Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-20
Lively Hearing Over the
Question Of Change.
Strong Opposition 10 Slate Aid
For Water Street.
Atty. Harrington Makes Crisp and
Pointed Argument Against II.

| mai the petition the CIldDSe OI
the State road. 50 as to include Water
street within its limits, was asked for
| by the present city government, in or
| der that the tax rate for the coming
year might not be raised; that the
| bulk eff business men on Water street
| had signed remOnstrances against the
change, notwithstanding that they
| would be benefited by it, and that
there was room for doubt as to wheth-
| er some portions of the old State road
which had already been constructed
were rightfully included within it's
| limitc, were some of the interesting
| facts that were brought out at the
| hearing Monday afternoon at the
| rooms of the board of aldermen upon
the. petition of majority of the board
| for a change in the location of the
| State road from that originally laid
! out by the county commissioners April
| "a, 1892.
The hearing was held before board
of three members, consisting of State
| Highways Commissioner Parker l..
| Hardison. County Commissioner w. w.
| Farrar of Androscoggin county. and
Mayor Reuel j, Noyes of Augusta. 4
| delegation was present in remon
| STRANGE to the petition from Ward 5.
including Alderman c. f. Fletcher.
| Charles Il. Philbrick. +. II. Tlllson.
W. r. Aver, W NJ. Grover and For
| mer Street Commissioner w. S.
! Knowles. Petitions were presented in
opposition to amy change in the State
| road from state to Water streets from
state to Water and Bond streets,
utnppi h. itiyane all UnrfinDG of
the ity. The petitions. five in num-
her, contained in all sos signatures.
| considerable number being those of
persons or firms engaged in business
on Water street. The remonstrants
We're represented by Frank G. Earring
ton of Augusta as counsel.
The hearing was called for +. NJ,
but it was go when the board finally
| assembled to give hearing upon the
petition. The original road laid out by
the county commissioners as State
road April 4, 1902, is. according to the
original papers, which were presented
| at the opening of the hearing, Mount
Vernon avenue and State street, ex-
| tending from Sidney southerly by the
| State House to the Hallowell line"
| The road asked for by the majority of
| tine board of aldermen in their petition
! is Mount Vernon avenue. extending
| from Sidney line southerly to Bond
street: thence easterly the entire
| length of said Bond street to Water
| street; thence southerly on Water
| street fyNits Intersection with Grove
| street, thence southerly on Grove
| street to state street: thence southerly
| on state street to the Hallowell line.
| The petition is signed by Mayor Noycs
and Aldermen Williamson. CARL Beck
| Gannett and Skehan. The names of>Al-
| dermen Iemieux. Fletcher and Hew-
| inS gre not appended to the document
Alderman Williamson appeared for
| the municipal officers, and with the
| aid of a.map pointed out the locations
,irvolved. and said that there was a
doubt as To whether the Bog road.
| which had been improved for two or
| three miles toward the Sidney line,
was actually the State road as origi-
| nally designated. He bore down upon
| the fact that Water street was the
main travelled highway. saving that 10
| conyeyances passed along Water street
| to one on state street. He alluded to
| Augustus present high tax rate OF
nearly rs mills, and said that the con-
| dition of Water street was intolerable
| and that 1t must be repaired this year.
| The amount which the city will raise
! fer state roads is about 1880. and that
| would draw 1920 additional. making
| in all $1,000. which could be expended
| this year on Water street If that was
| designated as the state road
IF that money can be expended this
| wear on Water street, we shall he able
| to leave the tax rate where il is, but If
| we cannot 1t means that we must
either raise the tax rate. or the work
| in some other part of the city must be
| cut down, and it may mean the diff
| ference between continued progress
and standing still for the city" urged
Mr.. Williamson. in continuing his ar
gument for the change. ut seemed to
| us when we signed the petition that
| the greatest good of the greatest num-
Der required the spending of the mons
ev on Water street and that 1t was
better to postpone construction of out
| side roads than raise the tax rate for
| the next year"
Niles l.. Perkins, councilman from
| Ward 6, presented petition contain
| ing 132 signatures for the change or
the State road so as TO lncluue water
street, and insisted that some people
who had signed the other petition, had
! signed it because they did not know
what it meant and would rather have
signed his He presented figures show
| ing record of teams for the Gays oil
| June II and June II on Gas House hiil
| and Bond street. The record showed
that on June IA, As teams went up Gas
House hill and 46 went down, whlie
127 passed on Bond street; the num-
Der going up Gas House hill on June
| II was 30, and the number going GOWN
| 40. while on Bond street 245 passed.
Mr.. harrington asked. at this point
| in the hearing, if contracts had been
let out for the work on Water street.
and Alderman CARL replied that there
was no contract. The work was done
bv the day. 1t had been actually
started. but there was no specified
limit to the work.
In opening his case for the Ward .
remonstrance, Mr.. harrington said thai
the fact that the main amount of traV-
| CT,