Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-12-14
DECEMBER IA 1906 IEN FAG
BILL IN COMMITTEE YET
BRATTLEBoRo WATER QUESTION
BoTHERs LEGISLATURE.
Possible That Senate May Consider
Matter in Committee Of the Whole
Another Hearing Before Municipal
Corporations Committee Wednesday.

corporations Sohiiit'oo
The Brattleboro water bill is still in
the hands of the legislative committee
on municipal corporations. II VIII PROB
ably be reported tomorrow, however,
as both houses have passed resolutions
calling for final adjournment Tuesday
morning. Lots Of log-rolling in rela-
| tion TO this measure has been going on
in Montpelier the past week, and the
| majority of the legislators seem dis
gusted 10 think that the all-wise VII
! lage of BrattlcborO is allowing its in
ternecine quarrel to spread throughout
the state. An additional hearing on
the bill was held before the now near
! ly distracted municipal corporations
committee Wednesday The suggestion
has been made that the legislature con-
slider the matter in committee OF the
whole and the senate may take up with
| the suggestion. 1t is barely possible,
too. that the committee may report
the bill without recommendation al
though this seems hardly probable.
| A further hearing on the bill relat-
| ing to what Montpelier is beginning TO
/ call. "that cussed BrattlebOro water
controversy" was held before the joint
committee on municipal corporations IN
| the supreme court room of the capitol
| Wednesday. Among the Brattleboro
people present were c. c. Fits, r.. Z.
| Crosby, c. b. Crowell, James +. Hooker
and L. +. Holden. Mr., Crowell was rep
resented by w. b. C. Stickney Of Bethel
as counsel and the members of the wat
or board present by George A. Weston
of Bellows Falls.
Mr.. Fits said he understood certain
! LOBBYISTS were buttonholing various
members of the joint committee and at
tempting TO create the impression that
Mr.. Fits and Mr.. Crosby were tinan-
eiallv interested in the Crowell systems
and would profit personally by clause
compelling the village to arbitrate and
that Mr.. Fits himself had undue IN
flucnce with the members of the com
mittee. Mr.. Fits said that the state
ment was also being made that no at
tennis were made TO secure the water
rights now controlled by the Sunset
lake company until after the village
had taken up the plan for municipal
ownership. and that the requirement OF
these rights was in the nature of a
hold-up. He then produced evidence
TO show Just when these water rights
were taken and under what conditions
he had acquired them, reading an atii-
davit signed by three members Of
Bratfleboro s first water board to the
effect that Mr.. Fits had told them
when they first began investigations
that all of the Stickney brook rights
were under option to Mr.. CroweH Fur
ther. Mr.. Fits stated that he had no
influence whatever with the municipal
corporations committee and that he and
Mr.. Crosby were interested in the Gro
well water systems in no way except
Ms counsel and contractor. In order
that there might be no doubt about
their position Mr.. Crowell asked that
the following section be amended to
the water bill:
If the water systems of the Chestndt
Hill Reservoir company and the Sunset
Lake Water company shall be taken by
arbitration within one year, under the
provisions of this act, and it shall be
made to appear to the arbitrators that
anv person other than George E. Cro-
well has made. or shall, as a result of
such taking and arbitration, make, any
gain. profit or reward over and above
reasonable and just compensation for
services rendered, the amount of such
excess as may thereupon be found by
the arbitrators. shall be deducted from
the price to be paid for such water
systems, upon the award of such ar
bitrators, and the village of Brattle-
boro shall have the benefit of such de-
duction.
At the close of Mr.. Fits s argu-
ments Mr. Weston attempted to cross
examine him in regard to certain of
his statements but was so unsuccessful
in getting Mr.. Fits in the least tang
led that his efforts were ludicrous At
this point the committee adjourned the
hearing in order to attend the legis-
lative session, converting again in the
afternoon. John Taft of West Dunn
merston was present at the morning
hearing, but had left for home when
Mr.. Weston introduced an affidavit
from Mr.. Taft in regard to what he
knew about the Stickney brook rights
This affidavit made no definite state
ment, but simply gave matters as Mr.
Taft could remember them. 1t con-
tanned nothing that affected the truth
of the statements made by Mr.. Fits.
Mr.. Weston then attempted to intro
duce an affidavit from C. II. Thomp-
son, but question from Mr.. Stickney
revealed the fact that the affidavit had
not been signed by anyone, although
Mr.. Weston claimed that it contained
statements said to have been made by
Mr.. Thompson in the presence of the
water board He then read kilograms
from Mr.. Thompson in regard to his
reasons for not appearing at the hear
ing. Representative E. W. Gibson was
unable to attend the hearing on ac-
count of illness.
1t is a fact not generally known that
of all farm products poultry stands
fifth in value. 1t is estimated that the
cash derived from the sale of poultry
and eggs amounts to half billion dol
hpt