The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-01-17
THE MAINE LEGISLATURE.
The Taxation Question Brought to the
Front.

The Taxation Question Brought to the
AUGUSTA, January 9. The taxation
issue was brought to the front with a
rush to-day Five tax bills were refer
red to the committee of the legislature
while the committee of the State
grange met the committee of the State
Board of Trade and talked taxation
down at Hotel North. The railroads,
telegraph and express companies are
the targets of three new measures pre-
sented to-day. The two which come
from the last legislature deal with rail
road taxation. All these bills will go
to the committee on taxation.
The railroad bills do not seek to
change the existing system of taxation,
but two of them materially increase
the rate, the third dealing with the
manner of raising the money paid into
the State treasury by the railroad com
panies. The bill which it is understood
has the endorsement of the Grange COM
mlttee was introduced by Mr.. Farms
worth of Pembroke, and is amendatory
of section AZ of chapter 6, as amended
This is the section which defines the
] VI ohS ShNAoS oes<A
.based upon the gross earnings of rail-
road companies.
The Grange bill provides that the tax
shall be one-half of one per cent. of
the gross receipts, when the average re-
ceiptS per mile do not exceed $1,000;
three-fourths of one per cent. when
they do not exceed 81, 800, and so on, in
creasing the rate of the tax one-quarter
of one per cent. for each additional
five hundred dollars of average gross
receipts per mile or fractional part
| thereof, provided that the rate shall in
no event exceed 4 pen cent. When a
railroad lies partly within and partly
without the State, or is operated on a
| part of a line OF systems extending be-
| yond the State, the tax shall be equal
| to the same proportion of the gross re-
| ceipts in the State, as herein provided.
The present law provides tax of one
| fourth OF one per cent. when the average
per mile is $500 and increases it quar-
ter of one per cent. for each increase Of
$3.50 on the average with a maximum
| rate of IA per cent.
The Gardiner bill, which comes over
from the last legislature, goes to work
as does the Grange bill, but it makes
rates of its own. AS compared wit Il the
law as it stands today, the Gal,lner
Till makes the rate one half of one per
cent instead of one-quarter when the
average receipts per mile do not exceed
$500. 1t makes the rate three quarters
OF one per cent. where the earnings are
from $500 to $4,000 per mile, instead Of
one-half of one per cent. where the earn
lngs are from $500 to S2250, as the pres
ent law fixes it. 1t increases the rate
M m RIO of aont for al,
additional $500 of earnings per mile.
The present law makes the increase
one-quarter of one per cent for each adj
ditional $50 of earnings. Finally, the
Gardiner bill makes the maximum rate
per cent. instead of three and a quar-
ter per cent.
In addition to the Gardiner bill there
| also comes from the last legislature the
railway tax bill introduced by Mr. King
of Caribou. MI. Kings bill did not
change the tax rate. Its purpose was
to keep i'll the State treasury all the in
come from the railroads by striking out
the provision that there shall be return
ed to cities and towns one per cent. of
the amount of railroad stock exempted
from taxation and held by the people
of the cities and towns.
Having introduced his railroad bill,
Mr.. FarnsWorth presented bill to in
crease the taxes of express companies.
Now the express companies pay tax
of one and one-half per cent on each
years gross receipts. The bill raises
this rate to two per cent.
The telegraph companies were made
the subject of another bill introduced
by Mr.. Farnsworth. This bill increases
the rate of taxation from two and one
half to three and one-half per cent.
The appearance of the tax bills was
the event of interest during the short
session of the lawmakers, but there
were many other matters of interest
presented. The legislators also found
time before adjournment to send a mes
sage to the Maine Congressman congrat-
ulating them upon the success of the
Burleigh bill
CAMDEN'S WATER FIGHT.
When the Camden people come down
here to tell the legislators all about the
water works existing and prospective
in that town, they will be accompanied
by eminent counsel. Foster & Hersey
will represent the municipal ownership
petition, while ex-Gov. Cleaves will APP
pear for the existing company. The
Camden matter caused the first tiutter
in the Senate to-day. The bill has not
been presented, but a remonstrance has
appeared and been referred to the judi
ciary committee Senator Staples of
Knox, who will introduce the bill al
lowing Camden to own its water works,
made an attempt to change the refer
ence of the remonstrance to the COM
mittee on legal affairs, but Senator
Virgin interfered and the remonstrance
brought up Oh the table.
wHARvEs AT BUCKSPORT.
Mr.. Fellows of Bucksport presented
an act authorizing Thomas NJ. Nichol-
son to erect and maintain wharf in
front of his own land in the town of
Verona, Hancock county, and extend
the same into the tide-waters of the
Penobscot river. He also introduced a
bill authorizing Edwin L. Beasley to
maintain a wharf from the shore front
of his land, known as the Farnham
store lot, i'll Bucksport, and extend the
same into the tide waters of the Penob-
scot river. Charles B. Dix is author
lied to erect and maintain wharf from
the shore front of his land known as
the Beasley ship-yard lot in Verona, in
Hancock county. and extend the same
into the tide waters of the Penobscot
river. These several bills were refer
nod 4n {1,n %4r.,