78

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted ly the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That new sections be and the same are hereby added to

Repeal

Article 20 of the Code of Public Local Laws, title "Somerset
County," sub-title "Oysters," to be designated sections 196 A,
196 B, 196 C, and that section 46 of Article 72, title "Oysters,"
as repealed and re enacted with amendments in chapter 380 of
the Acts of 1894, be and the same is hereby repealed, in so far
as the provisions of said section are in conflict or inconsistent
with the new sections aforesaid, which said new sections shall
be as follows :

Unlawful to
survey, etc.

196 A. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons, or body
corporate, to survey, locate, appropriate, hold or attempt to
hold any oyster beds, bars or bottoms ; or bottoms suitable for
the catching of crabs, within the limits of Somerset county.
196 B. Any such oyster beds, bars or bottoms, mentioned in
the above section, shall be construed to mean those beds, bars

Construction
of above
section.

or bottoms where oysters have grown or do grow in sufficient
quantities to be profitable to persons taking oysters for a liveli-
hood with scrapes, dredges or tongs; and bottoms suitable for
the catching of crabs mentioned in the above section, shall be
construed to mean those bottoms where crabs have been caught
or are caught in sufficient quantities to be profitable to persons
catching crabs for a livelihood.
196 C. Any person or persons or body corporate violating
the provisions of the above sections shall be deemed guilty of
a misdemeanor, and upon conviction before a justice of the
peace or the Circuit Court, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of
not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than two hundred
dollars ($200) for each and every offense and stand committed
to the county jail for sixty days, or until fine and cost are paid;
and in respect to bottoms located before the passage of this

Penalty.

Act, whenever twelve citizens of Somerset county appear
before any justice of the peace in and for the said county and
make oath that any person or persons or body corporate holds,
or are attempting to hold in possession, any such oyster beds,
bars or bottoms suitable for the catching of crabs contrary to
the provisions of the above sections, it shall be the duty of the
said justice of the peace to notify in person or by writing said
person or persons or body corporate that after ninety days from
the date of said notice they shall be deemed guilty of a viola-
tion of the provisions of the above sections, unless they shall
have in the meantime vacated the aforesaid bottoms and sur-
rendered the same to the public use. And the provisions of
this Act shall be construed liberally, to secure the purpose
thereof.