Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-17

an indiscriminate way. The same is
true in the appropriations made here
for bridges, if general bridge bill is
enactedS and the State will demand that
a certain standard shall be maintained.
That is what this bill means, and all it
means. The simple proposition is that
the State shall say to these towns who
had hired incompetent people: you shall
no longer use the money of the State
for the hiring of people to teach in your
schools who are not competent. The
teachers who are teaching may be hired
with the same freedom and discretion,
but the State requires that the teacher
shall be competent. l will say that it
was the general opinion Of everybody
who appeared before this committee
that q reason for this bill existed. and
think the Senator from Knox knows
that reason exists. There are school
superinteadents who are working today
who cannot sign their own names, but
who sign with cross.
Mr.. STAPLES: Doesn't that come
from Aroostook County?
Mr.. MILLIkEN: | will not say as to
that. That condition of things exists
and this whole question of the examina-
ton of teachers without the authority
of the State is responsible for it, Of
course. it is true that a large majority
of the towns like that where the Senator
from York lives are above the stand
ard required, but this simply requires
that the teachers shall be in fact what
they pretend to be, namely, qualified
teachers
Mr.. HAMILTON: Mr.. President: AS
l read ii the statute now requires that
the TEACHERS must submit to an examina-
ion ~ whom? BY the local superin-
tendent. What else? He says the State
has no control They must make their
returns to the State. They must con-
form to certain requirements which the
State makes. just the same as is re-
quired Of road commissioners. They
have their blanks furnished them and
cannot have any money from the State
unless they conform to the laws of the
State. Not a dollar of this money can
they draw-they can spend their own
money as they please. The cannot
spend the States money for any other
thing but must use it in accordance with
the statutes which tell you how it shall
be used; and gives authority to the
towns to use it in that way; and if
they do not use it in that way, they cam
not receive any money under the statutes.
So the State is protected in every re-
spcct particularly in the matter of the
money which the State eXpends; and so
are we then protected in the use of the
money which we vote to eXpend. We
are both protected by the law as it now
stands; and as it now stands, the law
seems to me Il system perfect in itself.
The pending question being upon the
motion that the bill be indefinitely
postponed, the Yeas and Nays were
called for and ordered; and the vote be-
ing had resulted as follows: Those
voting Yea were Messrs. Boynton, Col
cord. Donigan, Emery, Hamilton, Hill.
Howes, Kellogg, Lowe, Mullen Rey-
nolds, Shaw, Smith, Staples, Wheeler,
Messrs. Baxter Eaton, Gowen Hastings,
Irving, knowlton, Looney, Macomber,
Milliken, Minott, Theriault. Warren
G2).
So the motion prevailed and the bill
was indefinitely postponed.
On motion by Mr.. Baxter of Cumber-
lard, Senate Documents Nos. 31S and
$40, Senate Amendment A to bill
about construction and maintenance of
bridges We're taken from the table
Mr.. BAXTER of Cumberland: Mr.
President, L shall simply bring this
bill before the Senate for consideration
and shall say but one or two words
in regard to it. This question of bridge
L. OlSi1ilDl1 nrpSpntaI halinyp
tho first week Of the session and sew
eral new drafts of bills have come in
from time to time. This bill which |
offer is an amendment, and an entirely
new draft, and provides for q county
bridge bill. The bill has been very care
fully drawn and provides that all
bridges % feet and over shall
be constructed and maintained, two
thirds at the expense of the county
and onethird at the expense of the
town. One of the objectiona BILE features
to the Donigan BILL in my opinion, was
that it removed all the responsibility
from the towns. This bill leaves the
law as 1t is at present, and leaves the
responsibility upon the individual
towns. The necessity for bridge bill
is, to my mind, quite apparent. The
valuation Of the State, of the different
towns of the State, varies so much
that small towns with small valuations
are not able to construct the bridges
which they really need for the accom-
modatioE of people in those towns and
for the people in the rest of the State
who PASS through those towns; and
therefore, | think it would be wise leg
islation to pass a county bridge bill. |
think that the members of the Senate
are thoroughly posted on this bridge
leg islation and | shall not go into any
dc tails in regard to it. l therefore, Mr..
President, move that Senate Amend
mont A to Senate Document No. 20S be
adopted.
The presidents: The Chair in
forms the Senator from Cumberland
that the pending question is upon the
first reading of the bill. The minority
report was. some time ago, substituted
for the majority report; and the mat
ter made no further progress. Does
the senator move that it take it's first
reading at the present time"
Mr.. BANTER: I do not quite IN
derstand, Mr. President. This is Sen
ate Amendment A. think the minority
report which was adopted in place of