Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-02-01

! tu9 YGnOOk CouB0o k0tuEn9 Woo AntHOA0N1&s
1t provides for certified list Of the names
and ages OF all school children, and
| further provides that when the State
superintendent of schools 10 Of the
opinion that the census has been
inaccurately taken, he shall make state
ment OF the facts to the governor and
council who may require the census to be
retaken. In this event, the compensation
of the person employed to take the census
shall be deducted from the school fund
due said town from the State.
An act was presented in the House Mon
day limiting to five the number OF the
following named birds which may be
taken in any one day in the open season
for each: Wood duck, dusky duck, gcd-
wall or gray duck, malIard, widgeon or
bald pate, shoveler, pintail or sprigtail,
red head, scaup duck or greater bluebill,
lesser scaup duck or lesser bluebill, golden
eye or whistler buffiehead, rudy duck or
broadbill, ruffed grouse or woodcock.
| In the House Tuesday Mr.. Harmon, Of
Stonington, presented bill exempting
from taxation soldiers and sailors of the
Civil war whose real estate and personal
property does not exceed $500 in assessed
| valuation.
THE POWER BILL.
| The much heraIded bill for development
| o. great electric power at the headwaters
| OF the Kennebec arrived Wednesday
morning in the House. The clause con-
tanned in the original draft Of the bill for
the transmission Of power outside OF the
State has been omitted, and the present
bill expressly provides that the company
shall not transmit power outside OF the
State or become consolidated with any
| company that is to transmit power out
| side Of the State. II is understood that
the promoters will develop between $1,000
and 10000 horse power and that from
9, O0o, 900 to sl0,ooo,oo will be spent in
development. The promoters propose to
utilize the greater part Of the power in an
electro-chemical plant ard sell the rest in
| the State.
| On the same day this bill was intro
duced, Rep. Pattangail presented an act to
amend the revised statute which grants
to certain public service corporations the
exclusive rights in their territories, so as
to permit any company to go anywhere.
regardless OF the fact that there is another
company doing business there, upon
petition to a justice Of the supreme court.
The Lewiston Journal, commenting on
these two acts, says:
Hooked up together, the friends Of these
bills believe these two measures will make it
possible for the company to do most anything
it desires. The feature OF the Introduction Of
| these bills which attracted some attention,
was that both were referred to the committee
on legal affairs, OF which Mr.. PattangsE is
| chairman, rather than TO the judiciary COM
| mittee.
The proposed charter Of this Kennebec
| power and reservoir company goes before the
| legislature in form somewhat modified from
| the original draft. 1t asks for the right Of
eminent domain under q form Of the statutes
which it evidently believes is sufficient for its
purposes SO that, SO far as this feature of the
| bill is concerned. it has in nowise relin-
pushed its demand to raise any great pond in
Maine, to cover with water any State lands,
and in this remarkable request it asks for
powers which are almost priceless in their
value and which should be given to no cor
poration exclusively.
The only feature which seems to have been
absolutely eliminated by this new draft is
that which would give this company the right
| 70 enter into competition with any existing
company anywhere in the State, and this
| feature has been largely approved in the
| preliminary herald Of the new bill.
! However, this seems to have been admir-
l ABLY taken of in another dirartjn
through the presentation OF q measure by
Pattangall of wsterviile, which bill would re-
move the protection which public service cor
poration companies-such as lighting. power
and telephone companies have enjoyed
| under the law. and which makes 1t possible
for this company, as well others, despite
| all alleged restrictions of charters, to GO any
where and enter into cut-throat com petition
with their neighbors, driving the weaker to
the wall and leading it to the consolidation in
Maine to electric lighting into q trust, which
might proceed to organize in such form that
future legislatures might view with equa-
nimity plans FOL. carrying its electricity across
the State frontier.
NINE-INCH LOBSTER LAW.
The niDe-inch lobster bill, which has
been introduced, has aroused the fisher
men 70 ngntlng pitch. Many lobstermen
were interested in the fight between the
weirmen and seiners, because OF the use OF
herring for bait, but the nine-inch lob
ster Dill has reused them all.
Some of them suspect that this lobster
law was put in to divide their forces on
the other fight, but the most of them feel
that the real purpose is to give the pound
keepers and big dealers q chance to get
the cream OF the summer trade, for in
addition to the nine-inch clause, the bill
also provides for a close time on Holsters
during the month of July.
The lobstermen claim that this is one OF
their best months, that they can often
sell Holsters to the summer people during
the mouth for 25 cents apiece that the
pound keepers wouldn't pay 15 cents for.
The nine-inch law has been tried in
other states, saw the fishermen who want