Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-17
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS.
Question OF Taxation Of Property In
Other Municipalities.

tl of public municipal corporations
situated outside their corporate limits.
This measure. while proposed as a
general law had its origin i'll the con
troversy between the residents OF
china and the kcnnebec Water Dis
trict and sc"ks to make general law
covering the same ground as the Spe-
cial bin already passed in regard to
taxation OF the property of the Ken
ncbec Water District.
Judge Benedict r. Mahcr of Augusta
appeared for the bill and said that it
was due 10 the objection raised by
Representative Hcrsey of the commit
tee as to the legality OF the other
measure. He argued that such bill
was sustained both by eXpcdicncy and
law. His position was sharply con-
tested by Mr. HcrscN of the committee
ho maintain"d that when the cor
poratiun reached out and took proper
tv in another municipality it extended
the confines of the public service cor
puration. but Mr.. Heath maintained
that the corporate confines were fixed
By the charter. Suppose it takes the
" hole town" interpoScd Representa-
tive Chase uf the committee and Judge
Mahcr said that was just the point
that he was getting at
Judge Maher said that he had sup
posed that the China cas-" was tn"
first ole of its kind. but he had after
wards found that iii" charter drawn
by Mr.. Heath for the Portland Water
Co. provided that the property within
the town of G;"rhaH of lh" corporation
should b" taxed. Il nlcsS hc had made
that provision tn" property could not
have ben taxed" remarked Mr.. Her
scy
W. q. IIunton Of Rcadii"ld appeared
in thu interests ri his town and i'll Ia
>ur Of tn" measure He said that the
Augusta Water District had taken a
pond in R"adiield for its water supply
and that his town received no benefit
by tn" taking but Was injured. The
people ot R"adicld were Obliged L"
stop using the pond for L." cutting and
within thr"" years the Water District
had taken in order. as it claimed. +"
protect its water supply. $500 worth
nf real "stat" and torn the farm build
nGs down. Some of the property pur-
chased Was a mile outside of the lake.
Representative Williamson Of the com
mittrc asked MIR. liunt"n if the Angus
ta Water District had paid any tax on
the property thus taken. Mr.. Hunton
replied that the company had made
AN arrangement to pay onc-half of the
tax ON the first place bought but later
rcpudiated that.
NJ. J. Hartman. chairman Of the
Rcadticld board of sclectmcn. Second
Scl"ctmHn w. \. Niclcrson and W. +.
Mace. treasurer and collector. were
present al the hearing but did not tcs
tify except to submit To tn" committe,
the assessors books showing the valu
alton of tn" town and the pieces of
property mentioned
Representative AmeS of Norrdge-
Wocll told the committee of the case
Of tlc Madison Village Corporation
which operated an electric light conf
panN and had taken Il valuable lheco
of propcriy for il plant on Sandy
river between NoiridgoWock and
Starks. The tWu towns had LOST tue
water power ana received practically
10 return He believed the Madison
Village Corporation did pay tax one
y"al tn Stlrks but since that time 1t
i I'd paid none. He thought law
ouslt to b, framed SO his town could
tax this plant.
#. l.. Anl"S. chairman OF tb'- Nor
r.dScWock hoard OF Selectmen and
brother to Representative Ames. said
that in 1901 III" tax Was paid t" StarkS
but i'm 1903 the amendment had been
added Ia the general law which eN
crnpted from taxation tie property oi
orc municipal corporation III anoth.r
corporation and since that time the
tax mad not been paid.
{. \. WILDER of Madison believed
that the payment Of the tax as pro-
vided by this law would be an in1us-
ticc to the corporation which he rep
resented and said that anyhow his
corporation didn't want to pay unless
the others were made to pay.
Judge Mahcr--"Thcy will be under
this act If il passes.
w ]. Thompson of China said that
la WAS "A member of the taxation COM
,nittcc of the Legislature when this
section WAS amended i'll lto% and at
that time no question like this bad
arisen IL thought there was Il vast
difference between II municipal cor
poration holding property as means
of government and u corporation hold
ltS II toIIol htloi ITO a iiiSe'i'' ici iii'ia-
cy making.
Bernard Gibbs of Madison, treasurer
nf the Madison Village Corporation,
thought that municipalities should
share each others burdens and con-
tended that the payment of a tax upon
the liant at Madison would tend to put
the municipal light plant out OF bus
mess. He admitted that this plant sold
electricity in the towns of Arson and
StarkS.
Another matter which was heard be-
fore the committee was the Rumford
Water District charter Lucian w.
Blanchard of Rumford appeared be
fore the committee and substituted
new draft to include MeXlcJ within
the confines of the district. The bill
asks TO take water supply from How
ard pond, Great and Little Concord
ponds. Roxbury pond, Stony brook
and Meadow brook. A. T.. Stearns. eX-
judge of the Norway municipal court
was associated with Mr.. Blanchard in
the case and several witnesses were
called by the proponents.
Hon. Henry Fl. Hastings of Bethel
and Y,er,,aSent five Alton g. Wheeler