The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1909-02-11
Proposition Accepted.

SkoWhegan Water Company On terms
named by them. No Controversy as
to price of Hydrant Rental. Com
mittee Appointed. Other Business.
The voters of Skowhegan in goodly
number assembled at Weston Hall
on Saturday afternoon last to follow
to its final adjournment the third SEES
sion of the special town meeting,
which opened on January Is. Where
as the two previous sessions had been
chiefly given over to discussion, with
out definite action, the meeting of
last Saturday, albeit there was plenty
of speechmaking on the several prop
ositlops, finally reached a decisive
vote on all, of them. Not single item
of business was left on the table when
the meeting adjourned.
Moderator l.. L. Walton, on calling
the meeting to order, gave concise
resume of the whole situation, so far
as the principal item of business, the
contract with the Water Company
was concerned. His remarks and his
stipulations, presented as modifica-
tions of the proposition submitted by
the Water Company at the meeting
of Jan. 80, gave direction to the entire
afternoons proceedings and were the
basis upon which final vote was
re ached.
In order that the stipulations pre-
scented by Mr.. Walton may be clearly
understood, it is necessary to know
what lead up TO them.
The first proposition presented by
the Water Company, in the present
negotiations for the renewal of their
lease was that printed as supple
ment to the REPORTER of Jan. 9TH and
formally presented to the town at the
opening session Of the special meet
ing, January Is. This proposition was
for a new contract to become opera
tive ON the expiration of the one now
in force, which will terminate on the
10Th of next August. The language OF
the old contract was followed in the
main but the new agreement raised
the hydrant rental to $25oo and
coupled Herewith the annulment OF
all taxes SO that the price for the 2C
years ending in August 1929 was 6
virtual increase of at least fifty per-
cent. The Water Company indicated
it's willingness to make some conces-
sion from this proposition and at the
meeting of January 80 the water foI
the use of the municipal building was
included in their obligations and the
important provision was added that
the rates to the town for general pur,
poses and to individual takers, should
not be advanced. Upon being assur
ed of these final concession, the spec
ial water committee, which had beer
conducting the negotiations with th'
Water Company, gave a majority re
port in favor of accepting the propos
ition and making contract. Tht
meeting, however, voted down thi
proposition.
With the foregoing facts in mind thu
whole situation will be grasped If i
be understood that the stipulations
presented by Mr.. Walton at the open
ing of the meeting or. saturday last
were virtual acceptance of the con-
ditions assented to by the Water Com
pany at the previous meeting, bu
providing that the Company should
make the improvements necessary t.
carry out its bargain before a contrac
should be finally signed. In othe
words, Mr.. Walton's proposition wa
to bind the town to make a contrae
with the Water Company, "wheneve
and not until said water Company"
should be in position to carry it out
There was alsp a provision, in Mr.
Walton's proposition, directing tn
selectmen to apply to the Legislature
for a charter that would permit tn
town, in case the Water Compan,
could not fulfil its contract, to secur
water from suitable source and t.
contract with the Skowhegan waite
company for its use essentially as al
auxiliary supply, to supplement theil
own efforts. This charter was contest
edIvery,vigorousiy by the Water Com
pany, as was also the method of Sc
lecting a committee. Mr.. Gould, th,
spokes man for the corporation
argued that even the slight expense
to be incurred in proening a charter
was absolutely unnecessary, aud tina
the old committee, which included
the three selectmen and which haC
been at work upon the question fo
the past year, were by all means to bt
preferred to committee composed il
whole or in part of new men. Mr.
Goud's wishes in this respect were
defeated, in part by the absolute re
fusal of some members of the old com
mittee to serve and in part by the fin
al action of the meeting which deter
mined that the committee should con
sist of FIVE, naming two new men tt
serve with three who had previonsl \
acted on the special water committee
The whole matter, which included tht
proposition of the Water Company
modified by Mr. Walton's stipulations
and further modified to some. extern
by the amendments offered during the
afternoon, was finally passed upor
and adopted.
The present standing of the case
NAV he summariZad somewh Mt 40 fol.