The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-02-15

bear their fair share of the burdens. They
have the school houses built when the town
farming community, while as the vii
lagos grew they have had modern build
ings, which they would still have after the
division. The part to be set off is also will
ing to bear its share of the town debt, al
though that debt is partly due to the in-
provements made in the village regions. 1t
is also willing to support the paupers
which have settlement on its territory.
The division would also impose fair share
of the burdens in the matter of the support
of roads, as of the siAty-three miles of road
in the town, including the many roads in
the villages, the part to be set off contains
23 IA miles. The valuable town house
would be left in the original town as we'll
the modern scnool houses.
Mr.. Libby told how the growth of sections
of towns similar to the village parts of the
Cape would naturally lead to unjust bur-
dens on the rural sections, winch were out
voted at the town meetings. Mr.. Libby also
told of the high taxes and the levying of a
tax of 4 1-2 per cent on the agricultural sec
tions under the law apolishing the school
districts. The matter of this city charter
was taken up in passing, and Mr.. Libby
favor in Knightville, and said that the
absurdity of including in the city the farm
ing section was apparent. Mr.. Libby quot
ed the resolution adopted expressing will
ingness to have the town divided if the
arbitrary line starting at Portland light be
adopted in place of that outlined in the Pc
titions, and that otherwise they would
favor a city charter.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
MIR. Clement E. Staples was called by
Mr.. Libby as the first witness, and
pointed out on the map the various parts
of the town which he described. The
part to be set off was entirely farming
section, except that part of it along the
shore, which is the location of summer
cottages. The piece of land which would
be left in the old town, if the change in
the line suggested by the village people
is adopted, is of the same general char
acter, except that it contains Six or
eight summer cottages. These six or
eight cottages and few others at Pond
Cove, are about the only property not
of an agricultural nature in the new
town. Coming to the differences be-
tween the sections of the town, Mr.. sta
| pies said that the village regions had
voted naturally enough the improve.
ments they wanted, and which might
be necessary, but which were not needed
| by the farming sections AS to taxation.
Mr.. Staples said that in the present year
there mad hardly been sales enough OF
some of the farms to pay the taxes.
which were four and one-balf per cent
| in some districts. Mr.. Staples pointed
no 1noofinn nf the water IN The
| old town, for which the annual charge
was 81 500 on the whole town. For the
| ferry landing at South Portland, In
which the main part of the town had no
especial interest, the town had spent
| $23, 594, not including charges OF minor
| nature. The modern school houses were
all in the old town, the part asking to
| be set off having the old district schools.
In one of the villages $500 was spent for
new school building last year. The
| farming sections were always outvoted
| in town meeting. Mr.. Staples did not
think the line as drawn by the petition
ers could be improved as division OF
the two sections of the town. Taklng
| the appraisal of the town property as
made last year, the part which asks to
| be set off would have only its share OF
the public property in proportion to its
valuation. Besides this, the appraisal
| in the town reports values the ferry
| landing and town house at less tnan the
amounts expended on them. The petit
tioners were willing TO accept their
share of the town debt, based on valua-
tjop. and to support their paupers.
Since 1875 the leading special approprl-
ations on the village side of the line
! have been $47, 400, and OH the farming
side $500. Concerning the town debt.
| Mr.. Staples said that since 1870, 2,S40
| had been paid on the principal of the
debt, and 95, 463 in interest. The debt
reported unpaid in 1870 was $50, ,043. So
and in 1898 S25, ,O34.6S. There was re-
ceived from the state $40, 900 on account
| of the of the war debt, so that the town
| itself had reduced the debt only abou
$4,000.
The town takes it's name from the fact
that it is built on cape. There are
located the Cape lights, and Mr.. Staples
| thought that the new town should be
called Cape Elizabeth, while the old
town along the harbor could not prop
erly be called Cape Elizabeth.
Edward F. Hill told the committee
that it was because of the state, county
and town tax of $24. 50 on thousand,
a tax largely expended in the villages.
Mr.. Hill had some Interesting hgures
regarding taxation. In 1894, the valua-
uion OF the town was 81, 1894, 479. At the
last town meeting it was voted to raise
by taxation, $48, 965. Of this, according
to valuation, Sill, 344 was assessed on
the farming region which seeks to be
set off, and in this part of the town
there was expended only $55S4. Mr.. Hill
said that the only reason he Knew of for
the attempt on the part of the village
section of the town to to change the line
to include in their part the six or seven
cottages along the shore was to get the
cottages for purposes of taxation. They
have crowded us for fifty years, and now
thew want to crowd US overheard"
MIR. Hill also raised the point that the
village sections, by means of the Inn
proyements for which all the town paid,
got insurance at less rates than the
| farming regions.
MI. Charles E. Jordan, one OF the Sc
lectmep. rrohorated the testimony oi
nrevious witnesses. Nj. Jordan thought
| that the only reason that the village
neonle had for asking for the little piece
of shore property was because it con.
taiped something TO tax. He wondered
that they hadn't put in claim for the
whole shore. The valuation of the re-
,ion in question was stated to be $685..
Nir. Nathaniel Dyer testified in the
same line. Asked it the farmers have
been growing rich under the presen!
condit tion of affairs, he said: Il know
!, haven't"