Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-08

alleged that parucular company was
supplying it, CUSTOMERS ltn water unit
for domestic use because of1.yase pol
luton. In each instance either the con..
pany has admitted the truth Of the allie
CATION land set up justifcation) or our
investigation h established the fact.
There are. no doubt, other places in
the State where the people are being fun
nished water which is not at all times
fit for domestic use; and this commission,
upon formal or informal complaint or as
a result Of its own investigation. will do
all that 1t can do to secure to each COM
munity a full supply Of pure water. But
we cannot do everything. and the entire
responsibility Of remedying existing con-
ditions cannot be placed, and does not
rest upon this commission-not, in fact
upon 1t or the water company alone. A
great deal can and ought to be done by
each community being served. In the Ola
Town and Brewer cases the company ana
the commission can do nothing satisfac-
tory or final until a contract Is ratified
or rejected by the voters.
1.-THE time has come, If it has not al
ready arrived, when the State itself will
, 1uduSuIdlo d SySIcIH VI IcBuldtlOu anu
control Of all sources and incidents of
water for domestic use and give to each
community served full assurance that no
dangerous or unclean thing rests within
or within reach of the streams, ponds and
lakes out of which is to be drawn pure
water for domestic use," the quoted
words being those used in the charter of
practically every water company.
"Our statute merely provides that any
person who knowingly or willfully" cor
rupts a spring. brook. pond. stream. lake
or reservoir, the waters of which are
used for domestic purposes. or who
knowingly" corrupts the sources of the
supply of any water company. shall be
punished. etc. There are three important
objections to permitting the foregoing
to be the only law on this important
matter, viz:
"First-It is practically impossible to
prove that any person knowingly or
wilfully" has corrupted any water supply,
hence there are no attempts at prosecu-
ton even in cases where the actual cor
ruption is undoubted.
"Second-The law seems to place the
burden of prosecution upon the water
company, and in most instances the man.
ager is a lifelong resident in the COM
munity served and shrinks from publicly
haling into court a neighbor who is per-
haps a friend, hence he does not act in
cases calling for action.
"Third-Much of the dangerous pollu-
ton results from carelessness or needless
ness, for which the law provides no usa-
BILE remedy; and as a practical matter,
colon bacilli which enter the pipes of a
water company as the result of the fall
ure of some persons or corporation to OBJ
serve the rules of common decency will
do just as much damage to user of that
water as would the same bugs existing
in the same water as a result of some per-
sons wilful act.
This last statement leads us to go
back to the original proposition, that the
State itself must lend it's aid. We tax all
the people to build highway used large
ly by one community; the legislature ap-
propriates money to build bridge for a
town whose resources have been crippled
by freshet: we are liberal in the aid
rendered a hospital used by the people of
a limited area. What objection can there
be to raising and expanding money in
protecting from pollution water to be used
by our people in places where the COM
pany cannot or will not afford such pro-
tection?'