Rowe. — Destroying a Food Industry 67 



exorbitant taxes. These lands were bought for cash 

 from the state, and taxes were paid upon them for thirty 

 years, but they were practically robbed from their 

 owners. 



The same official who in 1908 assessed a piece of 

 ground at between eight and nine thousand dollars 

 assessed it in 1914 for $128,938, more than fourteen 

 times what he had assessed it at in 1908. The rule of 

 assessment according to law on both of those dates, was 

 the "fair market value," and it was worth much less in 

 1914 than in 1908. 



This is only one illustration of many hundreds in 

 which oppresive injustice was inflicted upon the oyster 

 farmers. But not only was the law violated with refer- 

 ence to assessments, but the rate of taxation has been 

 doubled so that it is now twenty mills on the dollar of 

 valuation, and oyster grounds three miles from land that 

 can enjoy none of the protection or benefits of city gov- 

 ernment, are required to pay a revenue at the same rate 

 as real estate in the centre of a populous city. 



The oyster growers have been unjustly deprived of 

 the police which they paid for by special tax, and have 

 been compelled to go to each legislature and deny and 

 refute misrepresentations intended to procure additional 

 legislation against them. They have been harassed and 

 persecuted by short-sighted politicians, so that a large 

 number of those formerly engaged in the business have 

 abandoned it entirely, others have sold out their inter- 

 ests, and many of the leading firms have removed their 

 business partly or wholly from the state and their capital 

 is being transferred to other lines of investment. 



I will not take space here to enumerate the many an- 

 noying and oppressive laws which have been enacted in 

 recent years. This short-sighted policy is the latest ex- 

 hibition of "killing the goose to get the golden egg." 



Farmers on land are encouraged and assisted by fed- 

 eral and state appropriations of many millions of dollars 

 annually. Swimming fish are propagated for the benefit 

 of the fisherman and the angler at great expense by both 

 state and federal governments. 



