J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                     1207

CHAPTER 776
(House Bill 33)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections 708(j),
(1), (n), (p), and (r) of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1957 Edition and 1964 Supplement), title "Natural
Resources," subtitle "Oysters and Clams," to change or to impose
various fees in connection with applications for leasing of private
oyster lands in the State for renewal, transfer or assignment of
such leases, for resurveys of leased lands, clarifying the provisions
thereof, and correcting an error therein.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections 708(j), (1), (n), (p), and (r) of Article 66C of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition and 1964 Supplement),
title "Natural Resources," subtitle "Oysters and Clams," be and it is
hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

708.

(j) Upon receipt of application and an application fee of [five
dollars ($5.00)] Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to cover costs of adver-
tising, the Department of [Tidewater Fisheries] Chesapeake Bay
Affairs shall proceed to advertise the application once a week for four
successive weeks in a newspaper published in the county in which or
nearest to which the area applied for is located; said advertisement
to describe the location of the area applied for, the location of the
stake marker and to give the name and [resident] residence of the
applicant; and said Department shall have no authority to issue any
lease without such advertisement. The application fee shall remain
with the Department until final disposition of the application, and,
whenever for any reason, an applicant is not granted a lease said
application fee shall be returned to the applicant.

(1) Immediately after the termination of the respective periods
prescribed for the filing of petitions or appeals, as above provided, or
immediately after the final decision upon any protests or appeals that
the area in question may be lawfully leased, it shall be the duty of the
Department of [Tidewater Fisheries] Chesapeake Bay Affairs to
notify the applicant by letter that said Department is ready to issue
the lease applied for; and upon the payment by the applicant of a fur-
ther fee of [two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50)] Five Dollars ($5.00)
as a recording fee, and Twenty Dollars ($20.00) to cover costs of
survey, the said Department shall cause an accurate survey to be
made of the area, shall execute a lease, shall enter such lease upon a
book to be known as the "Register of Titles to Oyster Lands," and
shall mail said lease to the applicant for his signature.

(n) The term of leases provided under this section shall be twenty
years and the annual rent therefor shall be such sum as in the judg-
ment of the Department is proper and commensurate with the value
of the leased land; provided, however, that no such land shall be
leased at a price less than one dollar ($1.00) TWO DOLLARS ($2.00)
per acre. At the expiration of any lease in force on January first,
nineteen hundred and forty-five, there shall be allowed an additional
period of three years to all such lessees, and at the expiration of