The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-26
PARTITION or DEERING.
Question Argued Before Legislative
Committee.
OUT IN FULL FORCE
YESTERDAY.

Remonstrants Also Have Their Say-State
College Bill Revised-Reduction of
Tax on Savings Banks Recommended.
Augusta, February 95.-The advo-
Gates and opponents Of the actto set
off wards six and seven part of ward
three from neering and annex to
Portland appeared before the committee
on towns Wednesday evening and the re-
monstrants showed some surprise when
George N. Seiders announced that the petit
| tioners would propose an amendment by
which the territory in question would be
| reduced. This amendment will strike
| from the annexation district that part or
ward three in which the cemetery lays.
| A. r. Meulton objected to an amend
ment without notice to the remonstrants,
whom he represented.
| The committee retired and after
| few minutes announced that as the
amendment did not involve more terrl-
| tory than the bill mentioned, the hearing
would be held.
Mr.. Moulton filed an objection and the
! hearing was continued
| Mr.. Seiders opened the case for the
petitioners, and explained that neering
| is place made up of several villages.
| large and prosperous if no one point had
controlling power, and more vigor-
Gus growth than the surrounding points.
| He explained that Deering had over 10,
| 600 acres and that 257 was the extent OF
| territory involved in the hearing. Mr.
seiders said that many people, in fact
| quite all of the people of the disputed
| territorN were doing business in Portland
and had no interest In Deering except
| that they had houses there. This
district, he said, was populated with
Portland's g overflow Of population.
| Andrew Hawes OF Deering said he had
scaled the territory OF Deering and gave
He gave Deering's valuation as q, ,004, O66
and the valuation of the annexation dis
trict as 81, 1873, 200, leaving in case the bill
passes a valuation 50, 685, 1868 in Deering.
MIR. Hawes gave particulars about school
houses and bridges in Deering.
| On cross-sxamination by Mr.. Noulton.
Mr.. Hawes said that he had understood
that the Desring city council had voted
against annexation; also that he had
| heard that the Portland city council had
doneathe same, but that this Was not
true.
Mr.. Moulton read report Of city
council meeting published in the PRESS
and asked the witness II he thought the
meeting was incorrectly reported. Wit
| ness said he had not, but that Mr..
Moulton misunderstood what he had
| read. A discussion followed AS to
whether the matter was indefinitely post
poned by the city council unanimously
as reported, or by small majority. Mr.
Hawes said his knowledge OF the affair
was gained from what he had heard said
and that he did not take issue with the
reporter who was, he thought. pTesentat
the meeting. He said that he had
counted 210 names on the petition, signed
| by Deering Point residents, and Mr..
Moulton read over the list and asked Mr.
Hawes If he knew them. The gentlemen
replied in the negative in nearly every
| case az the names were called. Mr.
| Halves said that the valuation of the city
had increased 100000. and the debt had
also increased. He said that the tax rate
had bean reduced, but seemed to think
| that valuations had been marked up so
that the people were paying more taxes,
| in some cases at least, on the same
property.
In going over the list Of petitioners,
MIR. Hawss said he knew j. S. Rieksr
and when he was asked If MIR. Kicker
was not the man who was blocking the
building OF Forest avenue.
Mr, Hawes said that he had understood
that Mr.. Kicker had withdrawn his OBJ
mon report. Mr.. Moulton said he could
state from examination Of the court
records made within a few days that MIR.
Kicker had not altered his position in the
matter.
County Treasurer Chenery of CCmber
land county, described the way he and
his nsiehboFs travelled between Portland
and Dsering. MIR. Chensry spoke OF the
lack of mail delivery in his neighborhood
and the lack of protection from fire. He
said that insurance was high in DeerinR
on account of inadequate fire service in
Deering. Witness said he understood that
annexation would give fire protection to
Ward g. and carrier service for Oak
dale, Stroudwater and neighboring terri
tory.
The amendment offered by Mr.. Seiders
having delayed matters some she hearing
kept the com mittee until late hour, and
the adjournment was made to p. m.
Thursday. The petitioner had waited all
of the afternoon for their turn, and as
sured the com mittee thnt they would oc-
cupy only three hours OF time, so 1t was
thought the evening would suffice. The
fact that the reinonstrants might also
want thres hours was overlooked. Before
the committee adjourned the witnesses
for the petitioners who had not been
called, stood up and it appeared that the
hearing was hardly begun. However the
chairman of the committee apologtzed TO
the petitioners for not being able to finish
Wednesday evening, as if be and not they
were responsible for tho fact that half of
Oakdale and stroudwater were present to
be heard.
The chief reason advanced for annexa-
tion was the fact that certain people,
wished it done and the leading argument
against it was the statement equally
true, that certain other people do not
wish 1t.
The hearing was continued at 2 p. IA.
Mr.. Chenery was placed on the stand.
He said that similar attempts to annex
a part Of Deering to Port rtland had been
made in fact the matter had been before
the legislature before. Mr.. Chenery said
that sewer to relieve the community
of the Back Bay nuisance would cost
about $3.50, 600, ana that such structure
was very much desired by the people in
that vicinity, but that the expense had
been in the way. Mr.. Chenery said he
thought that the expense of getting this
sewer if the section was annexed 10
Portland could be met.
Selden Sterling of the annexation dis
trict snid that hacks, kilograms and ex-
press packages cost more on account of
the fact that his neghborhood is not
,vitE,D tho ci+v Iir1its RaOEs 90 tT ice