The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-10
Sta'e House Echoing With New
ILLS introduced.
ONE CALLS FOR ACCOUNTS FROM
THOSE DRAWING MILEAGE.
Electric Lighting Controversy As
sumes New Phsse-BiiI Giving
CompaniessPermiss To Organize
Under General Lsw--The Portland
street sprinkiing mn.
ESPECIAL 10 THE rREss.l

ESPECIAL TO THE rREss.i
Augusta, February 9.-Ihe time il
drawing to n close when bills eau be In
troduced in the legislature with any hope
of success at this session and tho result Is
that mem beTs who have had measures OF
Importance In their pockets are dropping
them into the mill. Among those which
came today were several which might be
likcned to Uombshells and the state
House Is echoing with tho sound of the
reports. Senator Reynolds put In one OF
the measures of the day. 1t relates TO the
expenses Of state officials and employees
and Is as follows:
"Sectlon I.-Eaoh state officer and EN-.
ploye. however elected. chosen, appointed
or employed ami under whatever pro
visions Of law or rules CT depart ments his
duties are performed who Is entitled to
mileage, or reimbursement for expenses
paid. including railroad. street railway
and steamboat fares. shall Bile with the
auditing officer or officers. an itemized
account or statement OF such personal ex-
penses, mileage. railroads. street railway
and steam boat fares for which reim
bursement is claimed, accompanied by an
affidavit that such PERSONAL expenses and
mileage, railroad street railway and
steam boat fares have been incurred by
such officer or employc willis engaged in
official business connected with the office
ployment and that the same have been
actually paid by him In full.
section g ANY account, statement
or claim of such officer or employs for
such personal expenses and railroad,
street railway and steam boat fares, shall
not be audited by the state auditing
officer or officers until such itemizeG
statement account or claim has been
iiled, accompanied by such affidavit, nor
shall the state treasurer pay the amount
of any warrant therefor or make any
advance payment on account thereof,
until an affidavit Of the same tsnor as
above specified shall have been fled in the
state treasurer's office.
"Section B. This act shall take effect
on the first day of January. A ID. 1900
MIR. Reynolds said to the PRESS CORE
spoudent that an examination of the ex-
pense accounts of state officers showed
that those now filed In the office ofo tks
state treasurer were only summaries ana
not itemizcd statements. He thought II
only right that system should be estab'
lished under which the items OF II actual
cash expenditures should be recorded.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING LAW.
Another dill presented this morning re-
news the fight OF two years ago over the
rights of gas and electric light companies.
Under the general law of 1895, where an
electric lighting company is already in
business in "a town or city no other such
company can do business in the same
territory without the consent of the first.
ago TO repeal this provision. the fight be-
ing one in which Portland parties were
interest d. MIR. Jesse Peterson of Lock
port, N. Y, having made proposition
to light the city with electricity generated
at Great Falls, on the PTesumpsoot ana
those associated with Mr. Peterson and
friendly to his enterprise seeking to have
the law repealed, while the Consolidated
Electric Light company was active in OPP
position Since then the Great Falls plant
has passed into the control of The Cumber-
land Illuminating company. the history
of whose attempts to enter Portland under
an old charter ante-dating the law of 1895
would not be repealed here, as 1t Is still
fresh in the memory of Portland people
The bill now before the Legislature to re-
peal the section in dispute was presented
by Mr., Garcelon of Lewiston and amends
section one of the act SO that the COM
paniss In question may organize under
the general law. The law Is chapter l02
of the Public Laws OF 1895 and amended
tbs first section would read as follows:
section pe--Corporations for the pur-
pose OF making. generating, selling, dis
tributing and supplying gas or electricity
OF both, for lighting, heating, manufac
turing, or mechanical purposes. In any
city or town, or two or more adjoining
cities or towns, within this state, or for
either of any such purposes, may be Or
ganized under the provisions of sections
I6, II, IS, 10 and 20 OF chapter As, r. s.,
and acts ainendatory thereof and addi-
tional thereto, and all provisions of said
chapter and acts are hereby made appli-
cable to such corporations. -
That is the language of the present law,