Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-16

sis to this water district If 1t Is true.
as Mr.. Manley says, that nc can get $3.50,
Nescott can get 1t, what Is he worried
about? If Mr. Wescott believed for mo-
ment that he could get $6500O0, if he
thought he could get $500 600 for this plant,
he would have kept his word with the
| mayor, Mr.. Lynch and myself. George
I. Wescott is an able man. bright man,
and he knows that this city is rocked too
and fro over this issue. Hhe knows that
| there is danger that the appraisers will
| fail to give him the amount ne thinks he
ought to have. If he thought otherwise
| the works by the Augusta Water Dis
| trict. If this company. could sell its plant
for 100000 the stockholders would be able
| to pay the bonds outstanding and then
| have $500, 900 to divide among themselves,
without a single dollar of investment.
| That's n pretty good investment in Ii
years, after drawing, as | am informed,
, dividends at the rate of 6 per cent. on
$250,000 of stock that cost them nothing.
| Judge Savage after successfully carry
| ing the people of Auburn through the
| fight against George 7. Wcscott came tn
| the Maine Senate, and presented an
amendment to the constitution, providing
that when cities or towns wished to eStab-
| lish water works and raise money for the
purpose that the per cent. debt limit
should not stand in the way. But George
| 2. Wescott and Joseph II. Manley, with
| all their power before the Legislature.
throttled the amendment and it was de-
featCd.'
In conclusion. Mr.. Heath asserted that
| it would be abundantly proven before the
three referees that the works did not cost
over the sum of $4,000. the amount of the
original issue of bonds.
| THE method of buying these works is
| all mapped cut by the bill, which Mr..
Lynch drew, and there can be no delay
caused by contention in the courts the
speaker said.
IF filtration is good for the company at
| ; per cent, it is good for the city at 31a
| per cent. But the old contract says that
| the water supplied by the company should
| he filtered, but for Ii years it has not been
done There are other things in that con
tract that the company has not lived up
| to. The hydrants in the winter time can
| not be touched by an agent of the city.
The hydrant rates are low, to be sure.
lower than In any city in the State but
why shouldn't they be low when the indi-
vidual rates are excessively high?
For the past Is years the politics of
| this city have been completely managed
| by this company. There is no politics in
this contest. You are not fighting the
question of governorship. this year Go to
the polls on Monday and sign n declaration
of Independence for pure water in Angus
ia" Nong continued applause).
| Mr. Heath spoke for an hour and Il
minutes. and his earn"Smess and his
| thorough mastery of his subject kept the
closest attention of all present. He was
| frequently interrupted by applause ana
| WIS s,iNNil IL SlltIltllb oNdtlbil wien ne
| closed.
The remaining speakers Of the evening
We're Rev. Mr.. Dcgen and Rev. Mr.. Dun
mack. Both spoke very briefly but straight
| to the point. and each received generous
applause. Mr.. Degen said: You have
been given statistics and the law. You
| have been shown that the proposed water
district will save money for our people.
But something more than expense is to
| be considered When your child is sick
YOU do not stop to calculate the expense
| of doctor and medicines, nor bcgrudgc
| the work that is necessary in paying the
| bills when the child'S life is saved Au-
Gusta is what is called Il dry town. but
we must all drink something. If we must
drink straight water, for Gods sake let
us have it rs pure as We can have it."
Mr.. DunnaCk was also given an cnthuS-
iastic greeting In opening, he accused
Mr.. Heath of having said all the good
things ne had planned to saw and then
made sarcastic reference to a local lawyer
who had tried to convince him of the
IuhconStltutiOnality of the district scheme
lie also aroused much enthusiasm by de
claring that sooner or later the city will
own it's lighting systems ns well as its
water works. In closing. he said: There
are three things | wish to emphasize:
First, the present water is not pure and
the company has been given every oppor-
tunity to keep its contract and improve
us service; second 1t is good business
Tor the city to own its water system ana
the price to be paid will not be unreaSon-
able or eXorbitant: third, the lives of ON,
people must no longer be sacrificed bv our
own ignorance and the cusScdncss of 9th
cfS. Vote for temperance next Monday,'
The Zig crowd which had remained to
the end with almost no losses broke into
the loLdest demonstration of the evening
When Mayor Robertson came forward to
say the last word Let every man pres
ent. he urged give next Monday to the
city of Augusta. Not only vote yes
yourself, but take your ncighbOr along
ter"