Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-18
The LEGISLATURE.
Bill Presented Creating a Water
Storage Commission.
Gigantic Scheme to Secure Control
.of Bangor Water Supply.
Several Committee Hearings Took
Ns Place, Yesterday Afternoon.

A most important measure was intro
duced in the Senate, yesterday, by Sem
ator Goodwin Of Somerset. 1t is bill
creating water storage commission,
being patterned after the New York
law. This commission is to consist of
three citizens appointed by the Gov
ernor and by the forest commissioner
and attorney general, and shall have
control Of all the water courses in
Maine. It's creation would prevent the
introduction of special acts in the
Legislature looking to the control of
any of the States lakes. rivers or
streams for log driving purposes, the
whole question being placed in the
hands of the commission. The law is
as follows:
Section 1.-The Governor is author
lied to appoint within 30 days after the
approval Of this act, three citizens of
this State. who, together with the for
est commissioner and the attorney gen.
eral, shall constitute a commission to
be known as the Water Storage Com
mission.
Section 1.-THE water storage COM
missionerss herein provided for. shall.
before entering upon the discharge of
their duties. take and subscribe the
constitutional oath Of office and file
the same in the office of the secretary
of State. The forest commissioner and
attorney general shall serve without
pay. but they shall be paid their nee
essary expenses incurred in the per-
Torrance of their duties. The three
commissioners appointed by the Gov
shall va 1;o,
the amount to be fixed by the Gov
ernor and Council. for. the time actually
employed in the service of the COM
mission. They shall also be allowed
their actual and necessary expenses in
CURED in the performance of their du-
ties. The Office Of said commission
shall be at the Capitol in the city OF
Augusta. The said board shall appoint
a secretary who shall be paid salary
not to exceed $1,000 a year. The board
may employ such engineers and as
sistants as may be found advisable
and the compensation of persons SO
employed shall be paid from the mon
eys herein provided.
Section 3-The commissioners when
SO appointed shall proceed at once to
make such surveys and Investigations
as may be proper to determine the
causes of the overflow of the various
rivers and water courses of the State,
and the best method of storing the
surplus water of the various rivers and
water courses and to determine what,
If anything, can be done to prevent
floods and freshets and to devise the
best means of conserving the surplus
| q nf tho xarinIc riYvarc nd feah
courses.
Section 4-The commission shall re-
port in writing to the Legislature on
or before the first Wednesday of Jan
uary. 1905. and file in the Office Of the
State land agent all maps, plans and
surveys, and transmit to the Legis-
lature with it's report such recommen-
dations as it may have to make and
from and after such date said COM
mission shall cease to exist.
Section 5-TheN sum of $500 or so
much thereof as may be necessary is
hereby appropriated from any moneys
in the treasury not otherwise appro-
priated for the purposes of said COM
mission.
Section 6-This act shall take effect
when approved"
Thompson of China presented an act
repeating the so-called consent
clause in the general law of 1895 re-
latng to the establishment of telegraph
and telephone companies, so that the
law will read as follows:
Corporations organized under the
provisions of this act shall have au-
thority. except as herein limited, to
construct. maintain and operate lines
upon and along the route or routes and
| between the points stated in its GER
! tificate of incorporation"
The gentleman from China also in
troduced an act amending the Public
Laws of 1885 regulating the erection
of posts and lines for purposes of cleo
| tricity. The bill provides that the de-
cision of the municipal officers OF
county commissioners may be appealed
from to the supreme judicial court.
Dudley of Augusta, presented an act
relating to pauper settlements. The
act provides that inmates of the Ma
tional Soldiers Home at Togus have
their settlements in the towns in which
they had legal settlements when theft
and that neither they nor their rela-
| tives shall ever acquire a settlement
| in the city of Augusta or the town OF
Chelsea. The bill further provides that
| If former member of the Home be-
comes pauper the State shall reim-
burse such towns as furnish him re-
| lief.
Senator Wing of Androscoggin. pre-
scented an act relating to the discharge
of debtors in cases now pending in the
various insolvent courts of the State.
The bill is as follows:
| IA discharge shall not be granted to
| "a debtor in any case now pending in
1.-THE several insolvent courts of this
Estate unless written application is
I'made therefor to the judge before the
first day of July, 1s03 and in case no
such application is made, all proceed
ings in such case mad be dismissed
upon motion of any party interested.
after such notice, If any. as the judge
shall order
This bill. it is hoped. will give the
courts an opportunity to clear up BUSH
ness that has been hanging for many
years.