Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-03-17
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from page 81


islation which Is now upon our statute
books relative to the taxation of prop
erty.
Now, l want to call attention TO
something else. While l say it is per-
fectly proper for every interest, cor
porate or otherwise to have a man or
as many men as they desire around
or about this Legislature to protect the
interest which they represent, l ask
you who has been here to represent
the merchants, the manufacturers. the
farmers. the laborers, the operatives In
the mills and the mills? Have you
seen anybody? Has anybody whisper
ed In your ear or tapped you on the
shoulder, and said. II want to say
word in behalf of the thousands OF OPP
eratives in the State? Has anybody
whispered in your ear or tapped you on
the shoulder to say that they wanted
to say something to you about the agri-
culturists of the State! An! no, gen
tlemen. They are men unaccustomed
to legislation, and they have not their
lobby here, except they have 1t here as
we represent them-the representatives
from the several parts Of the State.
Now. / want to call attention to a
particular class of property, and l hold
in my hand list of property. that
represents one of the great interests of
the State, and that Is the woolen mills.
Many Is the hamlet that has been built
up and made n thriving town through
the introduction of the wOolen mills.
want to show you how woolen mills
are taxed in this State. Every woolen
mill is taxed on two, four, six, eight,
ten, twelve or fifteen sets. Wooden
mills are taxed by sets-that is. there
are so many complete sets of machin-
cry with which to manufacture. The
Cowan Woolen Mil OF Lewiston. an
eight-set mill, is taxed upon the basis
of $4,000 a set. The State valuation on
which they are taxed is $4,000. Who
pays that? That is the State tax. that
goes into Lewiston. The city of Lew
iston has to pay on the Cowan mill
tax for that mill on $4,000. That mill
was sold for S35, ,000-a little less than
one-half Tell me IL that is right. Is it
right that the city of Lewiston should
pay a tax to this State on the Cowan
mill based on a valuation of $12, 900.
when the property only sells for $4,000?
That is not an isolated case. / can say
sold within the State that for the last
three years has brought so per cent.
with one exception. of what it is taxed
for the purpose of State taxation. Take
the Vassalboro mill, sold Il few years
ago. That mill, and the stock and
other stuff that was bought with it,
sold for $4,000. There was $4,000 of
outside property not included i'll the
mill. For how much does that pay
taxes to the State? On an 1S-set mill.
$1,000 per set. sla6,000 and the mill sold
for $4,000 Is that equal taxation? Is
it any wonder that there is u tremor
among the people of this State outside
of the large cities and corporations.
that they are oVertaNed? l think not.
Take the three mills ut Dexter, the
Penobscot Wooden Mill. an eight-set
MILL at $4,000 per sent, $4S, 200; the Nor
rison Wooden Mill at Dexter. Il four
set mill, at $4,000 per set. $4,000, the
Dexter Woolen Mill. IL four-set mill. at
$4,000 per set. $4,000, making in all.
$S2 600 valuation. Those mills were
advertised. and they were advertised
all over New England for sale. They
had to be sold to pay a 100000 mort
gage on them. and how much did they
sell for? Taxed for, $4,000 and they sold
for $4,000. and Dexter is town taxed
on the valuation books of the assessors
of this State for $4,000 and the prop
erty within II months has been sold
for $4,000. Is there anything wrong
about this? Is there something we
should look into? 1t seems to me that
there is.
Mr. PARKHURsT of Bangor: I
would like to inquire il that tax rate
their contents?
Mr.. MERRILL: 1t is the mills and
their machinery.
Mr.. PARKHURST: Is the stock in
process of manufacture there included
in that?
Mr.. MERRILL: The stock in process
of manufacture and the stock of the
wooden mills is taxed in the town
where the woolen mill is situated as
personal property and the machinery
is taxed to the personal property in ad-
dition, not by the State.
want to call to your attention
something else, and / want to say that
the same force and the same men and
the same interests that will oppose an
investigation of this by the proper
committee are the very men that are
here in the interest of the corporations
Take. for instance, the return of the
town assessors of the town of Skowhegan
to the assessors of the State. as required
by law. They return a total real estate
of 81 2l9,01O a total of personal property
of $50 $50, making a total valuation of S,-
OS9, go Now what do the assessors of the
State do with that? The assessors of the
town of Skowhegan assess little wooden
mill there for $50,0OO upon which they pay
taxes to the town of Skowhegan. The as
SCISSORS of the State take the entire or to-
tai real estate of Skowhegan, $2,2l9,0O0,
and deduct $50, 900 from it, leaving s., 169,-
900, and l know this, that the real estate
in the town of SkOwhegan, and especially
the farming property, is taxed for more
than it will sell for in the town. l know
that the little dwelling houses in Show
hegan are valued on the assessors books
in the town of Skowhegan at more than
they will sell for, today, in the market
Now what do they do? They deduct $780,
OOO, the assessed Value of the woolen MILL
from the whole, leaving 81. 169 600. and then
the assessors in their wisdOm--they know
that the money has got to be raised for