Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-18
Graft.
belfast Journal.)

,ast Thursday evening in abating the
tax on the Waldo County Heraio rup-
fishing Company has since peeh the
theme for general comment ana IS gen
orally condemned Many nave ex-
rraseed their surprise that ofIicials
elected TO serve the interests Oh the
citv shouId. as stockholders in this
comnanv. have voted to abate thelr
| own taxes, and on grouilus '"a'
wholly untenable In asking tfls
| abatement the treasurer OF the ""'u
fcompany stated that citizens hdu put
| their money into this new lhuusliy,
establishing an up-to-date piah' anu
| were disburSing certain sum po'
Iweek on it's pay roll, peSloea o''iei
lexpenses and improvements ana
Infringing money into our city ana dis-
| trbuting it here. $780,,
on like grounds every industry ahd
every business concern i'll Ieli"a'
oor1d acl< 10 have their taxes abated
The Belfast Fuel & Hay Co, Tor eN-
annie. has an up-to-date paint ~
cent improvements costing some %4ooo'
emDloys local labor, brings money "
Belfast, ard pays tax OF Szlo-'o' 'iie
individual stockholders paying III ad-
dition a much larger sum. Inc swan
&, Sihlev co. have an extensive pant
operated under like conditions ana are
ltaxed $3.50 10. With the tax or the IN
dividual stockholders added the total
exceeds $500. Both of these companies
have been paying large taxes Tor
Years. and in addition have contribu-
fed 10 the support of local industries
They are contributing today 10 luho
that induced Leonard & BarfoWs 10
come to Belfast and operate our shoe
factory-a fund 80 per cent. OF Whlch
comes from men who have peen as
sailed from public platforms, on street
corners, and in his paper, by the man
aser Of this publishing company
On the 22nd of July, 1909, it was pub
|Iiclv announced that the Waldo Coun-
ty Herald Publishing Company had
made a net profit of $3,395.73 the past
wear. cor over 90 per cent. on the en-
tire capital stock, Notwithstanding
that less than half the amount repre-
sented by the treasury stock had been
available for working capital In
other words there had been, according
treasurer of this company, a profit OF
over a. per cent. on the capital actual
lly employed. Is there any other buSl-
ness in Belfast, or in Waldo county
which can show a like profit? And yet
a few months after this statement was
published this company asks to nave
tax of STA abated, and the mayor
and two aldermen, all stockholders in
the company, voted for this abafH-
ment If what is claimed for this plant
is true the tax assessed against II
should be increased at least fifty per
cent
Now as to the claim Of this being
"new industry" on the same footing
as the Leonard & Rarrows shoe fac
tory, the Duplex Roller Pushing Co,
the Coe- Mortimer Co. and the Esta-
brooks Shirt Mfg. Co. and entitled to
like consideration. These companies
were CAPITALIZED elsewhere, have en-
ployed all the local help available ard
have brought to Belfast not the class
of help found in most factory towns
but men and women who have been
welcomed as citizens They did not
come here to enter into competition
with existing Industries: but, in the
case of Leonard & Barrows. to revive
a dormant industry, and tho others
to establish new Industries. thus cor
tributing to the advancement and
prosperity of our city. The reverse is
true of this publishing company. 1t
is designed to destroy existing INDUS
trieS-in two instances to take bread
from the mouths of widows and or
phans-and this $114 which should go
into the city treasury is to be con-
tributed to aiG in this work
Belfast has three job printing of
|fices capable of doing all the work re-
quired in that line and with natron-
age only sufficient to afford a living to
their proprietor Their prices have
been reasonable their work satisfac-
tory to their natrons, and there has
never been time when they have had
nrofit of over a. per cent. on their
capital The Bracket printing office
has been in existence for 81 years; the
Burgess printing office. now the sup
port Of tho widow of George W. Bur
CESS. it's founder. for much longer
time. and the Lansll printing office
for q number of years The proprie-
tors and employees of these offices are
all worthy and deserving people They
have paid taxes here for years and
done well their Part as citizens. Why
should the city government he used to
destroy their business and deprive
them of maintenance? On the con-
trary. have they not far better grounds
on which to ask an abatement of their
taxes? IF such a request werc made.
and it could he submitted to a popular
vote. it would be carried by an over
whelming majority
Now as to the claim that this com
| pany is bringing money into our city
and distributing it here" Last sum
mer this concern created such life ell
! ing in a community with which Belfast
| had had close social and business re-
| latiOns for more than century that
| the trade of it's people was largely
diverted elsewhere. One man whose
purchases in Belfast were some $3.50
| a month wrote to a friend here that
so long as we had our present mayor
he would buy nothing in Belfast, and
that he was getting his goods in Ban