Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-09

from the Senator from York that there
was a jitney car came into Massachu-
sets. stayed es days and every day,
and every hour Of the day, 1t was just
about a minute or two ahead of the
trolley line car leaving its depot for
another Is that right? Is it a fair
competition and should we maintain
the laws of the State Of Maine and pro-
tect the property Of the State of Maine
and protect the property Of the State Of
Maine against such competition?
l hope, fellow senators. that you will
sec it in the same light that do.
Mr.. KICKER of Hancock: l am very
much interested in this matter. It
seems to refer only to the trolley lines
in Cumberland county, possibly, York
county. 1 was wondering how 1t would
affect the cars that travel from Bar
Harbor to Bangor. They parallel the
Maine Central Steamboat line and the
Maine Central Railroad. In Bangor,
they parallel in many cases the trolley
line, and have not heard any COM
plants from those people as to the
damage the automobiles are doing
there. In fact, take the section Of the
State which I represent, Hancock
COUHlyb dlSO III w dSillilS lOtl county anu
Penobscot county. it seems to me that
a bill Of this sort would be very poor
legislation to place on the books. I
cannot see anything but harm in 1t.
am certainly against it and l know the
people from my whole section are.
Mr.. GILLIN: Mr.. President, now the
question has taken definite form, l wish
to state and be corrected if l am mis-
taken-first, to reiterate that there new
or was any hearing on this bill before
any committee IT. this legislature as
now drawn and before US, and ask the
distinguished Senator Lord if it was
rot on another bill which is printed and
in these books. and is this is not a new
draft upon which no hearing was ever
had? l want to find out before l 20
further.
Mr.. LORD: In reply to that question
| will simply say that the hearing was
on the original bill and as a result OF
this hearing a new draft was drawn TO
meet the views of the committee, as the
new drafts are usually drawn that
come in.
Mr.. GILLIN: Then + was correct in
my statement. ! state to you, my fell
low senators, that on this new draft
which the committee drew there never
was any notice given, and | reiterate
II, and now the distinguished senator
las admitted it, so that | was right on
! that. Now l am glad that the distin-
Suished senator Merrill has shown the
real issue here, and has frankly adj
mitted that his bill ought to be labelled
q bill to be placed upon the statute
books of the State Of Maine to put
everybody who has a motor car with
which he is carrying passengers, out of
! business. And the distinguished SEN
ator has very frankly admitted that it
was drawn by the railroads. for the
railroads, in the interest Of the rail-
roads against eN erybody else. So there
are two things / was right in in nv
original statement.
/ | am sorry that we are taking this M
at this late hour, when our seats are
empty by the departure Of our senators,
hut hope and trust that when they
admit, and they cannot get away from
it now, that this is a. law for the sole
purpose, and that alone, Of putting out
of action any jitneys unless they COM
ply with thot such a law does not 90
Ippii me Sbdtulc UODhS Vi InG STATE.
Now, as | said in the opening. have
no interest whatever in 1t, and do not
disagree for one moment with my
brother Merrill, the distinguished SEN
ator when he says that it was made
in the interests of the railroad and
when YOU come 10 put out Of action a
number Of cars, Mr.. President, that are
in Hancock county, in Penobscot coun-
ty, in PiscataqLis county, and in all the
other counties of the State. 1t seems to
me it ought not to be done.
Mr.. MERRILL: Mr.. President, the
learned senator from Penobscot IS not
perfectly correct in his premises, and
when YOU start out in the wrong prem
Uses YOU are liable to come to wrong
conclusions. He says that the Senator
from Somerset admits that this was
Drawn by the railroads, and in their be-
half, and so forth and 50 on.
Mr.. GILLIN: That is as under
stood it.
A Mr.. MERRILL: 7 stated that did
not know by whom it was drawn.
whether by the railroads or not, but as
7 considered it l was willing to look
upon it as though drawn in the inter
/ GStS bl the I1lifOdNS. NOW L 90 not
know whether it was or was not. I do
not know who drew the bill. And then
my brother senator goes on further and
says with a great deal of force that
this bill was never before any COM
mittee.
Mr.. GILLIN: The new draft.
Mr.. MERRILL: / say to you, Mr..
President and fellow Senators that
consider that this bill has been before
q committee and fully heard, and like
hundreds of other bills that we have
passed upon during this session. The
bill was heard by the committee. The
parties interested came in. And the
committee voted ought to pass in a new
craft. There are hundreds Of bills
that have thus passed this legislature
and gone through this senate this very
term. SO that all the noise that is
made about this bill never having been
heard by any committee is all wind
and nothing else.