Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-17

next biit came due. II he and his Council
would examine carefully into the uses
| made OF the water In this building. re
TO pump this water 10 an elevation Of as
!, feet II they thought the price was too
1 high and would agree upon what they
~. she' Company would Accept eaS IKE p Gov
/ thought that was q fair- and honorable
proostion an; ana thet when ne, the next nl
he would examine carefully into Vt, and IL
he thought the price was too high III
would reduce X II ne did not think Y
j far. he would pay u:
j Now the company y perfectly willing
/, to leave Il in the hands OF the Governo-
/ ard Council. believing THAT they will do
! justice To the company and that they vii!
act for the best interests of the state.
| The price fixed here Is the price when
i tha last Legislature vo.ed upon nnani-
m. usly Thc company Is perfectly willing
/ to leave ii absolutely in the hands OF the
4 Governor and Council
4 DIR. Guernsey: ] offered that amend
m, MT for the same purpose. TO secure de-
4 hay for further, investigation.
The question being on he adopting G.
i amendment sc,
4 Mr. Guernsey called for the yeas an
nays The necessary one-iifth not voting,
the call for the yeas ana nays was NOT
+, sustained. 49, :.
MT. Guernsey offered amendment ID.
to strike our on page In line ls, the
words and figures, printing. $500
4 gard to that Item that have taken rear
~ week toinvestigate Il and the amount
OF figures Is so great that have not had
i time. ! think further delay in regard to
4 that appropriation could do no one any
i harm.
Mr.. Bennett of Hollis: I understand
thal the gentleman ., from Dover has . not
items, and am glad that there is a man
i who has got the ability and she grit To
I take this matter up and look into ii.
I tAppiause) IT We compare our apprOpri-
! atoms with what they were ~ years ago
! We will find that they are nearly three
4 times as large. while the population OF
the State has had hard work TO keep on
II level ii is time we should look 10 see
i where all ehis expense Is going to- Thirty
five thousand dollars this State pays for
where three-quar:ers of that printing
goes to. Six weeks after this Legislature
I closes you will find one-half Of il in the
junk stores in Portland. We are not her,
10 throw away money in this way; afla
I the gentleman only asks fair chance ITO
investigate this matter. Esther there Is
much 10 Il or little. Thirly-iive thousand
dollars is good dea, OF money and !
have goa respect for the taxpayers. ]
h pc every man on this floor Will give
4 tbs gentleman a fair chance to investi-
G. te his matter. Applause.
4 Mr.. Burns Of Westbrook: will say
1 that this matter of State printing and
i binding was before a special committee
of the Legislature nearly all winter fou-
! years ago. /; was very thoroughly in
/ vestiga:ed. and we investigated the ex-
pense in other states and compared these
/ expenses with those of firms doing large
amount OF printing in this State, aid the
i prices charged we found 10 be reasonable
ard very much less than the same work
i WIS done for in other states. At that
i time a law was passed electing a S;a-.
printer and also a State binder. The
price OF the work was fixed by law, and
printer or by the State binder except the
i order comes from the heads OF the de-
partments and is approved by the Gov
I heads Of departments and the Governor
ard Counea see fit to order smaller
i quantity. OF course the expense will be
less. but cannot change the price OF
the work unless we repeal She law.
Mr.. Smith of Pressure Isle: ! have but
i very little 70 say on this matter Of STATE
the gentleman from Dover has not made
single, positive. definite charge of any
thing wrong or improper in regard to any
! simply says that he wants time to inves-
tigate further. The State printer and
State binder are now elected in joint ses-
I sion of the Legislature. and the price for
/ State printing | understand 1t. is es-I
tablished by The act which created the
Office of State printer; and also in regard
to the State binding. In regard TO ne
\ work OF the State printing and binding.
a voucher has to be presented and the
matter is carefully examined and audited
i by the Governor and Council before any
+. money is paid out whatever. We have IN
/ this State some Is or 20 different boards
which are required TO make reports. We
I have. for instance. the board OF aSricui,
ture which puts out several thousand
copies-repopts in which every farmer IN
this STATE is Interested The gentleman
4 from Hollis (Mr. BennetO says that these
4 reports would turn up. in the Junk stores
of Portland. | dont believe 1t; ! know
/ the farmers in my section. in the county
I OF Aroostook are Interested in the agrl :
! cultural reports sent out by the agricul-
turai department Of this State. ana |
! should hesitate a long time Before voted
/ to reduce any appropriation that went TO-
wards the printing of these reports Iof
the farmers of the State
! The bank examiner sends out 2 large
number of reports. There is call for
! them. Then We have the labor bureau
/ the reform school. ,he fish and me the
industrial school, State prison. Ma are
, safe binding includes the binding OF
these various reports. and the price i
| all established by law. and every item Is
I verified and every penny Is accom-, cd io.,
Then this item in this bid includes tne
/ Legislative printing; for instance. every
speech that is made adds to the cost OF
! the State printing. The few remarks tniit
| | am making here will cost more 10 print
than they are actually worth. uAausMerl
/ Two years ago, the Legislative prntins
| including the various bills that were M
| t.oduced and the engrossins and the dia-
| grams and the calendars and the various
/ things which are printed. amounted toi
Sl2, 47S54 That was the printing that was
| incidental 30 the session of the LeSiSia-
ture two years ago. | have no doubt on,
| whae the printing at this session WEI
| equal that of the last. At seems 70 me
that this estimate of SS5,0O9 is not toe
much II seems TO me that we can take
| the estimate made by The finance com
mittee in regard to this item Of S'o,Gp,
/ and / hope that that item will not be
stricken out
MIR. Manley: | simply desire 10 say for
| the information of my friend from Hoi- |
lis mfr Bennett that this appropriation
covers work which has mostly been done |
and not paid for. The reports of lssS are |
not made to the Governor and Council
until January lst 1899. Those reports
have all been made. They have been IN
the hands of the printer. and under,
stand that every one has been printed
except the Agricultural Reports. SO |
they have acted in good faith. They nave |
performed the work. And If we are to |
make any reform IN this matter which |
can possibly be made. II should be done |
in reference to the work of 1900. and not |
for the appropriations for the year 1899.
| most of the work of which has been al
| ready done.
Mr. Bennett: / have no objection to |
paving the printers for all they have !
done My point was that the gentlemen |
from, Dover wished To have more time. |