Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-13
STATE HOUSE EXTENSION
RESOLVE PASSES SENATE
After Three Proposed Amendments Have Been
Voted DoWn.--House Votes Against Uncon-
ditiona| Repeal Of the Sturgis Law.

bers before the committee on for
est preservation and water supply FRI
day afternoon. Representative b. r..
Cousins started the ball rolling for the
proponepts of the measure and there
was q number of live tits between the
gentleman from Standsh and the father
of the Sturgis act during the two hours
consumed by the hearing.
The act before the committee provides
that no person shall operate a portable
or movable saw mill III any city or in
corporatoG .1W1- without first having
~rccurCd Il license from the municipal
Ulcers and filed q bond with sureties
Il such sii3i as the municipal officers
nay require. conditioned to reimburse
ny person or persons for any damage,
u-tained by fire in consequence of the
rc"ation q such mill
Repre- sentative Cousins in opening the
a5e for The proponents Of the measure
aid that many irresponsible parties
We're operating these portable mills. and
trait fires were frequently caused by
them. He cited 4 large loss of timber
and in Limerick ~ caused by 4 porta-
BILE mild, but inquiry by Mr.. Sturgis
SHIT out the statement that the set
ling of the fire may have been GRIM
iHal act rather than the CarelessneSS OF
those in charge of the portable mill
Mr. Cousins also stated that mills We're
operating in thick forests in his locality
and the residents in that vicinity were
very much afraid and wanted some kind
Of a law passed placing a restriction up
on the owners of portable saw mills.
Representative c. II. Lane of Paris
thought that the portable mills endan-
gered property worth many thousands
cf dollars.
Hon. Harold Sewall of Bath favored
the bill and spoke of the great danger
from fire to his own city during the
summer from the operation of portable
saw mills. He did not think it was fair
that wild land owners should be pro-
tccted by the forestry department from
dangers from these mills. while the fire.
department of Bath should be obliged
to be kept in constant readiness to fight
fire during the summer season.
Ex-senator Sturgis in speaking for
the remonstrants to the bill said: mo
one seems to furnish us any reliable
statistics in regard to the damage done
by the portable saw mills. 1t is GER
tainly much less than that of other
wood working establishments, which are
not asked to furnish any bonds In this
state at the present time there are over
so portable saw mills, handling an aver
age amount of 100000 feet each of
lumber, or 120.000.000 in all, worth
when delivered s1,S00,000. 1t costs
about 81 per thousand to prepare the
lumber and put it on the cars, so that
these mills pay in wages over $S4o,ooo.
The only damage that these portable
mills have done by fire in the State that
we can point to with certainty is lit
tie over $1,000"
Senator Gowell of York expressed his
opposition to the bill. He said that in
the town Of Berwick 10 or II portable
saw mills were in operation and they
had done but very little damage. A
bond was serious matter to many of
tn. portable saw mill operators and
would result in driving them out of
business.
w J. fitzpatrick of Saco denounced
Tie measure as the rankest piece Of
class legislation that he had heard Of"
and suggested that the opinion Of the at
torney general should be had in regard
to the legality of the measure
Senator Reynolds of Kennebec op-
posed the measure and alluded to the
disastrous fires caused by steam mills
in Fairfield 1t was asking a man to
ray premium for setting UP a portable
mill on his own land.
Austin Carey Of Brunswick called the
attention of the committee to the fact
that more damage was done by portable
saw mills after they ceased to operate
than while they were in operation be-
cause the brush left by them caught fire
frequently. THE present bill does not
go at all to the root of the matter" he
said.
NJ. c. Morrill, Of Gray who was
steam mill owner said that the bill dis
in an unfair manner. George Knox Of
Gorham, e. r. Burnham and L. L. Brad
bury of Hollis. also spoke against the
measure.
In closing the case Ex-senator Sturgis
suggested in place Of the bill before the
committee measure containing the fol-
lowing provisions:
Section 1. Every person, firm or
corporation operating portable or NOV
able saw mill within the State shall
make report to the forest commissions
er as follows: the date Of erecting mill
and the location Of same; all fires and
cause, If known; all damage to the prop.
erty not owned by them.
Section 2. The Forest Commission
er shall furnish. free of charge, printed
forms for the above reports,