Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-03-10

/ Justice or DrOUTittt OF 4 law Su4ittAtuL buhi
| is law and should be enforced.
| / desire also to direct your attention. anc
/ ask your cooperation in the proper enforce
ment of the Prohibitory law OF our state
| While there are those who from Eighty inag
| nation, imperfect information or gross mis-
| representation would send abroad the llnpres
sion that rum. wTetchedness and disorder ful
| riot ia our city with no hand OF restraint,
| think that every fair minded citizen, in the
| least acquainted with the facts, VIII admit
| that such statements are unfair, unjust. ano
proven ridiculous by the almost total absence
i Of intoxication from our streets and the ex-
| ceedingly small amount of business trans
| acted by our police court. Nevertheless, IL Is
to be regretted that the Prohibitory law has
| not fully prevented the sale of intoNicants in
our city, but | trust that we may, so far as
| Jays in our power, give the Law coed, honest
| enforcement.
| City Water Works.
| Agreeable to a legal petition from our citi-
zens, the municipal officers Of two years ago
called general caucus of our voters to con
slider what means, If any. could be devised for
furnishing our city with more adequate water
service. AT this meeting, as you Will undoubt-
| ly remember, a unanimous sentiment pre-
vailed in favor of the citys owning and oper-
ating water system. comm ltIee, consist
| ing Of five Of our most conservative, 10 1uen-
tisl business men. representing large proper
/ ty interests, was appointed to investigate, and
report the most feasible plan for securing for
the city plentiful supply of pure water for
domestic ard IRE purposes. This committee
i
| from what is known as Collins Mills On Cob
bOsseecontee stream in West Gardiner, and
they further reported that an option had been
secured by them upon an excellent Gam priVl-
lege. Acting in accordance with the sentiment
of this meeting the city council petitioned TO
I the Legislature for charter. which was OBJ
\ tanned with the provision that the water
works 1t present operating in the city should
! be purchased, subject TO certain conditions
1 AS 10 was impossible to complete the plans
and estimations Before the expiration of the
option of the dam privilege. the city council,
considering the possible value OF this power
! for electrical purposes, even IL 1t were never
used for water works, and acting in harmony
4 with the apparent wishes of our taxpayers,
purchased the dam, rights, privileges and
certain amount OF land. According to plans
and specifications made by Civil Engineer
would co $4,000. not including land and
water damages or the purchase of the present
4 plant.
Before entering further upona work involv-
\ ing so great an expenditure of the citv's
money ana credit also in view OF the fact
that considerable an'i-water sentiment pre-
vailed in our city, the last city council
deemed it wisest to submit the question. by
an informal vote, to our citizens at
the last municipal election, when small
majority ID favor OF water was cast. Unfor-
( tunateiy the question was misunderstood or
misluterpreted by cur people who evidently
/ tried to read between the lines expecting to
/ find there a deep laid plot to bind our city
irTcvoCsbiy, 30 bankruptcy, and thus rendered
the majority much smaller than it otherwise
/ would have been, for can but believe that
& could we nave water without bafdensome tax
| alton, system that would be practically self
! sustaining, every person IN our city would be
! in favor OF il.
/ In NY opinion it would be manifestly ill-ad-
ysed, in view % so small a majority favo4ing
/ ii. to push forward this question without &
I more decided and unanimous expression from
/ our tax payers, and to that end would adj
wise that "a caucus OF our citizens be called ~
soon as uIsy be- that our people may have an
opportunity 10 more freely discuss and consider
t. AS the time within which we. can apply
/ for commission TO adiudge the Value OF Tn
present wotks expires on the 18th Of this
month it would appear advisable to give this
subject early consideration.
Lights.
! The contract for lighting our city made with
the K unebec Light aud Heat Company four
I Years ago, expired the first of February last
\ As provision was made by that city govern
! uent for further lighting it becomes npon US
I TO do To many of our Taxpayers it APP
pears that Tor the amount of money expended
our city should be more uniformly and better
I lighted. In duty investigating this matter |
trust that you Will bear in mind that the city
owns an excellent water power, capable of gen
I Grazing all the electricity can possibly
need and that the great reduction in the cost
I of ! electrical appliances re nders 1t easily
within our means to operate our own plant.
Our Cemetery.
No spot is dearer to our people than is
our beautiful cemetery where reposC
| those who have gone before us. Each
I year our CltlEenS are taxing better ana
| greater care of their lots and more
attention is given it by the city, all money
received from the sale of lots being expended
in grading and identifying the grounds, but
the time is coming remote though il may be,
when a considerable appropriation will have
| to be made for its care and maintenance. |
would therefore advise that certain sum re
| ceived from the sale of lots be set aside each
| year that the income may provide for this
contingency.
Taxation and Appropriations.
| Were it possible to provide for the curren.
expenses OF the city and make such improve
ments as are necessary, without taxation, all
would rejoice but such pleasant condition
| being impossible and the bugbear taxes
liable always to be with us, it behooves u.s. as
We have the interest and welfare of our city at
heart, to make them as light and easy for our
people to bear as possible l do not wish to
| be understood as implying that penny wise
pound foolish policy should be adopted by
any means, but that great care should be eX-
ercised in the expenditure o, the people 5
money. An increase in the present rate is to
my mind to be deplored and in ma k ing up the
appropriations for the coming year, / trust
that the committee, having them in charge,
will thoroughly fam'liarize themselves with
| the actual needs of each department, that
| they may act wisely and iudiciously Let MS
| ever remember that we are the servants of the,
people who placed us here, that our deeds and
| acts may be SO governed by wisdom. tempered
with charity. and influenced for the greatest
| good 10 the greatest number, that may
| r ceive the reward of "well done good and
| faithful servants"
The present city government is Republi-
can. with the exception OF Ward 4, which
is Democratic. 1t is made up as follows
Mayor, Geo. A. Stafford.
| Ward l--Alderman, H. p Getchell
councilmen, A, W. Pirkard 6 20. H. Free
man.
Ward 2--Alderman, Geo. H. Willis
couneilmen, Frank a. Day, Daniel Hans
| com.
Ward 3--Alderman, \. 5. Chadbourne;
rouncimen, John u. Robinson, H. A.
Tobey.
Ward alderman, Jthn Burns; eoun-
oiimen, VIII Overlook, Vim f. Blanchard.
Ward a-Alderman. Geo. :. Fuller;
eounoilmeu. John p. Jewett, Alden
Grimes
| Chief Justice Charles Doe of the New
| Hampshire supreme court. was stsicken
| with UarolySis while ,xa{tipc