The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-12
Board Refuses to Investigate" the
Trading Stamps.
MIR. ROUNDS LATEST MOVE "IN
BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE,"

Fellow Members Endeavor to Persuade
Him That the Board Is Not a Court of
Law-Petition of Grand Trunk for
Leave to Build Siding on East Com
merciaI Street Granted.
A special meeting of the city council
was held last evening for the purpose of
taking some action on a petition of the
drand Trunk road to lay tracks on East
Commercial street but. during the evening
the board Of aldermen took up one or two
other matters and some lively debating
resulted.
On calling the meeting to order all Of
the members of the board Of aldermen
were present. Mayor Randall said that
the meeting had been called for the pur
pose of considering the petition of the
Grand Trunk road. The Grand Trunk
wishes to lay tracks through East Com
meroial street, which is that portion Of
the city near the Grand Trunk transfer
station which is laid out rs street and
called East Commercial streetsson the map
although no street has as yet been con-
stucted at this point. The matter when
it.was originally brought before the board
of aldermenswas referred to special COM
mittee with power and after considering
the. matter for some time the committee
had decided to refer the matter back to
the city council and allow them to act upon
the matter An order was therefore pro-
duced by the mayor for this committee
granting the privilege to the Grand
Trunk Of laying it's tracks through the
land known as East Commercial street
without let or hindrance on the part Of
the city providing that no expense for
damages or other claims be forced upon
the city and with the understanding that
the tracks might be SO laid until 1t should
become necessary for the city to build a
street through the land granted to the
Grand Trunk for the laying of its tracks.
The order also provided that the permits
sion SO granted should not be revoked for
at least five years. The order as repre-
sented, was passed by the board of alder
men after the mayor had read a com mu-
nication from General Manager Hays of
prescribed by the city were accepted. The
order was also passed in concurrence by
the common council.
Alderman Kehoe presented petition
from John Low asking for permission to
move building through Cumberland
street to No. Sheridan street, the NOV
ing not to occupy more than two days.
The petition was granted subject to the
approval of the commissioner of streets.
Alderman Rounds now presented Fa
petition signed by nearly all of the retail
grocers VINO have become connected with
the trading stamp scheme andl who have
agreed to give trading stamps to those of
their customers who buy goods of them.
The petition asked that the board of
aldermen and common council take such
action in regard to the trading stamp
company as would insure protection to
the citizens of Portland and prevent them
from being defrauded by said trading
stamp company. Alderman Rounds in
presenting the order moved that the pc
tition be received and placed on. file and a
hearing ordered on the matter for next
Monday evening.
alderman Ilsley asked the alderman
from ward three if to his knowledge any
one had been buncoed SO far by this
trading stamp company. sf
Alderman Rounds said that was what
ne wanted the hearing for, as it was his
desire to find out whether the people and
I,,rD ,n4
Alderman Kehoe said he could not
understand how the matter affected the
board of aldermen. If any defrauding
was being attempted by this company it
was q matter for the courts to decide and
not for the city council. The county at
torney was the man to proceed against
this company if any Of this was being
done contrary to law.
Alderman Ilsley said he believed the
matter to be outside of the jurisdiction of
the board Of aldermen altogether. The
truth of the matter is that the merchants
of the city have gone into this scheme
with their eyes open and have got into a
mess. They now come to the board of
aldermen and want them to help them
out of a scrape which they got into on
account of their own foolishness.
Alderman Rounds at this point became
very much excited and lifted his voice in
protest to this argument. He said that
Alderman Kehoe was trying to deprive
the citizens of Portland of their right to
be heard in this matter.
Alderman Kehoe interrupted Alderman
Rounds and told him that he was making
statements which were mot true and he
objected to this kind of talk.
Alderman Rounds was on his fight
however and refused to stop talking. He
asked the mayor if he had the floor. The
mayor said that Mr.. Rounds had the
floor so far as he knew. Alderman
Rounds then went on talking and ignored
Alderman Kehoe's protest altogether. I
want these citizens to be heard through
me-" said Alderman Rounds. They come
here in good faith and ask for hearing
and certain members of this board refuse
to grant it to them. Some 40 or 30 mer-
chants in this city have asked for this
hearing and I claim that they have a