The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-05
SHALL THE TRAMps POUND STONE?
Changers and Others Discuss the Question
Before the Oxford County Commits
sioners.

That the farmers of Oxford county. rem
resented by the 1900 Changers of the
county, are in favor of doing something
to attempt an abatement of the tramp
nuisance, was amply proved by the at
tendance Friday, when the county com
missioners gave hearing on the oues-
ton OF establishing stone yard or
workshop of some kind for tramps and
criminals. The matter has been agitated
in the Pomona Grange and the subordi-
nate oranges. and delegates from nearly
all these oranges were either present TO
sent letters.
The hearing was opened in the court
room at 10 O'Clock, and among those
who appeared and addressed the commits
sioners were j. F. King Of Paris Grange,
Eben S. Kilborn of Bethel Grange, NJ.
n. Lufkin Of Rumford Grange, H. d.
Hammond of Psfis Grange, A. w. Small
OF Bear River Grange. j. A. Roberts of
Norway Grange, G. W. O. Perham of
Frapkiin Grange and others. Mr. Rob-
eIss also read letters favoring the project
from the Oranges in Fryeburg and Peru,
and letter from the county commission
ers Of Penobscot County, stating that
their stone yard had been in operation
only a short time, but that results were
satisfactory so far.
AS illustrating the extent of the tramp
nuisance, Mr.. King stated that since the
first of March, 179 tramps had been cared
for at the Paris town farm, besides a
half dozen taken care of elsewhere; Mr.,
Kiiborn stated that Constable Barker
had during the year taken care of IT'S at
the Bethel lock up, and refused about as
many more; and Mr.. Perham stated that
the Woodstock town farm had entertained
over 200 in the past nine months.
The speakers were all agreed upon these
points: That traInps are nuisance;
that the nuisance is increasing; that
that the greater portion of the tramp OK.
pense comes upon individuals, and that
mainly in the farming districts; that
tramps are menace to the safety of the
community, and particularly a terror to
women and children; that they ara as O
rule afraid of work, and that stone
yard or something of the kind estab-
lished at the county Jail, where the
tramps might work out their sentences.
would do more toward soaring them off
and abating the nuisance, than anything
else they knew of; and that there was q
strong public sentiment in favor of Civ
ing the tralnps a chance to work Alr.
Roberts stated that he had never before
engaged in any movement which seemed
to meet popular demand so fully as
this.
Mr.. Lufkin brought up the practical
question OF whether O stone yard could be
made source of income, suggesting that
crushed stone is not now used at all in
Oxford county, and that it cannot profit
ably be transported any distance from the
place where 1t is crushed, and suggesting
several other practical considerations to
be taken into account. He suggested in
stead Of stone yard, a wood yard,
where the tramps might be put to work
ing up wood, and there would be O rea-
sonable certainty of having q market for
the.product.
These suggestions led to a general dis
oussion, with considerable Incidental
talk about the road question. Mr.. Rob.
erts and Mr.. King both expressed the
opinion that the time was coming when
the towns of Paris and Norway would
use some crushed stone for the perma-
nent improvement of highways, and they
thought a stone yard would tend to Gre
ate market for its product. The wood
yard was objected to by some of the
speakers on the ground that it would
bring the tramps in competition with
honest, paid labor; and some asserted
that the essential thing was to give the
tramps work. the disposal OF the product
being a secondary consideration. The
suggestion was also made that the tramps
should be made to build the reads them
selves after they had prepared the stone.
The hearing extended through an after
noon session, and the commissioners took
the matter under consideration and will
report their decision later.-Oxford
Democrat