Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-28
Wild LANDS.
Hearing Before the Maine
Tax Commission.
Much Interest In Fridays Meet
ing at State House.
Numerous Speakers Give EXPIRES.
sion TO Various Views.

The State tax commission held an
all day meeting at the State House
Friday, wild lands being the particular
subject under discussion This COM
mission was appointed by Governor
/ Cobb to make an investigation if the
! present system of taxation in this
State and submit recommendations to
the next Legislature The resolve
providing for the commission was in
troduced by Senator "Heselton of
kennebec county and received a
unanimous passage. The members of
/ the commission are Merrill n. Drew of
| Portland, William S. White of Rock
| George NJ Hanson of Calais and
Frank c. Deering Of Saco, Ii has held
several meetings in Portland at which
the taxation of steam and electric
roads. telegraph and telephone and ex-
press companies, savings banks, in
surance companies and loan and
building associations have been dis
cussed.
Fridays hearing was held in the
Senate chamber and was called to
order by Chairman Drew at 1915 A. NJ.
All five members of the commission
were present, and about half a hum
dred spectators. Among the promi-
nent men on hand We're Governor
Cobb, State Assessor George Pottle,
Hon. L. T. Carleton, Hon G. G. Weeks
of Fairfield, Hon. Forest Goodwin of
Skowhegan, Obadiah Gardner OF
Rocldand. Prof. Austin Cary of Bruns-
wick, S. w. Philbrick of Skowhegan,
NJ pr>o1 nf
Goudy of Portland l.. B. bennett of
Portland, John p. Tartre of Bidde-
ford, w. ]. Lanigan of Waterville, f.
Q. Beal of Bangor, John NJ. Deering OF
Saco, W. r. Pattangall of Waterville,
State Master, c. S. Stetson of the
state Grange, Albert Pierce of Frank
fort. d. NJ. Parks of Pittsfield, Chas.
+. Oak of Bangor, +. NJ. tombstone of
BroWnfield, Gen. a. B. Farnham of
Bangor, w. j. Thompson of China and
Prof. Sprague of Orono.
The first speaker to address the COM
mission was Liberty g. bennett Of
Portland whose views on the subject
of wild land taxation have been fire.
Quently and forcefully presented on
many public occasions during a long
period of years. Mr. bennett made a
wholesale arraignment of the present
system of taxation in Maine and rec
omended many changes, particularly
the adjustment of the State tax and a
constitutional amendment allowing
greater taxation on the wild LANDS
whose present value he estimated at
800, 100000. The ends to be sought, said
Mr.. bennett are equality of rate, equal
ity of valuation, equality of burdens
between State and municipality and
equality of burdens between citizens
OF municipalities. The income from the
Maine wild lands he put at $4,000, 900 an
nualy.
He referred the commission to series
of articles which he wrote for the Pine
Tree Magazine. They say my articles
killed that magazine" he said "but if
righteousness IS a good preparation for
death no ma gaZine was ever better
prepared to die. OF course / embelIish-
ed the articles a little, but l kept pretty
well to the facts" Mr.. bennett ridi-
culed the idea that the destruction of
the forests has any effect upon the
rainfall of the country. He also paid
his compliments to the 1907 Legislature
which he termed THE unidentified
Legislature" Mr.. Dement'S address
was about 80 minutes in length and was
delivered in his characteristically pic
turesque fashion. The best part was
his retCrtS to the questions asked him.
especially those asked by Mr. Good
win of Skowhegan. Mr. Goodwin tried
to get him to give his reason for his
estimate as to the value of the wild
lands and the income from them, but
Mr.. bennett. beyond admitting that as
a Yankee he claimed the privilege of
guessing, was not to be cornered. He
had much to say about "the wild land
aristocracy and the railroad autocracy
the moose of the forests and the tiger
of the railroads that work together
and control Maine legislation
F. ID. Cummings of Portland, repre-
sentinS the Portland Real Estate Tax
payers association was the next speak
or. He declared that the wild lands
bear only small part of their proper
share of the burden of taxation. Their
valuation is too low, the tax is too
small and no proper effort has been
made to find out their true value The
people demand a change in this matter,
said Mr.. Cummings, and look to this
commission for relief. The tax should
not be fixed upon an assumption as to
the value of the stumpage, but upon the
value of the lands themselves. 1t
ought not to be impossible to find that
value, though the land owners put
every obstacle in the way of such an
Hon. l.. T. Carleton asked Mr.. Cum
mings a few questions and stated that
no doubt the wild land owners would
gladly pay the average rate of taxation
in the State if they could have the
same absolute control of their lands
that other property owners have of
their property. They could then pre-
vent hunting and fishing on their lands
and let them out to private reserves
after the English custom. AS it is now
the common people have rights on
these wild lands. Mr.. Cummings, how
ever, did not think that this was a
serious factor to be considered
John NJ. Deering of Saco was the
third speaker of the session and read a
paper reviewing the agitation for
of taxes in this State since
the board of State assessors was first