Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-21
Will Hold Hearing on Taxation
Of the Wild Lands.
Capt. AnseII will Begin inspection
Of Guard Monday.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Next Meeting Of Governor and Council
Thursday, April 2, at 10 A.. M.

An event of Importance at the State
House during the coming week will
be the meeting of the Maine Tax Com
mission which will be held in the Sen
ate chamber Friday, March y. COM
mencing at 10 o'clock in the forenoon
and continuing throughout the re-
mainder of the day, and at which the
question of the taxation of the wild
lands of the State will be taken up.
The commission. the members of
which are Morrill, n. Drew Of Portland,
chairman; William S. White of Rock
land, Milton l.. Merrill of St. Adams,
George NJ. Hanson of Calais and John
NJ. peering of SacO, and which was
appointed by Governor Cobb to make
an investigation of the present system
of taxittion and submit recommended
tionssAtO the next Legislature, has been
in session at Portland for some time
past Tor the purpose of holding hear
ingS,: ard has an office in that city,
but ii. the case of fhe coming hearing
OF the taxation IL wild lands and of
property in unin2frporated townships
of the State i, W&s decided to hold the
hearing at Augusta, as in the opinion
of the members of the commission it
lands from all parts of the State to
meet here than it would be anywhere
else in Maine 1t is also believed that
the hearing will be one of the largest
in point Of attendance that the COM
mission will have.
The subject to be discussed is one
of much interest, as for some years
there has been considerable agitation
in the state for an increase in the tax
rate as applied to the timberland in
the townships in the northern part or
the State. 1t is understood that the wild
land owners claim that if they are tax
ed too much, and they say THAI they
are now paying their proportfonate
part of the taxes of the State. that it
will result in the forests of the State
being cut down at once.
On the other hand the advocates for
the increase in the wild land tax MAIN
tain that the valuable lands in Maine
are paying very little tax and that
they should be forced to pay at Or
near the same rate as other property
in Maine. 1t was primarily to nave
this particular phase of the equality OF
taxes considered that the tax commits
sion was authorized by the last Legis-
lature and the hearing next Friday
promises to be a long and interesting
discussion over the points involved.
In accordance with General Orders
No. 90. which were issued from the
office of the adjutant general Dec. %.
1907. and which provides for the an
nual inspection of the various organ
izations of the National Guard of the
State of Maine by an officer
Of the United States army,
the work of inspection will be
commenced Monday. The inspection
will De made by Capt. Samuel I. An
sell of the 9Th United States Infantry.
formerly Instructor in military law at
the United States military academy at
West Point, and who was recently de-
tailed as military instructor for the
Maine National Guard during the COM
ing season. but has by later order
been detailed to perform additional
duty as an inspecting officer Of the
United States army.
Capt. Ansell will begin his tour of
inspection Monday, when he will go
to Westbrook and inspect Co. M OF the
list Infantry. On the following day ne
Will inspect Co ii Oh tlle Isl lHilhtiS
at Rockland and on Thursday he Will
inspect Co. F of the 1st Infantry at
Sanford. On Friday and Saturday he
will be in Augusta for the purpose OF
inspecting the State storehouseS. which
will conclude the first week or the
tour. The inspection will be very thor
ough as will the other work which that
officer has to do in connection with
the Guard, and it is his earnest wish
that the work to be done by him while
in Maine may be productive Of the
greatest possible amount of good.
A notice has been filed at the Office
of the secretary of State which certi-
fled that at a special meeting of the
stockholders of Taussig & Co, held at
the office Of the corporation at Port
land March u. it was voted that
whereas the capital stock of the cor
poration was insufficient for the pur-
poses for which the corporation was
organized, the capital stock of the
cornoration be increased to $6OO,0oO,