Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-27

among the olher corporations ard anocg
the rsorsa Of shs STATE. ard sustAin . fAtf
fair shsre cf The public burdsns Of the
SAFE. Ncs nearly al Of these roads
Are State Of Maine rcads. The
Assnt;c AID ST. Lasrencs rosd
sx,enas iato Ne- Hampshire and Vermont,
hu. il i, esss n.isliy Stsse Of Maine road.
Il i, he great terminsl Of the Grand Trunk
Isysssm. / knsw that BY the pso rata re-
tur7ei tv the Grand Trunk rosd to the
railroad commissioners they show that II
cc,ss more to operate . hundred or more
miles ~ th;s end Of their line teaa
thsy 50. out Of il, hut rub
mi: that that Is purely and
solely : matter OF Bookkeeping. II does
nos ssand 20 reason that portion OF line
which gives value 70 all toe rect 10 not en-
ti,Iea ss least 10 thxs proportion II ths
rsee;ots " hieA should make 1t and dees
msksi,, have no doubt, . profitable
p;see Of property. We COME now 10
The Boston Maioe, cDly about
oas-srslIth Of the eut;re mileage OF which
i, within our State. Il might be sad BY
so ma that Ii were q wiser and = better way
10 ,,x the Boston { Msice Railroad upon
iss sross receipts in toe State Of Maiae and
yet an ays,sse mileage upon th>t. but the
committee have not bssn able to Set II the
sross transportation receipts OF the Boston 4
Mains R.i,ccai in the State OF Maine,
.nl uatil We have something definite 10
s,x,d upon know of 10 Other way than
for the Legislature TO apply the same rule
for a.certainsn g the basis thst 10 applied 10
the bl, under consideration. which 10
arrived At by dividis the total Transports
ton receipts By the entire milesge OF
tia system to get TIRE average Ter
enc mile. xad then knowing what the tsx
should be per thouaAnd in Acccrdancs with
the plan proposed for Gre milo multiply BY
the number Of miles wi>hiu the State
Tina. has been the sys&m 80 far a.
the mileage effects it. 1t is the
system Of tie Revised Statutes and
the sys'sm proposed by this bill.
Mr.. Savage continued 1t some length
to consider the effect Of the proposed bill
upon The Boston & Maine. the Milne Cen
irsl and other roads
Section two OF this bill amends section
AZ of chapter elk Of the Revised Statutes
relAliag to street railways. The tax Is now
oae-;epth per cent per annum upon ,heir
transportation receipts. As result Of that
system Of Is Z Atom las. year the Bsrgot
Street Railway psii Ss4 90; the Biddsford
& Saco Railroad, s73 IS; Fryeburs. IS
c. nss; tho Lewiston & Auburn Rsilrosd,
with i.s 81 or eight miles OF track, s., 81;
the Portland Rsilrcsd COMPANY. 4i465 OF;
Waterviile s Fairfield, SAC 81. These
sams, IL ,epr in the case of the Portland
Railroad Company. gre absolutely insignia
cant think it Was the plan of the COM
uiss on ihs. ioasmuch ~ the street railways
lie entirely within one or t~o towns or
cities, they should be subject to local
mu ,icipal taxation, the tax to be divided
between the two or three towns or cities
through which they ran in proportion to the
mileage We ell know some hing about
street railways and about iosns and cities,
and we Know that they do not always agree,
! aid the committee did nos think i. wise TO
/ lave the ttreet railways to local and rnuni
cipsl taxs,ion. These corporations, al
though a convenience to the pubic usins
them, incommode seriously The other pr
| ton of the public who d. not use them Ard
pu. The towns and cities through which
they run 10 large annual expenses every
year, Incurred by reason OF kespir z the
sree.s 10 repair All of the committee be-
| iievsd that these corporations, exercising
such valuable rights, ought to be and
ouid be wiling 10 pay s,me fair propor-
! tion of the public bu.deus, aud because the
ad Il i,nsl expense Of maintaining the road
bed is put upon the town, and because the
i1c,nvenieace which arises by reason Of
hSyitg ibeir tracks su1 through the
streets is oocsioned t. the town
through wh;ci they run, the committee
thought it wise to attach TO this section Of
the Jaw the same prov sion which now
| holds in regard 20 telegraph taxes: "When
gu h tax is paid. the treasurer OF state ehsll
| credit 10 each town such proportion Of the
csx of each Company rs the number of
shsres in said G. mpAny Owned in said town
bears to the whole number Of said com
psny's shsres," so that the towns which
have all the burden shall also get such
benefit as is derived from the amount OF
shares OF stock held in their respective
towns.
Section 8 relates to steering Car cam
psnies. II It's en,i,cly new and need not
comment upon il. Icslno: imagine ~hst
argume i can be advanced against is. 1t
has teen the policy Of this State. s. it has in
uesriy every other state IN the Uaion to tax
the business Of companies whose property
vas so situated that i. could not be other
| ~iss conveniently or prscticsbly taxed.
ihipk 'he Pullman Ca. Company, ding q
| large and prof able business, in this Stale, is
the only company which would be eff sct.d
| Section relates TO telegrsphs. At The
time Of the bearing on te,eetaphs the gen
t,eman who represented the inlerests Of the
Weatern Union ard it's leased lines in this
| State, came before the committee ard
found only one fault with toe tax as it
! was reported in the commissioners draft.
! 4 hat, tasf f1ut a., nP tta
| ton: "whethsr owned or leased." Il hsd
occurred to him that under that language.
taken in connection with the rest of the
sectl2n it might be rossibl. that n leased
/ lire would pay tsx snd tie Western
! Union alec have TO pay 3 tax on the
same line. OF course nobody inter d.
ei anything of the hind, snd
tie committee were Of the opinion
that such construction couli not b /, given
TO the section. st that lime the tax was
2 l 9 per cent. on The valas of ,he line
| With il IS il then stocd he said he had no
compliiat to make. The committee found
! that the tax paid to the Stats by all COM
psaies. iuciud ng the Western Union, the
entire telegraph system threading all over
tn, State, the sum $4,000 only Taking
ihia into consideration. we thought The al
! diupn of l2 of per cent. Was burden
which they rot only could stand bu. which,
| they ought to stand IN order {, psy their
shre OF the taxes asseased by the STATE Of
| Maine.
I Mr.. Savage then coGsidered the remain.
! ing sections of the bill, referring TO The
telephone, express AMI insurance. com
panies. savings bsnks, trus. companies and
loan associations
On motion Of Mr. Peaks OF Dover the
bill was tabled till tomorrow morning,
| pending second reading
( On motion of Mr.. Halfway OF Passa.
duDkssg the report Of the com
mi,tee on lesv, Of sbsence to which
wss referred the oder OF the legislature
relating 10 J. y. Mooers of New Shsr1r,
tabled PENDING acceptance. was taken from
the liable. report accepted and order passed.
% motion Of Mr. Peaks Of Dover,
Adjourned.
CORRECTIONS.
Ia Wednesdays issue Nj Bracket Of
| Acton was incorrectly rec Tded as voting
- 4,1.. 4.