Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-20
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from page %
eEyEEyA

so. In the early stages of the session
the principle of the State was Wen de-
fined that there should be no monopo-
lies or trusts in the telephone business
in the State of Maine. We have
granted charter after charter since
that time, many charters were in eX-
istence before, and they amount to
something like fifty. This is a matter
more local than anything else. ana is
interesting more to the people who six
for the charter than for the State ut
large. There seems to be no reason
under the established policy of the
State why the charter should not b.
granted: and in order to be consis-
tent with my former action and with
the principle laid down by the Lcrsis-
lature | have made a minority report
on this bill which is in effect that the
charter should be granted.
Mr. LITTLE Of LeWiSton-lTr.
Speaker and Gentlemen of the House.
As a member of the committee from
which came the majority report signed
by nine members, of ought not to pass
on the act to incorporate the Andres
cogcin Telephone Company | deem ii
fitting at this time to explain our rea-
sons for so doing ana leave it to The
good Judgment ana and sound disore-
ton Of this House to accept the ma
jority report Of the committee.
We feel that charters for telephone
companies are franchises. that this
state should deal sparingly with ana
hc careful in the distribution of.
ard we do not feel that this State
should give such a broad charter as
this one asked for, especially when
there appeared no public q" general de-
maud for it. and when the promoters
had not an inch Of wire or a single
pole and no definite plans as to the
aim of the company or the backing il
should receive. If we give charter
50 broad as this one covering three Of
the most pCpulOuS and prosper 5uS
counties in the State for no greater
reasons than those made at the hear
ing. We should establish a precedent
that any one could come and receive
valuable State franchises without any
sufficient reason other than he wants a
charter. and the books of our State
would be numbered down with useless
charters. ana the owners Of which
would have the satisfaction of carry
ing around these free gotten public
spnilS in their vest pockets. to the dis
advantage Of the existing companies
operating with honest intent in the
State.
Admitting al YOU will that 4 state
charter IS valuable you will certainly
agree that anything valuable SHOULD
not be given away unless value is ~
oeived for it in public convenience or
otherwise.
mittee to ask are: What do they went
TO do? Where do they want TO go2
Is there any demand for it? And
what prospects there are of its sue
cess.
Your committee endeavored to as
certain these facts without any salts
faction. They could tell us what they
wanted: because if. you give one a
good thing he will take it. But they
could not show us why we should give
them this charter. They could not
show us where they wanted to go, or
that there was any demand for # or
that they had an inch of wire Or 2
single pole. The bill came to US evil
IDENTIFY rs hurried copy. inasmuch as
it came as a surprise. and as the same
printed act was used as this Legisla-
ture printed for the Poland Telephone
Company. only the names of the in
corporators were cut out and 3ther
names inserted and the word Poland
was drawn through with ink. and the
word Androscoggin written over it.
You viii see gentlemen Of the House
that it was not then parallel case by
any means with the Eastern Trele-
phone Companys request. 1t vas
simply this: When it was found that
company had already asked for 4
charter for the territory composed Or
such men rs the Kicker Bros. of the
world renowned Poland Springs, of
the Hon. Senator Fernald and other
men who were in close touch with the
territory over which they asked leave
to spread their lines. men who are an
nualIy distributing hundreds of thou
sands of dollars to the Dealers ana
farmers in that community. and WHO
already have - miles of wire in sue
oessful operation: it was then that the
so-called Androscoggin Telephone
Company asked us for an almost eN-
act copy of the charter that we were
To give ire Poland Telephone people.
and the only definite reason we could
infer for their wanting it. inasmuch m
they could give us none. was that
they either wished to hold the same
for som" personal reasons when did
not appear to the committee. or % US"
il as a hindrance to the Poland ieie-
phone Company. that we were unifll-
nous in favor Of giving 4 charter \"
for such good reasons. In this par
ticuar case. the sole party appearing
for this company and for himself, Va!d
he would be satisfied for the committee
to amend this charter as they saw III
and inasmuch as your committee sen
tlemen. with the llindest Of feelings
for the applicant. wished to give him
as much as they could conscie1tiously
with the best interests of the state III
view. inasmuch as the only places ne
had in view of connecting was HSh
pond where some people had Il sum
mer cottage and wished to talk g
Mechanic Falls. and running line to
summer hotel now in process OF con
struction. that are already customers
of the Poland Telephone Company s
we thought we might give him that
and although we thought it a small
matter to ccme to the State ana ask Z
charter for we did not see why ne