654

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

Unlawful for
captain or
other person to
discharge
oysters within
certain hours.

in charge of a vessel to discharge his, oysters, or for any
packing-house, or any other person, to receive oysters between
the hours of 8 o'clock P.M. and 6 o'clock A.M. Any violation
of this section shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of
not less than one hundred dollars and not more than five hun-
dred dollars for each offense on conviction before a court of
competent jurisdiction; one-half of said fine to go to the in-
former and the other one-half to the Comptroller, to be placed
to the credit of the oyster fund, unless the informer be an
officer of the State Fishery Force. And the general inspectors
and measurers or special inspectors shall be on duty con-
tinuously during the working or delivery hours, viz: from 6
A.M. to 8 P.M.

Duties of
Measurers and
Inspectors.

12. It shall be the duty of general measurers and inspectors
of oysters and other officers of the police force to supervise the
operation of this Article and diligently to aid in the enforce-
ment of its provisions, and they or any of them are author-
ized and empowered to enter into any house or boat or any
other place where oysters may be clumped or stored, to inspect
the same at any time, and any packer, commission man or
boatman who shall refuse to open his house or boat where
oysters may be dumped or stored for the inspection thereof
by the officer whose duty it shall be to inspect the same, and
any person who shall conspire or agree with any other person
to evade any of the provisions of this Article, or who shall
connive at or participate in such violation shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to the penalties pre-
scribed in Section eleven of this Article.

Unlawful to
catch or
have oysters
within certain
time.

14. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to take or
catch oysters or have oysters in his or their possession between
the twenty-fifth day of April and the first day of September
in each and every year; provided, that oysters caught before
the twenty -fifth day of April may be disposed of at any time
before the thirtieth day of April; nor shall it be construed to
prevent any person from taking oysters at any time from his
private beds within the State for private use or transplanting
or cultivating, but not for sale. Persons violating the provi-
sions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misde-
meanor.

Penalty for
violation of
certain

sections.

15. Any person who shall violate any provision of Sections
7 and 14, of this Article, shall be deemed guilty of a misde-
meanor, and upon conviction thereof before any court of com-
petent jurisdiction shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor
more than three hundred dollars, in the discretion of the court
or justice of the peace by which such person shall be tried,