Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-24

rules be suspended and that the bill
| receive its three readings at the pres
ent time.
Mr.. CAKES Of Auburn: would
like to ask the gentleman from Bath
to explain the provisions of the bill.
Mr.. SEWALL: Mr.. Speaker. it is one
or the worthiest measures that has been
| introduced here. 1t is an attempt to do
something in this State to preserve the
| farmers wood lot and the small sec
lions Of wooded land in the Incorporate
ed towns and plantations. 1t is follow
ing in line with the advanced states of
| the Union. 1t is taking step in the
| matter of forestry which is long need
ed here. 1t is a bill which has bean
under consideration by gentlemen faml-
lar with the subject for nearly the
whole session and it has the warm an
| prevail of the forest commissioner. In
fact, it was suggested by his report
wherein he says that the protection of
growing timber should be encourag e1
in every way possible. All of Us who
| have observed as interested citizens the
way that the industries of this Stare
and the scenic beauties of this State
are suffering through the Increasing
PR VI tiiiocr ana me lNQucement
thereby on the part of the owner to
sacrIhce his timber FOR Immediate pro-
fit. have realized that il was time We
took some step in this direction This
step is a very modest one. No one
travelling through our State has failed
10 notice the depreciation of the saw
| inlll. now timber goes from, soil which
cannot be cultivated and cannot be
used afterwards hov, e. ;n,o.,o,o, ,,.:.l
the source of our water supplies so that
| in the lower tier of counties in tho
state streams which Used to be rivers
| in the days Of our fathers now are
scarcely less than brooks. w, have
heard great deal about the vast arc,
| Of timber lands in our State. This bill
| is designed to give some measure Of
protection to the farmer and the small
| holder of wood lots Throughout our
State. 1t will gradually affect the at
| fractions of certain regions of our
! state and affect the water supply. But
| the owners of these wood lots find no
Iinduccment to keep them when they ar,
| taxed today on what in seine cases is
| a heavy valuation if the timber is of
| any size of any importance; and since
the advent of the portable sawmir the
!
| In the section where the gentleman
| from Auburn lives there is great deaf
of interest taken in this matter. and
| the people at Poland Springs have been
buying up tracts of land about that
| region in order to preserve them for
the people of the State for the benefit
of all. This bill is modelled after laws
in very progressive commonwealth in
| r, he r,f
and has in it a provision which Massa-
| Chusetts has adopted, and a provision
| which over 20 years ago we adopted in
| our own statutes but that law has hn-
| come obsolete. 1t has three heads. one
| to encourag e the planting of trees: the
second clause gives 4 rebate on forests
| which have been cleared once but
which are really the farmers wood lots,
| trees growing up naturally after the
heavy growth has been cut off: and the
| third clause applies 70 the larger tim
Der. timber of more value, comprising
| the many groves of pine and such ma
| tural grOwths as we find too seldom
scattered through our State.
That is briefly the hill, and it has
been considered thoroughly by the
committee OH taxation and it has been
shown to everybody who has evinccd
| any interest in forest culture 1t is
worthy measure and one which if We
| adopt it now will save a great deal of
this timber which otherwise will fail
| beneath the axe in the next two years.
| And the worthicst feature of it to my
mind is that it is giving an induce
| ment to the farmer with a wood lot 10
preserve il: and no farm that is worth
| "A. St,
goot. at all without It's wood lot. Wood
| lots have become SO valuable that there
is great inducement to the farmer
of small means to part with them out
light and have them swept entirely
away: and III that respect the bill IS
a slight recognition of what a great
| many consider is something of an in
equality in taxation between the owner
of small wool lots and the owners Of
vast areas Of timber lands. The only
criticism that can be made in regard to
the bill is that it does not go far
enough. The areas nave been limited
in the bill to 100 acres. and alien OWN
ers are exempted under the terms Of
the bill There is every authority for it
in other states. / sincerely hope that
the House will give it its approval
| NNpEisiuSt.1
Mr.. CAKES I would ask if it applies
to cities.
| Mr. SE,WAI.L: It is meant to apply
to cities
| Mr.. OAKES: / suppose under the
| general statute definitions il would so
apply | would like to inquire as to
the estimate of the probable expense
to the towns, if that has been cOnsid-
cred.
| Mr.. SEWALL: That would be 4 hard
matter to get at. The committee on
taxation is Composed ] think chiefly OF
members from the towns: and Y was a
principle / was struggling for ard not
4 matter of figures. These gentlemen
did not think it would affect the reve-
lrues of the towns injuricusly. They
thought by limiting it to hundred
acres il would be IL great inducenent
possibly to the small owner and would
not cut any serious figure in the reve-
nueS of the town.
The bill WAS then passed to be en-
| crossed