Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-17

SION 10 ;lrbitrate this thing, and they
may say what the fair thing to do is.
| we Will sell this plant TO you for what
il cost. and have Il commission APP
| pointed to say what the price shall be
| here. and that commission may be ap-
pointed by the chairman of the COM
mlttee on legal affairs"
That proposition was made two
Years ago. and l understand the same
was made this year. They also offered
TO sell the plant and take a half inter-
est IN 1t. or i'm any way to meet these
people on equitable terms; and l say
that when they are ready to meet on
terms OF that kind it is our duty to
protect vested rights in all cases, for if
we do not it will invalidate these bonds
| entirely.
| Mr. STAPLES of Knox: Mr. President:
AS a member of the Committee that
signed the majority report. feel that it
| IS nay duty to state a few facts in connec-
| ton with this matter. | have ever been
| in favor of municipal ownership. upon
| general principles, and am today when
| the rights of parties already in control
can he protected. l understand it is the
| settled policy of this State that where ,
| corporation has entered in, like an cleo
trio light plant. or a water company. and
is eNpending large sums of money in pur-
chasing that plant that this Legislature
has never permitted another company to
go in unless that new company IS willing
| to assume part OF the responsibility of
paying a certain proportion of what the
| old plant cost in the territory designed
| TO be occupied. This matter was thor
| ouehly investigated two years ago be-
| fore the Legal Affairs committee. and at
| the hearing at this session of the legis-
laturn. Tho Oxford Company have been
| in there and expended s120,CG0 They
| undertook to generate their electricity by
water power. They found that WIS not
sufficient. The village OF South Paris
found fault that the light was insufficient,
and within the last year the oxford Light
| Company has expended $4,000. for a
steam plant which. in the future will
| light South Paris all that is needed, and
| AL that will be required. Furthermore
| to be fair upon this oxford Company, it
| has offered to sell to the South Paris cor
poration its rights. in South Paris cor
poration; and if they cannot agree upon
Il price. to leave it to arbitrators-offered
| to leave it to the committee on Legal
| Affairs. Now, Capital is timid. If you
are going to say that. if a corporations
goes into 4 city or village, and expends a
hundred Thousand dollars in an untricd
experiment as it was with them. there
| it never mas ueen very remunerative-if
you are going to say to them that another
| company shall go in there. after the
| bonds of the Oxford Company have been
| scattered and is in the hands of innocent
| hodcrs-if YOU do that, these bonds can
not he worth, at par. what those IGcn
have paid for them. Capital. l say, is
| timid If You are going to proceed with
that policy in this State, you might as
| well say to new electric light plants. or
any plants of that kind. keep out.
recollect the first year | was IN this
Senate. We tried to get municipal owner
ship in the town of Camden. Some of you
here may rccollect that. but we never
thought of asking for charter for the
town of Camden unless We made pro-
visions to pay the Rockland Water Com
pary that proportion OF the expense that
they had been to in that par, of the ter
ritory. The Ok Company is willing to
drbitrate, if they cannot agree upon Il
price, to sell them that portion OF the ter
ritory, or the rights they want; and if
they cannot agree, to leave it to .irbi:ra-
ton. Their. can be nothing fuircr; and
the bondholdcrs have some rights. II
purchase bonds of Il company i'll good
faith, which has expended Il hundred
thous md dollars. are You going to give
another man Il right to come in aud say:
we do not care what you have done, We
will put in plant ] have IL right to
assume that you will protect me when |
have invested money in those bonds, in
cool faith; and for that reason. MI
President, | hope the minority report will
not be accepted.
Mr.. PHILOON of Andrcscoggin: Mr..
President: When / learn of any
municipality that can unite its senti-
mcnt on the motive of municipal own
ership. in their electric lighting, or
water. or i'm any other comfort essen
tial to a municipality, and persist as
long and as faithfully as has the town
Of Paris i'm This matter, and as they
are still continuing to do, united and
determined, ii becomes me to endorse
and encourage that sentiment | wish
it could be protected in every munich
pality in the State where there is a |
system Of lighting or a system Of water
supply. In my own city we were never
satisfactorily supplied with water. un-
Til we appealed 20 the Legislature and |
asked for charter and secured it and |
established q plant Of which we are |
proud. AS | said. when municipality |
can unite its energy and sentiment i'm |
favor of municipal ownership, it gets !
my support.
Mr.. GARDNER Of Fenobscot: Mr.. |
President: | wish to say just a word. |
I am not very familiar with the circum-
stances here. I am somewhat sur
prised to see the Senator from Knox !