Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-02-27

Company.
An &C. to amend section lIs, CHAPTER 5;
Of the Revised Statutes relating to rail
roads.
An act relating to the Pfesumsce. Rive
R,ilrosd Company.
An &c: to amend section 3 of chapter 1,
Of the Revised Statutes relating to busyin,
grounds.
On motion BY Mr.. Ryder the fo,efoins
bill vas laid on the table.
An act to Incorporate the Frontier Teie
phone and Telegraph Company.
An act to amend chapter 5e2 Of ths
Private and Special Lava Of 1859 relatin,
to the Gardiner and Randolph Rai,rosi
| Company.
An act additional to and amendatory oi
chapter AZ Of the Private and Special Law
Of 1857 to amend the charter Of the Water
vile and Fairfield Railroad Company.
An act to insure the better education oi
practitioners Of dental surgery and te
regulate the practice Of dentistry in the
State Of Maine.
An act relating to the Thomson Houston
International Electric Company.
On motion by Mr.. Spear of kenEebec,
Senate document No. 80. "Au act to create
| 4 board of state ASSESSOR was taken from
| the table. The same senator offered Ger.
tain amendments to the bill and moved that
both the bill aud the amendments be laid
on the table to be printed pending further
consideration.
BILLS PASSED TO BE ENACTED AND
RESOLVES FINALLY Passed.
Resolve in favor Of Bridyton Academy.
,nA q -
the town Of Anson.
Resolve in favor Of Lisch6eld Academy.
Resolve in favor Of Gould's Academy,
Bethel, Oxford County.
An act to revise aud amend the charter
of the Sebago Lake and Mechanic Falls
Railroad Company.
An act additional to and amendatory OF
section 8 Of chapter II of the Revised
Statutes. relating to equity jurisdiction Of
the Supreme Judicial Court.
An &C. to incorporate the Old Town and
Veszie Railroad Company.
An act amending An act additional 10 the
charter of the Portland & Rochester rail.
road.
Resolve relating to the American Mer-
chan. Marine.
An act to incorporate the Grindstone
Neck Water Company.
An &C. relating 70 the Knox and Lincoln
Railway.
Ga motion by Mr.. Walton of Somerset,
resolve in favor of Oak Grove Seminary
was taken from the table. The printed
copy was amended to conform to the orig
inal bill.
Mr.. Rogers Of Washington moved to
amend the bill by substituting $500 for
$500.
On motion by Mr.. Haines of Kennebec,
the bill with the proposed amendment was
laid on the table.
On motion by Mr.. Walton, bill, an act
ratifying certain leases to the Maine Cen
trail Railroad was taken from the table and
on the same senator's motion the bill took
its second reading and passed to be en-.
crossed.
SrECIAL ASSIGNMENT.
Senate documen! No. ll5. Majority and
minority reports from the committee on
labor as to fortniehtly payments (tsbled by
Mr.. Thatcher of Penobscot.)
Mr.. Thatcher-I tabled this bill for the
purpose of having it printed in order that
we might better understand it. l should
labor who reported it.
Mr.. Stewart of Yo,k-Tbe bill as it went
to the committee provided simply for the
fOrtnightly payment Of wages by railroad
corporations, the same as other corpora
tons firms ard individuals were required to
pay. Upon this bill. after q full heariug
majority OF the committee reported it ought
to pass. The matter comes before the Sen.
ate in an entirely new form from that in
which it vas before the committee en-
labor. The reason why railroads. were fret
exempted from the operation OF this law
vas on account Of the inconvenience and
difficulty and because no necessity existed
for the fortpightly payment Of wages by
these corporations. The facts developed
before the committee on labor IN relation
to this matter were that it was utterly i'm
possible for certain of the corporations in
the State to make fortnightly pay ments to
their lsborers. 1t WAS asked for by some
250 of the wo,kmen in the shops at Water
vile Of the Maine Central railroad. Asa
matter Of fact the train men and line men
upon the Maine Central railroad
have not asked that this law be
enacted. In fact, certain OF the men
of the line Of the Maine Central railroad
have objected to the passage of this
bill, or to the enactment Of this law. 1t
would entail upon the railroad company the
necessary expense,if this minority report i,
acce pied, of s:ngliDg cut, from all their
employees of come 4o00 names. $50 men
more or less, and paying them forsnghtly,
entailing upon the corporation large ex-
dense and great inconvenience. It appeared
before the committee that there was no
man st present employed in the shops at
Wsterville. who could rot obtain his money
il he needed it, by asking for it in the
shops. There was and 10 system todsy
by which every one Of these men, if he
needs his money and asks for it properly,
can have it every week il he wants it. IL
is not matter Of absolute Beces-
city. These men can obtain credit at
the stores, and buy their goods just as
cheaply, | believe, IS though they had their
payment every week and, as a matter of
fact, there was not single instance, where
an individual had applied to the company
reci,ed before the committee, where, when
the application had been made in proper
manner, he hsd been refused payment.
Two instance. came before the committee !;
but, when interrogsted on ths. point, o3e
of the men who had been refused, said that
he did not give any reason for obtaining
his money. He merely wanted it. 1t is
no hardship upon the men employed in that
shop to receive ,heir money once a
month. In fact there is as yet no evl-
dencs before the committee that
it is advantageous to single
person doing business in these shops that
this bill ought to pass; and inasmuch as
the minority report contains matter which
has not been before the committee, upon
which the committee has not passed at all.
1t seems to me the adoption of the minority
report here, is clearly untimeIy. =
Mr.. Haines Of Kennebec--I thought l
made this mstter clear yesterday, in my
statements abou. the facts Of this nvestiga-
ton before the committee. 1t is true, IS
stated By the chairman Of the committee,
that the payment of men 10 the manufactur-
ing departments OF this State was not CON-
sidered specially ard separately. Had it
been. it is my judgment that the committee
would have reported favorabiy upon
it. But, inssmuch as the majority
Of the committee reported adversely
against the broad proposition to pay the
railroad employees once fortnight on &C.
count of the nature and character Of the
business, which, as stated yesterday, was
consistent and proper they should report,
the only proper way to get at this matter is
on the minority report, do not consider
that the minority report is exactly what
should be adopted By this Legislature, and
for that reason I offered An smeadmen,
which was printed, and 10 my juigemen,
was reasonable and proper legislation, and
which does not meet with opposition from
any railroad company, or as least / have
not been able to learn that it does. II