Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-03


Before coming to the provisions o.
| this special Act which the railroad
| asks to have extended, I want to call
Your attention briefly to the life his
| tory Of the railroad itself. In 1891, In
order to encourage the building of a
| railroad into Aroostook county, which
was at that time in need "f trans
portation facilities. and where tier
| Nds large population in need or
such facilities, the Maine Legislature
allowed the Bangor and Aroostook
for a period of 20 years q rebate o.
its taxes amounting to - per cent.
| In 1899, that Was extended for 50
| Years, bringing it 10 1928. Another
precision the I."giSlatu placed In
| that special act was the one | referred
| 10 moment ago. eXempting the rail
road from other railroads parallelinG
| its lines. of the same character. Tor
| IL miles on each side. That same
| session of construction COMPANY
was authorized by a special Act Of
| the Legislature to aid in constructing
| railroads. | WInt To call ATTENTION
| here to tie tact that this construc-
| tior company is something unique III
| Maine. 1t could not be don" under
| the general law: that does not per
| nit a CORPORATION to be formed to
| aid in the construction OF railroads..
! ana certainly does not permit Il cor
poration to own railroad stock anu
| build railroads and do everything that
| Il railroad has to do. except 10 re
; port to tie railroad commissioners.
! | am quoting now from Chapter l26
of the Private and Special Laws o.
/ 1891. An Act to incorporate the 4Aroos-
! took Construction Company. Certain
persons, their associates-I am not
naming the persons here for most OF
thosl men have long since disa ppcared
fro.a the records ot the Aroostool< Con-
struction Co.-"Arc hereby made Il cor
| poratiUn by the n.une Of the Aroos-
took Construction Company, for the
purpose of carrying on the business
vi building, constructing and equipping
lines oi railroad. with the right To
operate the road SO built and cou-
structeG 50 long as II may be found
| necc sSary for this company 50 to do,
under the terms and conditions con-
tain.G in their respective Charters
said corporation shall have tho right
to purchase. manufacture and deal In
all kinds Of machinery, materials ano
APPLIANCES dt encl necessary or prop
or tor the construction, equipment
and operation OF railroads, together
with all patents. Inventions ana u
censes appertaining to the Satne. WITT
| power 70 hold by purchase or ma*
otherwise acquire TIA" bonds. stocks
securities and other property of rail-
roads constructed or equipped by this
con- mpany.'
Now we come down from 1871 te
1902. Il years and within that TIM.
what is known as the main lihe o'
the Il. & A. had been built, clear W
tbrougl. t. Houlton. Caribou. Fort
Fairfield Van 6uren, Ashland ana
Fort Kent. Covering what Is called
the main linc OF the T. ~. i'll lS'3
the total Indebtedness oi tn" =. " y
was slf,,s7 .4oo on a mileage "i @i'.5
miles. an average OF $50. .'3ai2 per mile
uroy;d!ag for construction oi hht
eaaiplpeHt. cars. locomotives, stations
terminals and everything else.
Il Now. gentlemen, We com" to tn
j, Ne which this particular bill asks
to have extended. Ii vou viii rea'
the bill itself you will see that II ask
that III thc provisions OF SECTIONS
J. .. .. and 1 Of Chapter 10 of the Pri'
yate and Special Laws of 1"o3' "a
amended by the laws Of 1871. ire con
timed IN turce and extended for pc
rio3 of f,c years on and after tl'
10th OF March. 1915.
,,hanter 80 give. in the first place
tn. right to the Il. y y. to ouild any
whar,, IN Peaohscut, Piscataquis ana
ArooS:uok counties. atUv" certain
line on the G. Z. RY.. upon illing 'Ie
rroper petition Wit. the railroad com
lnissionels. ] think tAat IS not partic-
ulall.' Important as they nave lha'
authority under tue general ia"S.
would call your attention 10 certain
provisions Of Chapter -, and especial
" Ia Section of that chapter, which,
is one of the sections asked to bc c%-
tended. section 3. The provisions o'
Cl,aDt.r ls6 of the Public Laws Of tn.
year 1897. and any Act amcndator!
thereof. shall hot apply to the issu
ancc of an increase Of the capital stocR
Of said company to an amount Ill '"'
aggrcgatc Of not moro than SIN tnou'
sand dollars per mile for eacA lhiic VI
any extension or branch which said
company may bc authorized ~ DUNG
Pursuant to the provisions ot TINS Act.
Nov, g,ntlcmen. that Is th" meat IL
this rocoanu.. and that proTisi0
which this bill asks to have extendef
and uhich in my opinion ought not Il
be extended after March, 1913. is tn
only important provision which th'
f. q A. could have under this exten
sion, when they wo1ld not have un
der the general law, except the proNi
sion in regard to the 10 miles compch
tiuu, which | do not object TO.
want to call your attention first t
the Chapter of the Public Laws Of lS9
from which this amendment e2cept'
the u. a. a. RAILROAD I will say tnat \
of course now incorporated into tH
Revised Statutes of 1908. II you VIII
look at that chapter for yourselves, +
will not read the whole Vf it or an
large part Of it: that chapter in vi
LAWS Of 1891 is the chapter that reSu
lates the issuance of stock by rail
roads and applies to all railroads !
the state unless expressly exempted
THIS charter, passed in 1893, good fQ
"a period OF 10 years, had the eifcc
OF c,.cuipting the B. & a. with reSar