Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-25

limit placed on the expenditures of this
Legislature. Take Senate Doe No. a..
wherein your auditor, a most careful
man, estimates the receipts of your
State for the next two years at 1885,
coo and the expenditures at $S62S, 600
estimated not on the basis of an in
creased appropriation for this PROPOSE
ton and that one, but estimated on the
necessary appropriations. Your audi
tor finds a deficit of $4,000 coming to
this administration; $40 900 for the two
years means practically an addition
OF one mill on the tax of all the prop
erty in the state during the two years;
and / say to you that not even a DEM
Ocratic Legislature would dare to raise
the direct State tax one mill, and | do
not believe that a Republican IeSls-
lature wants to do so. 1t would be a
dangerous proposition to say that you
arc going to take $500, 900 more out of
the people Of Maine in direct taxation,
because YOU don't want to do it, be
cause it would be bad politics to do
it ana because it would be wrong to do
1t. leaving the political question out
of the situation altogether. You are
seeking DAY after dav through the tax
alton committee to find some way to
get additional revenue to meet these
NV expenses that are being piled one
| on top of another simply because we
| have recently all got too good naturcd.
| | say that the taxation committee so
| far las not heard one single business
| interest III Maine represented before
il but what has come to uSand shown
| us that they We're practically unable
| to stand any more taxation. 1t may
| sound like bunko game to some, new
erthciess men come in good faith and
| tell us that the earnings Of Maine
| steam railroads last year fell off some
where in the vicinity of a million and
| q half; they tell US that this corpora
| ton and that corporation can stand no
| moro taxation; and while | do not be-
| liove all they tell me do believe that
| there will he people enough who VIII
| listen to them and believe their story
So we will not get any great additional
| revenue for the state by means of the
| taxation committee. You are going to
| face the proposition very quickly that
| YOU are spending more money than you
| have to Spcnd-nOt on this one apprO-
| priaton but on all those that are COM
| ing I'D. Now what are you going to do :"
| Don't cripple the inland fish and game
| department, that is not right 1t is a
| great department, it is a great indus
| try. it brings money into the State
| GIVE it what it needs, but when you
| have given it what it needs, stop. my
| friends Don't give it $4,000 more than
| it ever had before more than it can
! comfortably get along with. simply
because some very pleasant gentlemen
have como here and asked us to give
it to them.
| suppose every member in this
House has received a letter like the
| one | have here. For fear that they
| have not all received it I want to read
| n part of it,
LAS president of the Maine Sports
mems Fish and Game Association. and
knowing the facts in regard to the In
land Fish industry Of our State as
do, I feel it a duty to write this letter
| to YOU to explain them and make them
known to you, so YOU may know the
real condition of this industry.
| The people are calling for more
| warden service. (and by the way. there
is none in many parts of the State, }
| more fish hatcheries. more fish. and
| provision made for the fish to be fed
| until they are two years of age before
| they are liberated in our lakes and
ponds This means money, but where
| is the money?
I'VE thought we would be obliged
to impose a license tax of four or fVe
| dollars on each resident and non-resl-
dent fisherman to meet the real de-
| mands. The nonresident who comes
| here to fish spends $50 for every dol
lars worth of fish he catches. we
thought it would not be right, under
the circumstances. to put a tax on
| either of them, and that is the reason
why WE have asked the state to m
crease the appropriation from twenty
five thousand dollars to fifty thousand
dollars.
we can we'll afford to do this, be-
cause it brings to our people more
than fourteen million dollars annually
The industry is increasing rapidly, ano
with proper care it will double IN a
I few years.
"There are, today, over three million
fish eggs in process of Matching. ano
there is no money to buy food fol