Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-08-13
STATE HOUSE,
Maine Fairs Must Be
Clean This Fall.
Railroad Commissioners Hold
Hearing al Portland.
More General Use Of the State
Library by Historical Students.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Next Meeting Of Governor and Council
Friday, Aug. 28, at 10 A. M.


Iferc is no doubt ab,ut about il, the
hlafagcla "f the State fairs. in tact the,
managers "i all fairs drawing a sti-
pend from .hc state # Maine must
eliminate certain features which have
been all too common in times past
ihi:i il; the intention of the Asricul-
tural department, which has had the
matter Under consideration for some
time, and is determined that tn. intcn-
tion Of thc last Legislature that the ex-
hlbltion given by agricultural societie.
shall he more for the benefit of agric;il-
tur1 AMI less for the lcnclit Of gam
DlorS and Oriental dancing girls shal,
be carried Jut
While the conditions are not so bad
in Maine as in Some other states, vet
1t was Il general remark at the close of
HE fait season, last year, that the at
tempt at reform had Lecn only partly
successful 1t is evident that under
the strict construction which will hc
placed upon tie law this season. many
things which fair associations did with
lmpunity last year, will land them In
difficulties this year.
Another matter to which tho man
. = = - it1ii > VIII w wen " EINe at
tcntion is that under the law passed at
the last Legislature dairy products
must be judged by the standard score
card.
In speaking of this matter yester-
day, Commissioner of Agriculture Gill
man said: The Legislature has felt
that the agricultural societies should
do more for the agricultural interests
of the State ana the stipend to the so
cicties has been raised from one and
one-fourth to two cents for each man,
woman and child in the State, for the
express purpose of having the fairs
conducted along educational lines and
more in the interests of agriculture -
The managers and committees in
charge of fairs are being referred to
Sec. IA Of Chap. 60 of the Revised
Statutes of Maine, which reads as fol-
lows:
Sec. IA. There shall be appropriated
annually from the State treasury a
sum of money not exceeding one cent
and one quarter to each inhabitant OF
the State, which shall be divided
among the legally Incorporated agri-
cultural societies of the State not pro-
| "i''o I'I bN special tIidt tlIlFIll, de-
mcnt, according to the amount of pre-
mlums and Sratuities actually paid in
fun by said companies, provided that
the stipend shall be based entirely
upon the premiums and gratu'itics ac-
tually paid III full on exhibition stocks
and products, and provided that no
society shall receive from the state {,
| sum greater than that actually raised
| and paid by the society for said pur-
| poses: provided also, that each of the
said societies shall cause the prohibit
| tory liquor law to be enforced on all
grounds over which they have control
| and not allow gambling in any form
| or games of chance on said grounds"
The people of the State arc begin
Ming to find OUT the infinite number of
ways in which the state library can
| be made of service to them. The Ii
hrarian of any public library. finding
herself lacking a book that is called
for. may obtain the loan of :he book
from the State library, just as if her
own library We're an individual. This
rule applies except in the case of ref
crcnco works, or books which cannot
be let out on account of their rarity
Visitors to Maine have recently been
acquiring the habit of consulting the
state library for original documents
relating to the early history Of the
state. The library has a magnificent
collection of early documents. and
while these cannot be taken out yet
they are available for the eXamiEa ton
of students and others at the library.
The Maine library is said to have I'm
its possession more and better rrcServ-
c,l original documents than Massachu-
S"ttS. despite the proud history of our
mother state.
The members of the board of railroad
commissioners returned Wednesday af-
tcrnoon from Portland. where they held
Il nearing at the Lafayette hotel Tues
day on the petition of the Maine Cen
tral Railroad for permission to lay
tracks to the proposed coal pockets on
the International wharf just below the
Portland bridge. The hearing began at
$50 IN the morning. At 10 o'clock the
proceedings were suspended for an
hour in order that the commissioners
might have a chance to view the pro-