Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-02-14

think water is included among them
Now | wish to call your attention briefly to
the extent of these grievances and see il they
are well founded. In the irst place. the bulk
of the population of Ward :. - located at an
average ofonly about mile from the yerv
centre ofthe city itself, some portions of them
being but about half mile. There are seven
roads leading out from the city into Ward 4,
four of them having sidewalks all the wav
from the centre Of the city out To the ward
line, and one or more far beyond it. This
fact Of itself shows how we are bound to-
gether. Where will Won find an instance in
which town ever asked to be cut in two no
large than that, bound together by seven
roads: Ii shows that we are mixed up in
business. Ii shows that the wants of that
ward are all down town. Ii shows that there
is nothing that ward can do
without going down TO that centre.
They have a store at Backingtous Corner
which does quite an extensive business in
wholesale. And the people around in that
immediate vicinity can be supplied with
their groceries there. But you take the rest of
the town, and for every single thing they
need they must come tn town for il. There is no
place of amusement there. There is no church
there. There is no post Office there. They
must come 10 the village for everything. And
! say that being so, that they do receive direct
ly the benefits of our police department, night
and day, for their protection. Do they re-
ceive no benefit from our fire department? !?
They own in the city of Rockland, peculiarly
liable to the ravages of fire, more than $50, 900
of personal property In bank stock, in bank
deposits, in lime materials, in stocks, in trade
in buildings, which require every hour in the
day and night the protection of our fire depart
ment to preserve it from conflagration. ANY
gentlemen who knows anything about the
lime business knows that that kind of property
is peculiarly liable to fire. And out of all the
fires that have ravaged our city during the
last twenty years almost two.thirds of them
have been amongst that very class of property
in which Ward is most largely interested
Do they have no need of our fire department?
Have they no need of our police departmen mt
for the protection of their bank property.
Have thev no need of our fire department to
protect that bank of which my colleague Mr..
Bird is one of the directors and a large
deposi;or? II is not many years ago since
the state was excited by the intelligence
that one of the banks in our city had been
broken into; and yet, before sunrise in the
morning every robber but one with all the
booty were secured, and it included property
belonging to Ward :. Have they no interest
in our police department?
Now as to the little matter of gas. 1t is
not worth talking about. II is so infinitely
small in the amount which Ward would
have to pay that any man in this hall could
pay it without feeling it. And YOU take the
gas and the water and the police and add
them all together and the proportion which
Ward Z has to pay out of that is 1890 per
year, less than l-5 Of one per cent of its val
uation. DO they receive no benefits back?
Let me call your attention to two or three
facts. Out of all the school money that il
raised and expended in the city of Rockland,
which averages about $1,000 u year, Is of it
is expended within the limits of that ward,
and yet they return to us but 10 of the taxes.
| am speaking now of the resident property
of the ward. All the property in the ward
pays II of the taxes; but there is $4,000 of
that property taxable to the people down
town. The residents of the ward pay 10 of
the tax and receive Is of the school money.
In regard to the roads they have - miles
out Of IL, which is more than third of all
the roads in the CITY. And for two years
know that they received 1-3 of all the
money that was expended on roads.
and for the average during the &c
years we have been a city they have received
little rising. IA of the Ward money that
has been expended. Out of those two items
alone, of school money and Of road money.
they have received back Sl564 more than
they have paid into our treasury; an1 they
pay out $500 for the other items of which !
have spoken, which, deducted from Sl56t.
leaves an actual balance in favor of Ward Z.
of about $500. Gentlemen, does not your
own Judgment teach you that the prosperity
nf that little city is the prosperity of Ward
Y Does it not teach you that with that city
striL.u ,rbafbnr lob
from existence. Ward would suffer in like
proportion: Within a short morning drive of
anv farmer in that Ward he can take his
crops, his produce and sell it at high cash
price and return to his home within an hours
time. ! know that it will be said that the
residents of other towns can do the same.
But gentlemen, they are nearer to our centre
than the people of other towns.
1t has been said that there is a large ex-
pense to this Ward by reason of the water
tax. wish 10 explain that. Some have asked
me in reference to it, which leads me to think
you do not fully understand il. know that
the broad statement has been made before
the committee of this House, that the city of
Rockland is paving about 80, 900 year for
the water used for the extinguishmcnt of fires,
for watering troughs and for the sprinkling
of streets. Gentlemen, it is an unfair argu-
ment. water company was established in
the city Of Rockland, end it was made abso-
lutclv necessary that we should have that
company by reason of the poor water in our
soil There was not one particle Of soft
water anywhere within the limits of the main
part of the city. 1t was hard and brackish
Our citizens were subject to fever and it be-
came notorious that the ravages Of fever
swept more people from the city Of Rockland
than in almost any town in the State of its
size. A few public spirited men took $50
600 and formed a water company, and brought
the water in from Chckawaukie Lake We
appreciated it. ii was one Of the greatest
blessings that we ever enjoyed. Wells were
Immediately filed up. We hitcbed on to the
water pipes AMI took the water of the COM
pany. The fire department Of Rockland il
dependent upon that water. And ten year.
ago the city of Rockland saw ft to make a
contract with the water company that if they
would supply US all the water we needed for
the purpose of extinguishing fires, for our
watering troughs and forsprinkiing the streets
that we would relieve them from taxation II
was not an unprecedented thing. gentlemen.
know that there are other corporations than
water companies that have been relieved
from taxation in this State: and we thought
il just and proper to do il. Ward did not
oppose the contract. but through her council
men acquiesced in it.
But. gentlemen, I know that shall weary
you if I go over the details to any great ex-
tent do not wish to do that. wish, be-