Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-01-07

1
such a workmen's compensation law
as will place our state abreast OF 9TH
er states, for the protection Of our
wage earners, and the insuring Of
| friendship and feeling of mutual in
terest and dependence between en-
ploye and employer.
Public Utilities
The. question of reasonable regula-
| ton and control Of persons and cor
porations furnishing public service
of different kinds to the people Of our
state is one uppermost In the pub
lie mind today. We are dependent
for our every day needs upon the
transportation, telephone. telegraph,
water, light, and power companies.
These constitute the most important
public service concerns, and are
mostly corporations. Their charters
have been granted by the people
through their representatives in the
legislature or by the general law.
| They have cost these companies moth
ing excepting the asking and some
small fees.
The people are also the patrons OF
these companies end pay for the ser
| vice they get from them which fur
nishes the funds for their operating
| EXPENSES. and interest on money in
vested in them; but the people of our
state have very little to do with their
management and operation. The Of
ncers and agents OF these companies
nave practically free hand to do as
| they please, yet, do not claim that
under these conditions, our public
! service companies, in the main, have
not used the public reasonably we'll.
| These companies as rule make their
| own prices and formulate the rules
| which regulate their service, and the
| public can take 1t or leave It, as they
| please. on these terms and condi-
tons. believe that the time has
| come. both in the interest Of the pub
lie service companies. and the public
10 be served by them, when public
service commission orcourt should be
| established for this purpose. | be-
| ieve ouch a court can in many ways
ne Of great service to our people.
| and | Iost earnestly recommend Its
establishment, with proper authority
for the regulation and control OF the
Il t,,,I In hu. Il nF state
| The sc-called wisconsin law" which
has been adopted by many states,
understand has proven very salts
| factory wherever adopted and put into
| operation. 1t would undoubtedly
| need some modification to apply to
our conditions.
Water Storage and Fire Protection
During the past few years an un-
usual interest has developed In the
state in regard to water power. The
United States government, In its geo.
logical survey. particularly In the
Photographed department. has done
valuable work relative to the deter
Il
our water powers. Our own state
survey commission and our water
storage commission. which were COM
bined by act Of the last legislature,
chapter 175, public laws 1911, have
| also done much valuable work along
this line, and the question Of the con-
/ ~ ho
OF the great natural resources OF the
state is a subject OF constant discus
sion, and one in which feel that all
the people are much interested. Our
lumber and pulp business comprise
more than one-half OF our manufac-
turing. A great many Of the towns
and cities depend almost wholly upon
the forests, and our cotton and woolen
mills also depend upon the water
power.
The problem Is to use as evenly
every day In the year the forty-two
inches OF rainfall we have annually.
| insist that the first requisite Is the
/, preservation of the forests from de-
structlor by fire, and the next the
regulation of the amount OF cutting
done upon the forest lands. The
best method, OF modern forestry,
looking to the preservation OF the for
ests, Is that OF cutting only such
timber as Is merchantable-spruce
and pine. down to trees that are
twelve inches. breast high. and not
smaller; and the corporations which
own large areas Of land and require
a large annual product for the supply
of their mills, looking to the future
as we'll as to the present. cannot af-
ford to cut their timber in any other
way.
I believe II we could have substi-
tuted in the place Of the tax We now
have, a very small charge upon the
forest lands and an income tax upon
the product annually taken from 1t,
that this would tend, more than any
other thing, to increase the growth
and preservation Of the poorer forest
territory In the state.
am sure that I know OF many
pieces of land today which under the
present laws the owners are planning
to denude and make worthless for
several generations to come. both as
timberlands and as holding ground
for water; whereas, II only nominal
tax was assessed against them, they
would be permitted to grow and be-
come valuable forest land again.
Wild Lands and the Maine Forestry
District
The Sixty-fourth legislature. by
chapter 1913 OF the public laws OF
1909. passed an act creating the
Maine forestry district and providing
for protection against forest fires
therein. This act starts out with the
declaration that the forests situated
mainly in the plantations and unor-
eanized townships are one OF the
chief sources Of wealth to the state.
and the protection OF such forests
from destruction by fire is OF the
greatest Importance; to this end 1t is
a paramount duty Of this legislature
to have funds provided without delay
for such protection"
There are several suggestions IN
| the report of the state land agent and