EDWIN WARFIELD, ESQ., GOVERNOR.

665

nation to determine whether or not the location desired
is a natural oyster bar or bed, and the commissioners so
appointed shall receive three dollars per day each for their
services, and any amount of said ten dollars not expended
shall be refunded to the applicant; and when the commis-
sion appointed by the said County Commissioners shall
have investigated the question as to whether or not the lot
desired to be appropriated and located is a natural oyster
bar or bed, then they shall report the same to the said
County Commissioners, and if the same be declared a natural
bed or bar they shall refuse to grant to the applicant the
right to take up the property so desired to be located. But
if after the examination hereinbefore required to be made
the said commission shall decide that the lot sought to be
appropriated is not a natural oyster bar or bed, and after
the same shall be set aside for the rights of the applicant,
he or she shall have an undisputed right to said grounds
during his or her natural life; and provided further,
that all persons locating or appropriating such lot or lots

CHAP. 367

shall pay an annual tax of one dollar for each and every
acre so appropriated or taken up, to be paid annually on or
before the first day of July in each year, for the next five
years; and after the year 1911 the said lots or appropriated
ground shall be subject to such changes in the rate of annual
tax as may be determined by the board of County Commis-
sioners of said county, not exceeding the rate of five dollars
per acre for any one year, and in the event that the annual
tax should not be paid to the said County Commissioners on
or before July 1 of each year, then such lots shall revert in
common to the free use of the citizens of said county,
and be subject to re-location, as hereinbefore provided.
The rental received from such lots shall be applied by
the County Commissioners to the permanent repairs
of public roads in said county; and it is further provided :
Any person who may be convicted of taking oysters from
any grounds so located shall upon conviction in the Circuit

Annual tax.

Court for said county be sentenced to the house of correc-
tion for. not less than one year nor more than two years ;
and nothing in this Act shall affect or repeal the rights of
those who had located oyster lots on five acres or less prior
to the passage of this Act; provided, that such appropria-
tion shall not have been of a natural bar or bed, in which

Taking oysters
from located
grounds.