The Portland daily press., 1894-10-19

tbey were valued at on the assessors
books But this rate of taxation, high
| as it is, is more likely to increase in
the future than to diminish. The in
PRODUCTION of water in the shore villages
nas made sewerage necessary, and the
| town will have soon TO enter upon the
| expensive work of supplying that want.
Then, too, the population of those vii
| lagos is increasing, and of course in the
near future more fire protection. n ore
lights, more school accommodations will
| be needed.
The balance of the $4,000, above the
wa. SO laid for ordinary town expendi-
lures, which large part of the farmin Z
property will have to pay this year, is
| she result of the law passed by the last
legislature abolishing the school district
system. Under that law the town buys
all the schoolhousss and levies an as
sessment for that purpose, and then
makes rebate to each district equal to
the assessed value of the schoolhouses in
that district OF course this scheme
works to the pecuniary disadvantage of
the sparely settled portions of the town.
The school houses in those sections are
OF little value compared with those in
the large villages, and hence the rebates
to those districts are small. The general
assessment for the purpose of buying
the schoolhouses is $21 on a thousand.
In the village districts the value of the
existing school houses is large enough
to offset this and more, so that as mat
ter of fact, not only do they not have 10
contribute anything in cash.to this as
sessment, but they actually get re-
duction on the assessment for town
purposes outside the support of schools.
Not SO in the farming sections.
There the school houses are small and
OF little value, and of course the rebate
is small. To illustrate: In the Pond
Cove district, which is a farming sec
tion, the rebate is only $3.50 on $1,000,
which, deducted from the school assess
ment of S21 on a thousand, leaves q little
over $16 on a thousand to be paid in
cash, and this. added to the assessment
of $24. so for other town expenses, makes
the total tax $40. go. OF course the
farmers of Pond Cove VIII have an in
terest in number of school houses
which they did not have before. but as
these school houses will be of no earthly
use to them there is very little conso la
tion to be got out OF this ownership. OF
course the tax for the purchase of school
house will not be imposed after this
year, but, by the new arrangement, the
farmers tax for the support of schools
will be disproportionately increased.
That is to say, they will have to help
the populous villages, which they do not
and cannot enjoy.
1t must be obvious to any one familiar
with the business of agriculture that it
cannot stand any such rate sof taxation
as is now imposed in Cape Elizabetbeth
for ordinary town purposes to say moth
ing of the additional tax that is likely
to be imposed for the support of schools.
Relief must be had in some way, or the
farmers will have to abandon business
and fee away. The farmers understand
this perfectly well, and that is the mean
ing of their agitation for division of
the town. Matters have come to such
pass that it is practically struggle on
their part for existence. Town meeting
affords them no chance to do any thing,
for they are outvoted every time. They
are already paying heavily for Sebago
water that they don't get drop OF, for
ferry landings that they never use. for
engines that are miles away from them
and for lights that they never see. Now
they have becn compelled to buy a lot
of school houses, which areeof no more
real value to them than the school
houses of Portland. Is it to be wondered
at that they are indulging IN some Wig
orous kicking?