Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-18

i An act to amend section Of chapter 81.
OF Private and Special Laws Of 1883 relas
ing % drains and sewers in the city ol
, Bath.
An oct to amend sections 81 ard 50 oi
chapter 10 Of the Revised Statutes, relating
to the manner Of ishing.
TAsLxp Pxspiss EsaRossxnxr. :
/ Bill. an aes to facilitate the enforcement,
OF insurance and ffatsrnal hens6ciaSy lave
came mp for it, third reading. vas siveu
its third reading, and on mellon by Mr..
White Of RAaef was tabled pending its
passage to BE- engrossed.
BoAnp OF STATE Assassoas.
On motion Of Mr.. Savage OF Auburn, bill
an act TO create board Of State ASSESSOR.
tabled pending nrst reading. was taken
from the table.
| Mr.. Savase-This bill 20 amended in the
Senate Is Senate document lsS. The
amendments have not been acted upon hy
the House. have called this up at the
present time because the other bills re.
ported by the tax committee must necss-
sarily await the disposition OF the Legisla.
ture in regard to this bill. Without enter
ing into IN Argument, l desire merely at
this stage to make statement Of the reas.
ous which scsuated the committee in agree.
ing upon and reporting this bill for State
board of assessors. As We all know, the
constitution provides that the Legislature
shall At least once in ave years and
N often ~ once in ten years
| provide for the eqasiizsti OF the assess
| ment Of taxes throughout the State for
State and county expenses. Up 10 this
time the State has acted upon the principle
| Of assessing them once in 10 yeArs, Two
years ago commission WAS appointed BY
the Governor under an act Of the Legisls-
ture whereby one gentleman was selected
from each county, and that commission
have been at work for tro years and now
the report has been presented 80 near the
end of The session that it has become prae-
ticslly impossible for the Legislature to
give any Intelligent examination and discus.
| sion Of the report Of that commission. 1t
has no; even yet keen printed, SO far a. l
know. At least no copies have come to our
desks. In view of that fact and in view
OF the further fact which must
be apparent TO every man that a
commission constituted - the present com
| mission has been. under that system Of one
from each county in the State, with all the
conflicting interests and rivAlries which
must exist between the various counties
OF the State. each with natural and in-
eritable desire to asslst so far - he legally
may his own county and section, q desire
which does not in the slightest degree I'M
pugn The integrity of the commissioners, \
desire which 10 inherent in mans nature
and which must necessarily sffect HE
actions. | suppose everyone within the
| sound Of my voice must agree that in all
the issues which arise before such q com
mission so constituted that 1t must be vir-
tually l5 men against one in sll the issues
which arise. As to the report which they
have msde have nothing to say except
that 1t has shown that during the last 10
years there have been great changes in the
| valuation of property throughout the State
| of Name la some localities values have
largely fallen off, while in others they
have largely increased. You will find by
the report Of the tax commission, pages rs
-32 inclusive. that il has been the policy
of very many OF the older states to provide
for permanent board of state equalizs-
tion which should be in session from month
to month and from year to year, and should
annually, or at least biennielly, revise the
property within the State so that those
towns which have fallen of in value may
ge. the bene fit of it, and where towns have
increased in value the State may get the
benefit of it. That system which
has been so long and we'll
tried in many Of the states was
suggested, and the tax commission
made up Of able. disinterested and intelii-
gent men. after deliberate consideration for
yeGr hsve recommended that the State Of
Maine should adopt the came system and
that instead of having decennial valuation,
allowing for long intervsls of time to elspse
through which great changes OF value
| occur, that we should have = permanent
board constantly in session, ready at all
,imes TO take into consideration the changes
| OF value, and the committee appointed by
| this Legislature TO take that report into
| consideration have carefully considered
the matter and it has seemed to
them wise for this Legislature to
adopt this syttem. BY the bill which
is proposed this board not only hss
the equslizsti5n Of the assessments in
the various towns and cities in the State
but certain additional duties are imposed,
! upon it. They are TO perform the duties
which are now performed by the Governor
snd Council in the assessment Of rsilroad
and other orporaiions--special taxes. !
need not 90 into details. IL seems to me
that it is simply q question as to policy and
expediency 50 far as the benefit of the
State is concerned. learned in newt
psper the other dsy-ani Of course they
are always right-tliat the Legislature was
going TO postpone the consideration of the
matter until The next Legislature. and be
canse do not desire to discuss this matter
very much, simply 10 make plain STATE
mtnt, ] want TO speak Of this. proposition
| st the present time. II seems to me that nov
| is the time. il ever, when the State should
put this system into operation. In the frs
| place, we all know that Immediately afte,
iha State valuation, at any rate such has
| been the history hitherto, that in a good
many of1h, towns the assessors begin (,
| prepare for the next 10 years, so az to get
their assessments in as favorable a condi
| ton fer the me- It 10 years valuation As they
| possibly con There Is a dropping out
and she sltering Of themseives, a. it were
agains, the storm that may come in the
| future Now in the act PISSED two wear.
| ago, whereby the valuation commi.sioa
was appointed, it Va, provided this. The
assessors Of the vsrion. town. should send
| to ihst commission III. asse,emsDt 1899 An!
the assessment Of 1890, and those two
| assessmepts formed the basis un,,,