Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-13
Lively Hearing Held
Before Legal Affairs

Nacaf barns for employees" asked How
.5fard Davies Of Portland, in a hearing
VII Wednesday. before the legal affairs
es cBmmttee of Superintendent Ivers OF
1At the Portland & Lewiston Street Rail-
1t way during the giving of testimony on
I'll the act limiting the hours OF motor
Is men and conductors to nine hours
sE week DAYS and eight hours Sundays
eA We do. replied Mr.. Ivers. We pay
{ the men while waiting for runs and
q Willie they are playing pool
ia air, Davies bill would limit hours OF
si employment a stated and still leave
81 them open for extra work al regula.
y pay.
"a TIE opposition TO the bill was that i
+ would prove an injury 10 the class il
4 affested BIZ reftsteins THEN. hours OF Ia
3 Dor.
f. Frank Briggs superintendent OF
transportation of the Portland Street
E Railway. A. s. MaereadIe, superintend-
ent Of the Cape division. j. W. Bowie
j snperntendent Of the Lewiston. Au
I susta d Waterville and the Bath
branch Maurice NJ. Mccormick. as
sistaiff superintendent ef the Bangor
Street Railway. and Superintendent
Ivtrssof Portland opposed the bill and
explained that ii was mol demanded but
was opposed by their employees as il
reduced their hours of labor. Now they
were paid by the hour generally. and
FOR overtime at day rates. It was
brought out that the Bangor and Port
land systems have recently established
pensioning and death benefits whereby
employees receive. when retiring at the
age of &c. after 20 years of service
one third OF their wages and 500 Is
paid at death without expense TO the
mon. It vas al this point that super
intendent Ivers referred to the pool
tables in barns where men could play
the game while drawing pay.
The Powers of S. o. Co.
'.The Standard Oil 90. has right
to skate on the Kennehec and to sell
shoe strings n Bath. and are also cut
ting into the lunch business down
there declared 5. f. Martin. a Bath
restaurant keeper, al the hearing on
Representative Sweets act for the
state ownership of lands. minerals,
water powers and resources. and Judge
James s Lowell OF Bath. speaking &
length. declared that ii was time for
Names conserve what was left and
that legislation in these days seemed
to De along lines of grabbing every
thing in sight. Mr.. Lowell quoted
Roosevelt. Taft ard Pinchot as being
IN favor Of conservation OF the States
resources and declared that there was
something wrong in Maine and the ma
ton where most of the natural re-
he hon
The Constitution. he declared. was not
to promote The 'grab-all' game and he
favored the immediate favorable action
Of the committee ON this bill
c. p. Roberts representing the Bath
Socialists delivered a brief address
ON the necessity of conservation of
, these resources and was followed by
feorge P. Larrabee of Bath. who ia
-vored the SWEET act.
:. b. Martin, the last speaker for the
proponents after hitting at the stan
dard OH Co. was asked by the COM
mittee what his business was, and re-
sxplied that he was in the restaurant
Cuisines.
Then You object to these corpora
tions VIII chains of restaurants be-
cause they cut into your business 80
inquired Senator Bailey.
- do. gentlemen. They sell cheap
meals till they drive all such men as
me out of the business and then-why
yon have TO pay for yoGr dinner. ex-
claimed Martha, amidst laughter.
IN pehalf ofHhe Maize Electrical As
association Joseph Williamson of Angus
Ia. opposed the -aet as .impraoticabIe
- Safeguards in Factories.
d. Rep. Bemaps act requiring safe
guasGs in manufacturing establish
-slnents and providing for civil remedies
.-of employees against negligent owners
{ IN accident and death cases. was pre-
e5sented the committee by Former Labor
T. ]. Lyons. Who said
: that Maine was the only State without
such law and the necessity of it was
= made apparent 10 him when acting as
commissioner.
Liens on Buildings and Lots.
Howard r. Ivers OF Portland repre-
fgbsenting the Berlin Mills Co., and Eu-
gene Smith of the firrn OF Smith &
Rumery. opposed the amendment OF
s-sthe Statutes relating to liens on build
y ings and lots which provides notice Of
FIVE days from dealer TO owner of prop
i erty where materials for building are
eto be used on the grounds that it
1,swonid injure the business OF dealers
in materials and open the door for
= crooked contractors while working
Sinjury 70 reputable contractors.
i Owners sent such notice would be
~-~come SUSPICIOUS of the reliability Of
contractors in n financial sense By be-
.osing notified that a lien would run
against their property. and irresponsi-
bic contractors would spring up under
this protection and injure responsible
contractors as well as dealers in ma
fterlals
ss4 ,z.-.~,x $3.50 r.tn