Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-31


| suspension of the rules, in concurrence
| with the Senate.
| The Speaker laid before the House bill,
An Act for the assessment of a State
tax for the year 1911, the same having
been recalled from the executive depart
ment.
On motion of Mr.. Williamson of Angus
ia the votes were reconsidered whereby
this bill was passed to be enacted, passed
to be engrossed and whereby it received
| its third reading.
Mr.. Williamson offered House amend
ment A, to amend Section Q by striking
out the word five in the first line there
of and inserting in place thereof the word
'six"
Mr.. PATTANGALL of Waterville: Mr.
Speaker. just word of explanation At
ter the final appropriations were assem-
bled and while it was found that the to-
tai appropriations for two years could be
covered by 10 mills. that is five mills for
each year would cover the total appro-
priations. a much larger sum is necessary
for the payment of bills this year than
for the year 1912 owing in part to the car
rying over of the bills of which we have
heard so much this winter, and in smaller
part of course, to the fact that this is a
legislative year and in 1912 there is no
Legislature. which involves difference
in expenses of about $l50,000. The Gov
ernor and Council and the State auditor
have gone over the matter with great
care and it is impossible, as understand
from them, to pay this years bills with
less than a six-mll tax rate but by doing
that the tax rate might be made four
mills for the year 1912. I do not think the
House would care to have me go into any
details and figures in order to show these
facts. and neither shall I attempt to do
so. 1t is a simply a matter in which the
administration has no choice. It must
raise the money; and while it is as disa-
greeable to me as 1t can be to anybody
to have the tax rate larger this year, be-
cause the city which represent here has
exhausted its borrowing capacity and is
obliged to assess a larger tax than we
ought to during the present year, still of
course we are ready to yield to the claims
of necessity, and I hope the House will
una nimousy accept this amendment 1t
is necessary that this years tax bill
should carry an emergency clause because
taxes are assessed before the first day of
July and without an emergency clause no
tax bill could operate until the first day
OF July; so that it will necessitate the CO.
operation Of practically the entire House
in order to carry out this necessary
amendment to final enactment. / was re-
quested by the gentleman from Angus
ia, who presented the amendment, to give
to the House this word Of explanation.
and l hope there will be no opposition on
the part of anybody to the acceptance of
the amendment and final enactment of
the necessary tax bill.
Mr.. PETERS of Ellsworth: Mr.. Speak
er. it seems to me to be business prop
osition that We raise the necessary taxes
to pay bills l understand that we have
appropriated $500 600 more for the year
1911 than for the year 1912, which. if other
things were equal, would necessitate a
slightly larger rate for the year 1911 than
for the year 1912 | understand also that
the policy of the administration is to car
ry over the loan of $500 900 into 1912, and
that they have figured that il can be paid
out of the tax. out of the money raised
for taxes in 1912. l heartily concur with
that policy. because my theory is. as /
believe it is of all of you, that the unpaid
bills of the State should be taken care of
first and the borrowed money last; and
believe we should raise the necessary
amount of money to pay the bills of the
State. l understood. however. that the
proposition was to make the tax rate six
mills for the year 1911 and four mills for
no do nd no
amendment offered by the gentleman
from Augusta covered the year 1912, re-
ducing the rate from five mills to four
mills, but l may be wrong about that.
Mr. WILLIAMSON: I will say for the
information of the gentleman that this
present tax rate bill relates only to the
year 1911. AS soon as the tax bill for
1912 comes in I propose to offer an amend
ment to that reducing the amount from
five mills to four mills. The bill is not in
the possession of the House at this time
The question being put on the adoption
of the amendment.
The amendment was adopted.
The bill then received its third reading
and was passed to be engrossed as
amended.
Mr. Pattangal of Waterville moved
TO take from the table, bill, An Act To
amend Section . of Chapter 1917 of the
Public laws of 1909. relating to the
common school fund and means of pro-
viding for and distributing the same
The motion Was agreed TO-
Mr. Pattangall further moved thai the
matter be referred to the next Legis-
Iature in accordance with the report
of the conference committee.
The motion was agreed to-
On motion of Mr. Peters of Ellsworth
the rules was suspended and that gem
tleman introduced Bill, An Act in rela-
ton to assessment of county taxes in
the several counties for the year 1911.
and on further motion by the same gen
tleman the bill received it's three read
ings and was passed to be engrosSed
An Act to consolidate the management
Of the State Institutions for the insane
and feeble minded.
The bill was passed to be enacted IN
the House, and comes from the Senate
amended by Senate amendment A.
On Of Sfrick1anH nf RAN