Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-20

said, and if this new move was sue
cessful they would be owned by Gov
ernor Hill, George Macomber and II.
NJ. Heath. This is not SO. The peo-
pie of Augusta will own these water
works. They will manage them through
three trustees. We always have to
manage public property through
agents. Those three trustees are elect
ed by the mayor and aldermen and
you elect the mayor and aldermen. The
city may be so exceedingly fortunate
as to have such men as Governor Hill
and George f. Macomber on the board.
do not know as to that, but | dc
know that the misfortune of having II
NJ. Heath upon that board will never
be an accomplished fact so long as
have my senses. | am not a proper
man for the place.
Now az to the matter of cost, how
are the appraisers to get at it. You
will find it in the Maine law. / con-
fess l am biased on this subject. |
think if it was submitted to me as q
question of law | should be obliged 20
plead that L was not a dsinterestcd
person. l am biased, l admit. [ have
four children and l remember last
winter, as you remember in yOur FAM
lily, that there was scarcely Il night
when l had the good fortune to be at
home that / did not lie down at night
and worry for the fear of what the
Augusta Water would bring to my
children before morning. Drinking
river water is not the only way disease
may be taken into the system. Xou
can get typhoid fever by washing your
hands in it. by brushing your teeth in
1T, by taking bath in it or by bring
ing it in contact with your body any
where, if it finally reaches the mouth
Let these tiny germs get into your
bowels and it means typhoid fever. Ii
is impossible to live and keep away
from the dangers. / bought spring
water all winter. I made my children
wash their hands in spring water,
brush their teeth in spring water, and
yet they were open to danger every
hour of their lives
| will give you not my law but the
law of the Supreme court in regard to
the manner of the appraisal as given in
the Waterville case in the latest Maine
Report. In the first place, the most
important part is to know what The
company is getting. Before the Jul
dietary committee last winter, Mr..
Manley it's chairman, said to the COM
mittee and to me when | was asking
that you might have the ordinary mod
ern privilege of having a hearing,
which up to that time Mr.. Manley said
we could not have, and which, by the
way, we did have, he said to me tn Ut
the gross revenues of this company
was $4,000 a year. If that statement
is true, and he is the treasurer OF the
company, he ought to know, then taxi
ing into account some other questions
that l will come to later his company
will sell it's plant for about s2o0,0G0. I
am frank to say that l think the IN
come is more. This inquiry before
these three men, these referees, will
begin by putting down on sheet of
paper the entire gross revenue of this
company. We will say it is $4,000.
This will be the basis unless the city
can prove that those rates are I'M
reasonably high, as l believe they will.
| believe it will be proved that the
rates charged in this city are unreal
sonahly high; just how much j can
not say. Take that $4,000 and white