Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-28

I the state or maine claims US ala Hef suii'
and daughter nor knows she either race
or creed or party.
Augusta welcomes you this day Or
behalf of all our people l greet you. anc
In their name 1 say God speed YOU and
prosper the work in your hands"
Many persons had taken seats dur
ing Mr.. Newberts address, about 35(
or 375 being present.
Arthur A. Head, Chairman.
Mr. Adams announced the nemina-
tion of a temporary chairman in order,
and Thomas Ingraham, president OF
the Augusta Board of Trade, nominat-
ed Arthur \. HeaId of Waterville, field
secretary of the Y NJ. c, A, in Maine.
The nomination was unanimously car
ried and Mr.. Heald took the chair.
In accepting the office, Mr.. Heald
told one of his popular humorous sto-
ries, and, with his audience at once en-
uvened, launched into an analysis of
Maine's needs before she can assume
her proper standing in the nation
THAT Maine is at the dawn of a
new era" he said seems to be the
eoncensus of our most serious citizens.
These students of our body polite tell
us that this new era is one freighted
with great responsibilities. They tell
us that the cities OF this State must
in the next % years settle some of the
gravest and most far reaching ques-
tions of the century. They say for
example that our entire form of city
government is on trial, that the prob
lens of taxation. of rents. of conges-
ton, Of charity. of fire waste, of the
high cost of living and the cost of
high living, the distribution of food
stuffs. and the many and varied prob
lens relating to industrial competition
and combination are all problems
which are facing us and there is no
turning back. They say Furthermore
that slowly but surely this State will
come into line with the other states of
the Union and be ruled TO large
measure by the cities and whether we
are to be governed by Babylons full
of devils of corruption or by the New
Jerusalems fun of the glory of God is
matter that can only be settled by
the citizens Of this State.
This Is not all of our problem,
however. Maine has in the past and
VIII TO a large extent for the next fifty
years be a state where we must con-
slider the back counties il we are to
predict accurately the results of any
economic, social or political campaign.
The city must always feed off the
country. Powerful as may be our cities
they cannot afford to be Indifferent to
iS aaf
France and Portland or Bangor are
not Maine Our brains of our State
now are no longer confined to the
head but are dfffused throughout the
whole body. The cities come 10 the
country for its horses and in like man
ner and to a greater extent the cities
come to the country Tor a large pro-
portion of its men and families. There
fore when we ere considering our la
biiities for the future we must con-
slider the needs of the country and
thinking men are today saying that
these needs are as great as those of
the city and perhaps greater"
Speaking of the value of our cities
Mr.. Heald continued, Take again the
value of our cities. It may be sur
prise TO some of our pessimistic citi-
zens to learn that the assessed yalua-
ton Of twenty of our cities was Sl87,-
4sS GOA in 1912 or a gain in one year of
Sl2, 49S ,61S. Then in addition to this we
have enough more property in towns to
bring up our state assets to $47s.192,-
004 or an increase of twenty million
dollars over valuation for 1910. Or in
other words, if we were to set out the
State at its assessed valuation. and
then if we were to pay UP all our town
and city debts. totaling some sS.46i. 125
We still would have enough left to give
every man and woman and child in the
State S642."
However," went on the speaker,
I'VE have not by any means exhausted
our resources when we consider these
industries pertaining to the city. We
have even a more important industry
outside the city then either the pulp
and paper and the cotton business. l
refer TO agriculture. The great In
dustrv of our small towns. One will
find by investigating the reports of the
last census that we have over sixty
thousand farms here in Maine. More
farms than exist in any other New
England state, and that these farms
are managed by f1ftyfive thousand
native born citizens and five thousand
foreign born inhabitants.
Here then Is an industry embracing
sixty thousand small factories for l
think it is fair TO consider a farm as q
factory or mandatory. where raw
materials are converted into raw
products having greater value.
Sixty thousand manufacturing centers
each using as it's main body of raw
products, air, soil, water and sunlight,
the cheapest articles and the most
neglected material this old world af-
fords. Sixty thousand factories in the
midst of an inexhaustible supply of
raw products that do not have to be
mined or carried out of the state
gradually depicting the states wealth.
but the raw materials that can be
used over and over again without ap-
preciable loss Sixty thousand fac
tories each capable of doubling its out
put, each capable OF almost undreamed
efficiencies in management. Each
capable of prof1tably cutting down its
manufacturing and selling costs. each
in great need of the benefits of co.
operative organization. each making a