The Portland daily press., 1897-03-04
TROLLEY TO HARPSWELL.
Charter Asked For Line From
Brunswick.
HEARING BEFORE RAILROAD
COMMITTEE YESTERDAY.

Newspaper Men Before a Com mittee-
Deering Public Works Bill Killed
Portland New City Charter Reported
Other Important Hearings.
ESPECIAL TO THE ERESS.J
Augusta, March ga number of news
paper men appeared before the legal
affairs committee today to oppose the bill
to release. subscribers to newspapers of
what little responsibility they have in
the matter of payment.
Mr.. Woodmen of Lewiston explained
that a man could stop paper when
he wished to by not taking his paper
from the post office. The matter is
wholly in the hands of the subscriber.
No one appeared for the bill, and E.
P. Mayo of Watervills said: "We evil
IDENTITY ara fighting straw man. though
we may be opposing grant. would
like to have the other side show ITSELF"
Mr.. Mayo said that good mans paper
would not be stopped the day his SUBJ
seription expired for he would object, and
thus aibill compelling such action or
influencing such action would make
trouble for the subscriber and publisher.
Il was explained to the committee
that when a person says he ordered a
paper stopped three or six months ago,
his word is taken for that and the time is
deducted from the bills, and that in
some offices people were notified when
subscriptions had expired and II they
did not remit the papers are stopped.
J. P. Bass of Bangor explained to the
committee the disadvantages of any law
that would force the publisher to retail
ate by enforcing the last plan.
Clarence Burleigh of Augusta said that
the Kennebec journal keeps "stop
book" at which orders to stop at certain
times are recorded when such directions
are sent in, and he said that If he paid
his milkman for months milk and
continued to use the milk after that
time he should expect to pay for 1T.
Oscar Wish OF Portland said that the
postal rules made a sufficient safeguard
for the subscriber and gave an outline
of the law. he said that all Maine pa
pers are liberal in dealing with SUBJ
soribers. He said that there was not a
publisher in the state who was not de-
sirous of making contracts under the
law on contracts, and asked for no 9th
err legislation of any kind.
RAILROAD COMMITTEE.
On the bill to make bicycles baggage,
given hearing by the railroad commit
tee, there was no one to advocate the
cause of the petitioners.
Lawyer Seth NJ. Carter of Lewiston
said that bicycles were carried under an
arrangement and tariff agreed upon by
the president of the League of American
Whselmen and the New England Pas
senger Agents Association, and that he
had received letter from the latter say
ing that there had never appeared any
opposition to the present plan.
George e. Kimball appeared for the bill
to equalize and regulate freight rates.
He ia in the clothing business in Pitts
field. He said that the goods he made
were placed in the wrong class of freight.
He said that he and others went to Mr..
Tucker and Freight Agent Eaton Of the
Maine Cen trial, but got no satisfaction.
MIR. Carter said in opposition to the
bill that he appreciated Mr.. Kim ball.
position, but that he did not think that
the committee could remedy the mat.
ter. He said that the charges in CUES
ton were subject to Boston rate, and
therefore covered by the Interstate COM
merce law. He admitted that there was
discrimination in freight rates by the
Maine Central, but that it was for the
same purpose that Maine towns exempt
manufacturers from taxation or read.
inst them to favor manufacturers as
Augusta is doing for the Edwards com.
pany. Any other discrimination, he
said, were generally adjusted on appli-
cation to the railroad headquarters. Re-
Rarding certain long hauls for which
the rate is the came as on shorter ones,
Mr.. Carter said the ones which Mr..
Kimball mentioned were all from ship
ping towns.
In answer to Chairman Engel, Mr..
Kimball said that the clothing mann.
featuring industry had been in Maine
thirty-six years and that the wooden mill
business was carried on in the state be.
fore the manufacturing Of clothing was
begun.
Regarding the petition for a charter fol
an electric, steam or power railroad from
Brunswick, &. E. Skolfeld explained
shat the summer residents of Harpswell
cluster about the steamboat landing and
that railroad was desired to open az
the rest of the neck. He stated in answer
to questions that they did not propose te
run over tids water and when asked why
the company was not organized undel
the general laws, he said that the expense
would be larger than they wished tt
stand, and that he noticed other people
we're asking for special acts.
FL