Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-25
Dr.. Young on Hotel Bill.

Editor kennebec Journal:
l beg the privilege of making few
brief statements about the hotel bill
and Of correcting a few errors in the
statement of Mr.. w. T. Emerson OF
| the Augusta House as his statement
appeared in the Journal of Tuesday
morning.
| Work on the preparation Of this bill
vas begun early but in its final form
| it was introduced late. The reason
for the delay in the presentation of
the bill to the Legislature was the
wish of the State board of health to
get the point of view of some of the
leading hotel men in the State. AS
reference has been made to the Kicker
Brothers l will say that three confer
ences were held with Hiram w. Kicker
and everything which in his opinion
was Objectionable was stricken out.
Afterwards, l had a conference with
Hon. Scott Wilson who, l understand.
had been employed by the Kicker
| Brothers to look over the bill. He
mentioned one thing which he said E.
p. Kicker felt doubtful about. That
was promptly stricken out. l was
cordially given to understand that H.
w. Kicker or E. P. Kicker would prob
ably be in attendance at the hearing
on the bill.
| Copies of the provisional bill and Of
the later form had been submitted to
hotel keepers by other members of
the State board of health and in it's
final form no objections were made to
its provisions. Friday. the 10Th, not
the day before the hearing. but four
days before it, while l was in Port
land, Mr.. Emerson of the Augusta
House visited the office Of the State
board of health. With a copy of the
printed bill. Senate go. in his hand,
he announced to the clerk who was
there in attendance. that while ad-
vocating the passage of the hotel in
| spection bill of two years ago. he was
not then in favor of the administra
ton of the hotel law by the State
board of health if the bill which was
| before the last Legislature had
passed: but that he had changed his
mind and that he was in favor of this
bill and would attend the hearing
Monday the 22d. at his request, had
conference with Mr.. Emerson at tho
| aug IStd iiouSc 1ilu saw iAo AhNiSo
ton whatever that he had changed his
mind. From what he said, 1 expected
| to see him at the hearing the next
day. He told me that he had showed
the bill to quite a number of hotel
men and had conferred with them
about it and not one had objected
Between the 22d and the next after
noon when the hearing came off.
something had apparently happened.
| At the hearing neither of the Rickers
nor Mr.. Emerson were present. Mr..
| Hill of the Belgrade Hotel was pres
ent at the hearing and heartily sup
ported the bill. He is. I believe, sec
rotary of the Maine Hotel Mems AS
sociation of which Mr.. Emerson is
president He offered TO the commit
! tee the suggestions for the amendment
Of sections two. FIVE and eight. The
amendments in sections two and five
were made in accordance with the
suggestion of Mr.. Emerson when |
talked with him the day before the
| hearing.
The editorial in the kennebec jour
nal of March 20 fails to say, while
trembling at the idea of rules and
regulations made by the State board
I of health, that such rules and regula-
tons before they can remain valid
must receive the approval Of the Gov
ernor and Council. Almost every
State board OF health is endowed with
the authority to make rules and reg
ulation5 touching health matters but
in no other state does their validity
depend upon the approval of the Gov
ernor and Council. This provision o.
the Maine law provides for what the
Kennebec Journal and the hotel inter-
ests should regard as a considerable
safeguard against anything wrong.
The State board of health has never
objected to this provision of the Maine
law. Yours truly,
A. G. YOUNG,