214 THE OYSTER. 



If they can give the community this assurance, all the 

 people of the State will be on their side and will aid 

 them by all means in their power. The question of 

 immediate revenue to the State will not be considered 

 for a moment, as compared with their prosperity. 



The tongmen and dredgers must acknowledge, how- 

 ever, that as the home consumer of oysters has no 

 right to oppose the commercial business, it is equally 

 clear that the public fishermen have no right to oppose 

 the development of our resources by private oyster 

 culture, unless it destroys their own livelihcfed. 



So long as they draw on the natural supply without 

 the devotion of any part of their labor or earnings to 

 its increase by artificial means, they can claim no right 

 to anything more than the natural beds; nor can they 

 claim any right to gain a living from these beds at the 

 expense of posterity, or by any means which tend to 

 ruin the property. It is also clear that they have no 

 rights which conflict with the wider right of our people 

 to increase our prosperity by rearing oysters. 



In discussing the measures which should be adopted 

 for the restoration and development of our oyster 

 business, the interests of four classes should be kept 

 in view: the tongmen who resort to the beds for food; 

 the dredgers and tongmen who make a living by 

 gathering oysters for sale from our natural beds ; the 

 persons who wish to engage in oyster culture, either 

 by planting or by the various methods of oyster-farm- 

 ing ; and the dealers, packers, shuckers, canmakers 

 and others who are supported by the oyster business. 



Fortunately we need not ask which of these inter- 

 ests is to give way. Our waters are prolific enough 



