1969]                   OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES                       45

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

Annapolis, Md., May 28, 1969.

Honorable Thomas Hunter Lowe
Speaker of the House of Delegates
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17, of the Maryland Consti-
tution, I have today vetoed House Bill 1340 and am returning it to you.

This Bill makes it unlawful for any person to take oysters with patent
tongs from a boat unless the boat is anchored with the anchor line attached
to the bow. It also makes it unlawful to use patent tongs while the boat is
being propelled by machinery. The Bill was introduced by the Chairman
of the Committee on Environmental Matters at the request of the Depart-
ment of Chesapeake Bay Affairs.

The purpose of this Bill was to prevent persons from using patent
tongs as dredges. However, a great deal of concern has been expressed
both to my office and to the Department of Chesapeake Bay Affairs, by
members of the General Assembly and others, over whether the language
of the Bill is broader than its purpose and may prohibit the proper use of
patent tongs. Furthermore, the enactment of House Bill 1341, which was
signed by me on April 23, 1969, renders House Bill 1340 largely unnecessary.

For these reasons, the Director of the Department of Chesapeake Bay
Affairs, the sponsoring agency, has written to my office requesting that
House Bill 1340 be vetoed. The attached letter from the Director is to be
considered part of this message. I am complying with this request.

Sincerely,

/s/ Marvin Mandel,

Governor.
Read and journalized.

DEPARTMENT OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AFFAIRS

Annapolis, Md., April 7, 1969.

Mr. John C. Eldridge
Chief Legislative Officer
Executive Department
Annapolis, Maryland 21404

Dear Mr. Eldridge:

H. B. 1340 was introduced by the chairman of the Committee on
Environmental Matters at the request of the Department. The bill makes
it unlawful to take oysters with patent tongs unless the boat is anchored
by the bow. The bill was intended to enable the Marine Police to appre-
hend persons illegally using patent tongs as dredges, a practice which
suddenly became a problem in 1969.

No opposition to the bill was heard until after its enactment, but I
have been receiving numerous calls from patent tongers who seem to feel