Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-27
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from Page F1ve.)

has given to it, the prejudice which
has been conceived against this bill
by the House, or by many members5of
1t, would in a large measure be re-
moved.
want to say, in the first place, that
the committee on taxation have in my
opinion worked as hard and as con-
scientiously as any committee of this
House, and on this especial matter, and
although they have been criticised for
acting slowly. they acted slowly be-
cause they desired to do full justice
towards all the interests concerned
That committee was composed of men
of different parties, representing diff
ferent interests. We had on that COM
mittee men OF wealth and men of poy-
eEty, farmers, capitalists and lawyers,
and almost every other class of men
that could be embraced in the number
of 10. comprising the committee; and
we worked out finally bill which the
committee all agreed to support.
don't know today whether the COM
mittee are all supporting the bill or
not; do know that they all agreed TO
support it, and while it did not appeal
to any member of the committee per
haps as an ideal bill, it did appeal to
us as the best practical working meas
ure which the committee could report
unanimously upon. | want to go over
its provisions with you as a practical
working matter and explain without
any great detail the condition of things
with regard to it which have been most
criticisew There are today but two
l., t.Nks
to the taxation of wild lands. You
voted down the Bigelow bill yesterday
and although I believe there was merit
in the idea of the Bigelow bill. as Il
working law it was not possible for
the committee to report favorably upon
1T. You have accepted the report of
the committee against the Darling bill
which also I believe had some good
features. You have come down to the
proposition of either accepting the
committee bill as the committee re-
ported it, or as amended by the gem
tleman from Bremen, (Mr. McLain.
1t becomes therefore an important
matter for the House to know the diff
ference between the bill as proposed
and the bill as amended Now. what
are the criticisms of the gentlemen
who seek to amend the bill? They
say it is unfair toward the small towns.
toward the poorer towns. l have heard
that argument all over the State
House. | am no more expert in figures
than is any other member of the
House. nor would impose false figures
upon this House any quicker than any
other member of the House. | say to
you (and | believe | will give you the
method of figuring which is so simple
that any one can figure it for them
selves) / say to you that the com
mittee bill gives to every poor town
in this State more money than the
amended bill would give it. and takes
from every town that loses under the
bill less money than the amended bill.
Now let me tell you how you can figure
1t and it does not require any one very
expert in figures. If you will take
your State treasurer's report and see
the State tax paid by any town and
divide that by six. because the State
tax was three mills, you would ascer-
tain what the town would pay in an
der an added half mill tax, wouldn't
you? TO illustrate it, take a county,
because the counties being in larger
figures run easier. The county of
state tax for the year
was $4,000. According to that the
county of AndroScoggin would pay in
round numbers $4,000 more than 1t
paid in. Dividing it by would be
$4,000 more than it paid in last year.
That is simple enough. isn't it? Under
Il half mill tax the State of Maine
would raise $2f4.0O0. You had 100000
school pupils. so that you increased
your school fund $1.02 per pupil. Call
1t a dollar because the two cents
would be immateral. AndroScoggln
county would receive back $l,00 for
each pupil and the report says they
have 1910 pupils. SO that under tn"
offered by the gentleman
from Bremen this would be the sit
uation: Androscoggin county would
nav in $4,000 more than the county
pays in at the present time and would
receive back S1S.146. which is more
than it receives back at present, and
therefore under the amendment offered
by the gentleman from Bremen Andro-
scoEgin county would make gain in
round numbers of $4,000 Now. that is
all right We want it to gain. but we
want it to gain little more than that.
We want a little more money to go
down there to the poor towns oi
Androscoggin county. and so we said
add another mill and distribute that
by valuation.
Now. the gentlemen from Bremen
has misunderstood that proposition.
and think can convince him that ne
has These are not expert figures
an going to give you. They are so simple
that child can digest them. He takes
the town of Southport. and he says
Southport has valuation of SloS.63s,
and under the committee bill would re-
ceiye back a mill or $40S.G3; and that
Bremen having a valuation of S14l,292
would receive back $141.29. Those are
the figures given you by the gentle
man from Bremen. and | will show you
that they are not quite correct. IN
der the added mill tax Southport would
pay the State S40s. IS. wouldn't 1T: That
Is a mill on its valuation. 1t would
receive back. as the gentleman says,
s4OS. IS. Who would be hurt? the
town of Southport would be getting
back her own money.
MIR. McLAIN: Excuse me for inter-
rupting. but / would like to ask one
,uoStion for NV own information.