Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-13
MILEAGE BOOK MSSUE"
FLATTENED BY GOVERNOR
IN HIS SPEECH AT DOVER
Either Bill as Law Would Have
Been Useless Against Action
of the Maine Central

or operated by them in their own or oIn-
er names, under lease or otherwise,
which now, or hereafter may, issue a
mileage ticket of one thousand one mile
coupons for the use of the traVeiling
public and keep the same on sale at thelr
regular passenger stations, Shall also IS
sue a mileage ticket of five hundred one
mile coupons, and sell the same at all
the stations where the one thousand mile
ticket is now, or hereafter may, be sola'
at the same rate per mile as the one
thousand mile ticket may be sold. Inc
holder of any such mileage ticket snail
he entitled to travel, by any regular pas
senger trainr over the road issuing the
same and all other lines of the railroad
owned, operated or leased by 1t, as many
miles as there are coupons contained IN
such ticket.
Provided. however that the minimum
mileage to be detached shall be regulat-
ed by the printed contract contained III
such ticket.
In House of Representatives. March
81, 1913. Read three times and passed 10
he enacted. (Sgned) John A. Peters,
Speaker 80
and passed to be enacted. (Signed) Carl
e. Milliken, President. 49,,
49,. 800. ...........'..' -. I9lo
-. .................. ........... Governor
Approved.
Alexander, Secretary of State.
In consideration of the absolute use
lessness of this bill, and also the fact
that we had already passed and 1 had
approved the aforesaid public utilities
bill, vetoed it, In my veto message I
distinctly stated that Had this last
named act not been passed, l should have
approved the act to regulate and estao-
fish mileage rates" but it seemed incon-
sistent to me for the Legislature to pass
such a bill after they had passed the
Public Utilities act. The legislature
failed to pass the bill over my veto but
during the last days of the session, they
passed an act which was identically the
same except the heading. Its title this
time was AN Act Amendatory of and
Additional to Chapter Thirty-seven OF
the Public Laws of Nineteen Hundred
Nine Relating TO the Issuance of Mile
age Books by Railroad Corporations.
This time the title to the bill was con-
sistent with the bill. This measure hav-
ing been vetoed by me, and the Legisla-
ture having failed to pass it over my We
to, 1t seemed to me strange on the part
of the LEGISLATURE to force it upon me
again. However, our Constitution pro-
vides that eff the bill shall not be re-
turned by the Governor within five days,
Sundays excepted after it shall have
been presented to him, it shall have the
same force and effect, as If he had sign
ed it, unless the Legislature. by their
prevent its return, in which
case it shall have such force and effect,
unless returned within three days after
their next meeting"
Now, the Legislature adjourned within
the five days after this bill had been pre-
scented to me a second time for approval.
did not veto it. Neither did l sign it.
Consequently it becomes law within
three days after the meeting of the next
Legislature unless vetoed, and if l am
elected Governor, 1 shall not veto 1t
so that 1t will become a law three days
after the next Legislature meets, unless
some other Governor Is elected and does
veto it. If it does become law, it will
be of no use to the people of Maine as
anyone can see by reading It. The Maine
Central Railroad Company has already
withdrawn the thousand mile mileage
book from the market. They could
have done just the same If this bill had
become a law, as there is nothing by Its
terms that prevents them from doing so.
Its only purpose was, as 1t says, to pro-
vide for the sale of a five hundred mile
mileage book at the same rate as that
charged for the one thousand mile mile
age book. The railroad would have. the
thousand mile mileage book and keep it
on the market, or withdraw it from the
market, and then put any price they saw
fit on the five hundred mile mileage
book as they have done, and as against
my protest by open letter as the public
knows
Consequently anyone who can read and
understand can clearly see that my &C
lions have had nothing whatever to do
with the present rate of mileage books of
the Maine Central Railroad Company or
any other railroad in this State.
Now, the thing for the people of Maine
to do is to vote for and approve the Pub
lie Utilities bill in September, and then
we can go before a court and find out
for our mileage books, and until we have
iHlS court, we never Snail KNOW what is
right and just in this matter between the
people and the railroads
My veto message in full reads as fol-
lows and the second bill will also give
you in its exact language, so you can
see for yourselves that this matter is as
have stated to you.
To the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives.
Veto Message.
Gentlemen: l return herewith IAN Act
to Regulate and Establish Mileage Rates
for the Conveyance of Passengers over
the Steam Railroads within the State"
My principal reason for doing this is
that / have just approved "Ah Act to
Create Public Utilities Commission.
Prescribe it's Powers and Duties, and
Provide for the Regulation and Control
of Public Utilties.,.' Had this last nam
ed act not been passed, I should have
approved the act to regulate and estab-
lish mileage rates, but If | understand
the matter right, the bill creating pub
lie utilities commission was enacted for
that very purpose, that is. the control of
public utilities coming within the scope
of that bill, and particularly the regula-
ton of rates and fares of railroads.
The act creating the public utilities
commission will go into effect in Septem-
Der next, and the act to regulate and es-
tablish mileage rates does not go into
effect until July. Without going into
any extended discussion OF the merits
OF. the question of the regulation and es-
adjustment of mileage rates and the