Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-29

1t seems to Inc that this matter in which
| am i'll favor of, i'll the first place,
should have been submitted to a com
mittee to threSh ii out there. If. upon
the other hand the Senate thinks II
is wise to pass il at this time. | should
be very glad to vote on the PROPOSE
ton. but | want it considered in all
fairness to the matter. TO my mind
i Is a grave question, whether ii will
he Tor the interest of this PROPOSE
tloa not to hI"o it threshcd ont before
committee where all parties can be
heard. There is no more important
proposition, no proposition that has
any more merit in it, than the promo
sition suggested by the senator from
Somerset 1t does look to me as though
this matter should go before Il COM
mittce, or at least go before the next
Legislature where it can be taken up
at the beginning of the session. We
nave get to tax the wild lands AT their
actual value. believe in the actual
value of property fer the purposes of
taxation ! will vote for this if there
Is any way to reach il. | am in favor
of an order being passed here, after
the committee of conference has rn
ported authorizing the State assessors
to find out for the purposes of taxa
ton and report. have a committe an
pointed to explore the wild lands and
report back to them. that they NAV
increase the taxation on wild lands.
or they could report to tho next Leg
i&latare.
MI IRVING of Aroostoell: Mr.. Pres
la"nt Just one word. 1t seems 10
he the general opinion that tho wild
lands of tho state are not n;viur oufto
enough tax, not bearing their eou,1
share of the burden of Taxation =,
seems to be the concensus of opinion
among the people of the state that
this is true. that they arr rot taxed
in proportion 10 the other rropertv of
the state. If we have got to the pont
and | think il is generally conceded
that we have. that they are assessed
with the rest of tba r,.,,,,.,,,.
State if we have got to thai noint II
will be impossible to increase their t,,,
any more IS we do il undor tn,
provisions of a bill which might H..
termed a general utility bifl."a hin
TOR the support of the schools or high
WAYS. or something of thut kind =
bill such as Senator ponisan has hcau
trying to put through the I.egislatura
for the last two or three sessions ard
which he found it to be hard work +,
put through
You all know that when such = hin i.
proposed we run against conflict mo,
influences and il falls through Seine
that this is the case. | can SEQ tbor,
i no harm in tho senator's propositiop
To 50 amend the Constitution that whom
the Legislature meets again if ,bay
deem 1t wise they can raise the tav
on the wild lands. He has prnvilad
limit that they cannot go bovord
on" per cent I think now they are
paving 81. mills. They pay whatovar
tn" state rate is and then in addition
they pay H. mills for fir. prot.c;io,,
%o that | can see no harm that would
come from the proposition If the son
ator.
Mr. OSBORN MI President. Now in
regard to the suggestion of tho wild
lands. if we wait befor. taking ann,
action i'm this matter until every man
in the State of Maine, or rerhaps every.
man in this Senate, should conclude
thai we had got to the right point of
N't'H't' 'pl' btibl' We take az tlon, he and
| would both be dead. and nothing what.
eve" don" in regard to this rropoSi-
ton. Perhaps II would have been bet
ter ta have introduced this resolution
earlier III tn" session, but the fact
shoiId he horne in mind that our tax
committee had matters before them
that taxed their efforts very severely,
and they were unable to make a final
report until the other day, and if
this had been before them. whether it
would have got a hearing is somewhat
Il question. 1t is not proposition to
cH1@t a law; It is proposition to sub
NIT to the people a change in the Con-
sti;uton and the people will have az
opportunity To vote upon it; it will d.
thEeShed out for year ana Il half be
fore the vote is taken, ana then before
any law cln be passed by the Legisla-
tufe, II would nave to be taken up and
the people given an opportunity to be
heard.
/ do not think it can be called "A
haStN matter. for 1t has confronted us
year after year, and we have endeav-
ored To reach it by some indirect meth
cd. by putting upon the State n larger