Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-02

W. We IltlNt iOlEili- "a ~" ~ NEt'N-
cial interest for the years work. said
Insurance Commissioner Carr, Thursday.
There are no new laws to be tried dur
ing the year as they have ocen worked
out in the past year and we cXpe,t NTH
ing in the way of novelty in ,he depart
ment work. We shall continue 10 profit
by the experiences of other departments
as vel. as our past work. and try and
make cur work as efficient IS no.s.hl1"
Mr.. Carr says the tables IN his report
Will DC of more than usual inte.es.. how
ever, ana it will be but few days be
fore they are ready TO be given u the
public already being in the hands 81 lhe
printer and pressman.
The Journal has previously given the
caus - and losses from fires when aiken
as a whole but it has not given anything
about the comparisons of the different
sources.
Il shall show one thing that will be
pleasing TO the people of the State" said
Mr. Carr. 'and that is in the way of in
cendiary fires. Though there We're three
or four more in 1899 than in the previous
year, Vet l shall show how greatly the
number has decreased in the past ten
years in the ratio Of the fires. This will
not be brought about by tabulatiln eth
or. 1t is the actual fact. There are less
Of the unknown causes assigned, in the
past year, than previously and this will
leave some of the doubt of more incen-
diary fires out of the question. This
number of incendiary fires has in tbs
past ten years decreased wonderfully il
the percentage Of the whole.
The different towns ana cities will be
classified separately ana the number 81
fires. the loss, the value Of the property
the insurance and the insurance paid vii
be given. II will be one OF the mos
complete reports ever issued from tn,
office and it has involved an immense 10
of work.
Secretary James Plummer of the boart
of State assessors says he will not bcgil
to send out blanks to the different town
and city assessors until the middle o
March. BY that time the town meeting
and city elections will have been held ant
the new officers well under way. The!
will not begin their valuation taking IN
til April /, ana then in a few days afte
The returns will begin to come in. Their
is a close contest between some of TIL
smaller towns to see who will be the frs
to get in their returns. One town, las
year. if no mistake is made, came il
somewhere about the fourth of April
The work of valuation taking was no
great as may be ina gined and the re
turns must have been made out within
two or three days after April l. Aftel
that time they began to come III very
fast. The cities DO not get in their re-
turns until away along into the sprns
ana summer months as the assessors have
50 large a territory to cover. This is tn
wear of the revaluatiOn for the purpOs'
of the assessment of the new State ta2
and the returns will be of Importance
The State assessors do not, of course, &
wholly according to the returns Of th'
town but give them fair and equitable
valuation as their study OF the tow
ana country's condition has led then
to believe will be right. If the as
SCISSORS have placed full valuation Of
everything from the live stock to tn
real estate while the assessors of anothe
town have given merely a two-third
valuation, the two are made as nea
equal as possible and the one town witt
the assessors believing i'll one form o
assessing and the other town with tn
assessors believing in another metho'
will be treated alike. One does not los
on account of the high values and tn
other does not gain
Governor and Mrs. Powers remained i
I'M