Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-20


which connect two towns can contract
bills to be paid by the towns is simply
amended by saying before those bills
are paid they shall be audited by the
selectmen In other words, if this
amendment is not adopted, the trustees
| can present a sum total for repairs
made on the bridge, and the town must
| pay it; but with the amendment now
| offered by the gentleman from East
| Machias, before they pay the trustees
| any money they can audit the bill. For
heavens sake, why shouldn't they have
| a right to? l do not believe the
| recommendation of any committee or
an opinion coming from East MAJ
chias or anywhere else will cause any
one to think there ia anything wrong
| about it. 1t may be that the gentle
man from East Machias has put too
low number of voters of the class
required t. petition to the county COM
| missioners. / care nothing about that
| That is a matter of which he should
| have some idea himself The idea is
| that before the town of East Machias,
| in which I am somewhat interested
myself, should be called upon to pay
| any money, the selectmen should have
a right to go over the account; and if
| there is any objection to it, l should
like to have somebody explain it and
not say that it will kill the bill Per-
| haps their examination of the accounts
might kill part Of the bills presented
to them. That is the only sort Of q
bill that can be killed by auditing.
Mr. PETERS of Ellsworth: Mr..
Speaker, it is possible that the House
might like to hear the statement of
some member of the committee on
| judiciary as to the evidence on both
| sides which was presented before the
| committees at the time this matter
| was heard and as | heard the evidence,
| l deem it my duty to state to the
| House my remembrance of the matter
| AS / understand it. some two years
! ago the Legislature Of this State was
asked to appropriate eight thousand
| dollars for the partial building of the
bridge between the towns of East Ma
chias and Machiasport. At that time
Mr.. Allen and Mr.. Bogue, the present
representatives. happened to be in Au
|. gusta also the senator from that coun-
| ty, Mr.. Wyman, and it was represented
| to the committee on ways and bridges
| that if the Legislature would appropri-
| ate eight thousand dollars for the
| building of the bridge, which was es-
| timated would cost ten thousand dol
| lars that the towns of East Machias
and Machiasport would contribute the
| balance. This bridge crosses tide wa
| ter, and it is necessary that draw
| be maintained there; otherwise the
government would not allow the bridge
| to be continued as an obstruction to
navigation. The Legislature approprl-
ated and paid the eight thousand dol
| lars The bridge cost, as was estimat-
| ed, Just about ten thousand dollars.
| The town of Machiasport produced and
| paid its share Of the division, that is,
| about one thousand dollars. The town
| Of East Machias never paid the other
| thousand dollars | understand that
| the town of East Machias at one time
| voted to raise the money, but it has
never been paid into the hands of the
trustees of the bridge. The original
| charter created a bridge corporation.
a bridge district under the name of
| the Machas Bridge, and the trustees
were provided for; fourteen trustees
were provided for in the act. Also, It
| seems, the town of East MachiaS not
only did not pay the one thousand dol
| lars, but did not contribute any part
| of the subsequent cost of maintaining
the bridge and the draw, and at the
expiration of the first term of the East
| Machias trustees, seven in number, the
town of East Machias refused, or
| neglected at least, to elect others IN
| their place, so that there is vacancy
| in the board of trustees, caused by
| the seven trustees from East Machias
not being re-chosen or reelected, and
| no others being elected by the town IN
| their stead In other words, when the
| Legislature appropriated the eight
thousand dollars to aid in building
bridge to connect the towns of East
| Machias and Machasport it was
| thought that it would be of great bene-
| fit to both towns and that the balance
| would be made up by each of the towns
and that they would contribute equal
" towards the support of the bridge
| but it turned out after the money was
paid in and the bridge was built that
| the town of East Machias gets out OF
| it by paying nothing. and the town
| Of Machiasport has paid it's share. NOW,
| there is no proposition here TO compel
| the town of East Machias to come up
and pay what it really and equitably
| should have paid, thousand collars
towards the building of the bridge. as
| understand it, that is not the idea OF
this bill The idea is that some legiS-
lation is necessary in order to COM
pei somebody to support this bridge
which the State has put down there
| at an expense of eight thousand dol
| lars If nobody is obliged to keep that
| draw open, either the bridge will be of
no benefit whatever to the citizens OF
Washington county. or, if the draw is
| left closed it will be an obstruction to
navigation so that the United States
government will blow it up.
| Now, gentlemen, that is remark
able condition of things 1t seems
that there was some agitation in East
| Macnias at the time of the approprl-
alton by the Legislature, but it was
not brought to the attention of the
legislature. or the committee which
| had charge Of the matter, and if it had
been, I doubt very much if the l1egis-
lature would have appropriated the
nancy If looked to the committee