The Somerset reporter., 1909-02-04
A Three Hours Session.

The town meeting, which by ad-
journment from January 16, was to
meet in Weston Hall at two O'Clock
on Saturday last, was called to order
at the appointed hour by the modera-
tor, l.. L. Walton, who initiated the
business of the afternoon by calling
on the special water committee for a
further report.
George w. Cover, Esq, the secre-
tary of the committee responded and
gave a report of considerable length
defining just whatfurther concessions
had been obtained from the Skowhe-
gan Water Company, which included
the erection of an additional stand
pipe, giving also a list of things which
the committee thought ought to be
conceded and naming one stipulation
without which the committee had
unanimously decided they could not
recommend the latest proposition of
the Water Company. The things
enumerated are highly desirable which
had thus far been omitted from the
contract were, the installation of a
self registering gauge onWater street
to show the true. standpipe pressure,
free water for flushing sewers, pres
sure Of 10 lbs. on Water street and
that the standpipe for domestic uses
should be properly covered and
screened. The point upon which the
committee insisted was tn 1t the rates
should not be raised during the life
of the contract, either to the town for
general uses or to individual users.
Mr.. Cover stated that, in case no
contract was consummated with the
water company, the town could apply
to the Legislature for charter to form
a water district, or could continue to
use the water from the mains of the
allow the courts to decide what COM
pensation should be paid. He did not
understand that the water company,
a public service corporation, could
refuse to furnish the water, even if
the town did not renew it's contract.
Mr.. Greenwood, of the committee,
presented minority report in which
he gave his reasons for an outright
purchase, by appraisal, of the proper
ty of the Skowhegan Water Company
and against auy renewal of contract
with them. He could see no pros
pect of such Improvement in the SER
vice as the interest of the town de-
manded and he believed the solution
of the water problem lay in the direc-
tion of municipal ownership. He
gave some very interesting statistics
of another Maine municipality which
had taken over Its water system. un-
der an appraisal, from which it would
seem that the price likely to be set by
4 a court of appraisers for the Skowhe-
! gan plant would not prove an excess
sive burden for the town. He moved
the adoption of his recommendations
| in place of the majority report, but,
the meeting was not ready to give its
approval to the plan for public owner
ship and this motion was lost.
n The question of accepting the prop
osition of the water company was
then takeu up for discussion and Mr..
Gould, president of the Skowhegan
Water Company stated that the one
point insisted upon by the majority
report of the committee of investi-
CATION, viz. that the rates should not
be iaised, would be conceded. This
brought the contract of the water
company to the terms which the ma
| jority of the committee of investiga-
tion could recommend and it came
before the meeting in that form.
F. P. Pennell made motion that
the proposition OF the water company
be accepted but after long discus
! sion this was defeated. A motion was
! made to instruct the selectmen TO
apply to the legislature for a charter
under which the town could build its
own waterworks but this was defeated
by decisive majority.
1t was then voted to adjourn for
one week.