The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-01-23


L. Milliken, who was ever ready to
raise his voice or use his influence in
behalf of the members of the g. A. r.,
and many others of more or less note
The portrait of Garfield is a steel en-
craving by Marshall, one of the fore
most engravers of the world, whose
steel engraving of Lincoln ranks as
masterpiece.
1t is well known that there has been
little business done at Cape Jellison
this season, and some have assumed
that the Northern Maine Seaport r. r.
is therefore a failure. Others have
wondered why such conditions should
exist. The partial failure of the Aroos-
took potato crop and the financial
stringency will no doubt account in
part for this dizziness. The falling off
in lumber shipments is thus accounted
for by an official of the Ashland Mfg
Co:
The reason for this last season was
that there was a very poor market for
lumber at the seaports, owing to the
fact that these water markets we're
glutted with cargoes which could not be
sold. The only demand for lumber was
inland and consequently large part of
the lumber which would have been
shipped by water from Stockton went
through all rail from Northern Maine
junction.
When asked as to the truth of the
rumor that the Ashland Mfg. Co
would in the season of 1908 return to
its old method of shipping lumber by
water from Bangor, this official declared
that there was nothing in it. He fur
Their expressed the opinion that most
of the shipments the coming season will
be by rail; but when normal conditions
return we are confident that there will
be things doing at the big Cape Jellison
piers.
There had been intimations for some
time in the daily press that "a hen was
on and last week the hen came off
with the usual cackling and disclosed
"a New Plan of assessing Taxes" 1t
purported to be an 'interview," but
was merely a typewriter copy, fur
nished the alleged interviewer, of a
document presented at the January
meeting of the city council. The least
surprising statement in the few words
of introduction was that ''the mayor
was willing to talk" OF course he was.
That is his chief stock in trade and |
most substantial asset. The 'plan" is
hardly worth discussing, as it would be
turned down by any safe and sane"
city government. In brief, it pro-
poses to ''create board of valuation
or tax adjusters consisting of five,"
to do the work for which we now
have board of three assessors, and al
though nothing is said as to their COM
pensation it is not to be supposed they
will serve for nothing. Doubt is ex-
pressed as to the ability of the board
of assessors-not the present board
but anv board-to determine "even the
APPROXIMATE value of a large per cent
of real estate;" but would the advisory
board of five be any better qualified?
We have had as assessors in the past
such men as Nathan F. Houston, Al |
fred A. Small, George B. Ferguson,
and others well qualified by experience
to determine property values. A bet
ter plan than the one proposed, and
one not calling for an increase in the
number of city officials, or additional
expense, would be to have board of
assessors composed of competent men,
c hosen because of their competency,
/. The milk in the cocoanut, or the
yolk of the egg, to carry out the hen
simile, is to be found in the propo-
sition to make the socalled advi-
sorry board secret inquisition-"to
receive all complaints, information and
recommendations, as hereinafter pro-
vided, in writing, keeping secret the
names of all parties presenting such
written information before them, to
the end that no citizen need hesitate in
uivipu them confidential information"