502 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF ITSII AND EISHl'.RTES. 



this anmial iii('i'tin<i-, also, is olocted a "(;oIle.!or of the oyster fand/~ 

 ■\vliose term ofollice is one year. The executive e(!inmittce is invested 

 with i)o\ver to elect by ballot a " s])ccial officer," whose term of oliice 

 continues or expires at the ])leasure of the committee. 



Originally the association had only two officers. These were the 

 "special officer" and "collector." In 1875 an auditing committee was 

 added to the official staff. In 1890 the name of this committee was 

 clianged, and it has since been called the " executive committee." The 

 duties of the executive committee, in addition to appointing a " special 

 otHcer," are substantially to superintend the affairs of the association, 

 linaucial or otherwise, and present at the annual meeting an itemized 

 report of the receipts and expenditures of all officers of the associa- 

 tion. They are also empowered to fix the salary or compensation of 

 the "special officer" and " collector" ; to fill vacancies caused by death or 

 resignation in either of those ofticcs, and to fix the rate of the tax per 

 ton to be assessed upon all vessels licensed by the association. It is 

 the duty of the executive committee to investigate charges that may 

 be made against captains or owners of bpats or vessels found illegally 

 dredging or tonging upon the staked-up grounds of oystermen regularly 

 licensed to plant and catch oysters, and to revoke the license of boats 

 or vessels found guilty of such offenses. The committee may also 

 cause said boats or vessels to be seized by the special officer and prose- 

 cute the owners thereof before the courts. If the boat or vessel is 

 condemned, it may be sold, together with all the dredges, tongs, furni- 

 ture, and apparel, by order of the justice before whom the case is tried, 

 who, after deducting the costs of the trial, is required to pay one-half 

 of the remaining proceeds of the sale to the public- school fund of the 

 State, and the other half to the collector of the oyster fund, for the 

 use of the association. The cai)tain or owner may also be tried and, 

 upon conviction, subjected to a flue of $1,000, or imprisonment for two 

 years at hard labor, or both, in the discretion of the court, one-half of 

 the fine to be paid to the Stftte school fund and the other half to the 

 oyster association. 



The duty of the special officer is to patrol the oyster- grounds and 

 arrest all ])ersons found violating the laws of the State relative to the 

 oyster industry, whether the olienders are members of the association 

 or not. The expenses incurred by the special officer in the performance 

 of his duties are paid out of the oyster fund. He receives a salary of 

 $500 per annum. 



The duties of the collector of the oyster fund are, to issue a license to 

 each and every captain or commander of a boat or vessel lawfully 

 engaged in the business of catching, planting, and growing 03'sters in 

 Maurice River Cove and Delaware Bay, and to collect the amount of 

 tax assessed on the vessels by the association. He is also required to 

 keep a book in which shall be recorded all licenses granted by him, 

 together with the name and net tonnage of each vessel so licensed, 

 and the names and places of residence of the owners. He is further 



