforced, and the records of the past season are entirely without value in determining, 

 even to an approximate degree, the number of di edging-boats, since more than one-half of them worked without 

 license. Through the kiudues.s of the Hon. Thomas J. Keating, state comptroller, I have obtained the record of 

 the past ten j-ears, as shown in the following table: 



A statement shoiciiui the number of boats licensed to dredge, their aggregate tonnage, and the amount of license-money paid during the jmst ten years, 



compiled from the books of the Mmptroller's office at Annai>olis. 



Total 1 1 391,517 40 



Number op vessels in the fleet: Unlicensed tessels. — "It will be seen by examining the above 

 table, that the highest number of licenses i.ssued in any one year was in 1875-'7(), when there were C91 boats, 

 having an aggregate tonnage of l(i, 156.23, or an average tonnage of 23.38 each. Since that year there has been a 

 steady decrease in the number of licensed dredgers, although there has been no decrease in the actual number of 

 boats engaged in the business. Knowing this to be true, and also mindful of the fact, that even in 1875-'7C, there 

 were some unlicensed dredgers, 1 have thought it safe to place the number of dredging-boats working during the 

 season of 1879-'80 at 700. There are some well-informed persons who would make the figure as high as 800, but I 

 have based my statement upon information gathered from many sources. Taking the average tonnage in lS7y-'76, 

 and multiplying it by 700, we have 10,3«G as the aggregate tonnage of the vessels now engaged in dredging. At 

 $3 per ton for licen.se, this should have yielded the state, during the past season (1879-'80), a revenue of $J:9,098 

 instead of §18,000 .50, the amount collected. The 327 vessels which, either from honesty or policy, paid into the 

 state treasury Si8,(i0a 50, received no privileges or advantages not taken by the 373 which dredged without license. 



Oysieu dkedging-boats. — "Dredging-boats range in size from 5 to 75 tons, and in value from $500 or .SGOO 

 to $8,000, some few owned in the lower part of the state being valued as high as $10,000. The boats owned in 

 Baltimore are, generally, in every way inferior to those hailing from the counties. The present value of these 

 boats, basing the estimate upon information fibtained from all parts of the state, would be an average of not less 

 than $1,500, and is believed by many to be much higher. At this rate, however, the 700 boats in the trade would 

 be worth, to-day, $1,050,000. In addition to this, the winders, dredgers, roller and chains, and dredge-lines on each 

 boat may be valued at $100, although costing considerably more. Adding this to the value of the boats, we have 

 $1,120,000 as the amount of capital invested in the drcdgiiig-boat.s. The total tonnage of the dredging-boats being 

 1(>,;;U0, and the estimated value of the same being $1,050,000, the average value will be $04 15 per ton. As some 

 tonnage has lately changed hands in llallimore at $07, the above estimate can scarcely be too great, when the high 

 class of many of the boats is considered. 



"The amount annually expended for repairing these vessels is about $105,000. 



Scraping and tonging. — "Scraping, which is simply dredging on a smaller scale, both as to the size of the 

 boat and the dredge, is conducted only in shallow water; and while dredge-licenses are issued by the state, 

 scraping licenses are obtained from the counties, and hold good only in the local waters of the county in which 

 issued. Dorchester, Talbot, and Somer.set are the only counties in which scraping-licenses are issued. In the first 

 two the charge is regulated by the tonnage of the vessel (being $2 per ton), while in the last there is a uniform 

 charge of $10 on each boat, regardless of size. The crews of these vessels average about four men each, the 

 majority of whom are able to return home after each day's work, as the boat does not go out of the county waters, 

 except to make an occasional run to a neighboring market. 

 11 o 



