Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-25

nau hearings. FRIDAY afternoon, and II
| waA on the whole. the liveliest Friday
afternoon that the Capitol has had
since the session opened. The judigi-
AIRY committee devoted the most of the
afternoon to the water district ques-
ton. Hon. II. NJ. Heath and Harvey
ID. Eaton. Esq. explained to the COM
mittee the compromise bill which they
have finally agreed upon to incorpo-
rate the Kennebec Water District, in
Guiding the city Of Waterville and the
Fairfield Village Corporation. This IS
a proposition to buy up the existing
company and start anew the business
| of supplying the two municipalities
with water. Mr.. Heath for the Maine
Water Company and Mr.. Eaton for the
Waterville and Fairfield people. have
! agreed upon a bill satisfactory to both
parties.
The matter of the Bath and Bruns-
wick Water District is not SO well ar
ranged. as there We're two sides to be
heard before the committee. F.. T..
Southland of Bath. appeared in behalf
of the bill which is based upon the
Waterville bill. Hon. H. NJ. Heath
said the Maine Water Company had
no opposition to the scheme. But
Charles Larrabee on behalf of certain
Dot o;t Iah fnp no oifi-
zens of Woolwich, where the present
pumping station is located and Rep
resentative Wilson of Brunswick, all
appeared to oppose the bill.
Later the committee took up two
bills to prevent incompetent persons
conducting the business of apothe-
carries. Frank r. Partridge of Angus
ia. explained their provisions and made
a number of suggestions Both bills
were entrusted to Mr.. Partridge to be
incorporated in single bill in new
draft. County Attorney HeseltOn APP
peared in behalf of the bill which
makes the penalty for arson either
term of years in State prison or life
sentence. instead of a life sentence with
no alternative as is now the case.
Mr.. Heselton explained that the bill
was suggested by the recent Oakland
case. The committee took no action
on the various matters heard.
The propositions to repeal Section !
of Chapter 102 of the Public Laws of
1895, and Section of Chapter 1913 of
the Public Laws of the same year. &C.
cupied the attention of the legal affairs
committee, Friday afternoon. The
sections in question are those provid-
ing that no gas, electric, telegraph or
telephone corporations shall go into a
city or town to do business without the
consent of whatever existing corpora
ton may already be doing the same
kind of business there. unless it has
special permission from the Legisla-
ture. This is to protect corporations
against vicious competition. and
to give them security and sta
blity. If they give poor service or
charge exorbitant rates the remedy is
from the Legislature and not from the
general law.
The bill to replace these sections was
championed briefly by Representatives
Garcelon and Murphy of Lewiston, and
then left to the not very tender mer-
cies of the many corporation attor-
neys who were present to oppose it.
The opposition was vigorous, and the
Tended from every possible point of
view. Among those who spoke in OPP
position to any repeal of these sections
of the 1895 law We're II. NJ. Heath, w.
r. Haines,, II. w. Cakes of Auburn,
Clarence Hale, +. G. Payson, Geo. ID.
Bird. f. E. Marshall of Portland
| Charles Larrabee of Bath. Senator
White. Representative Field, Treasurer
Bryant Of the Oakland Electric Light
| COMPANY, anu @AppCS
| for the Skowhegan Electric Light Com
pany.
| In executive session the committee
voted to report ought not to pass on
the bill in relation to the filing of pa
pers in cases argued before the SUI
preme judicial court. 1t was voted to
report ought to pass on the bill to in
corporate the Sullivan Water Company
and on the bill for the better protec-
ton of shipmasters and seamen
The committee on education met,
Friday afternoon, and had two brief
hearings. Mayor Swan of Calais, APP