Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-22
OICiARY
Van Buren, Light & Power District
Takes the Whole Afternoon

For at least four hours Wednesday aft-
ernoon the committee on judiciary lis
tened 10 testimony and arguments for
and against an act TO incorporate the
Van Buren, Light Il Power District. IL
was a severely technical hearing, al
though incidentally 1t developed hVeiy
fight. and only experts in law and cleo
tricity could intelllgently have followed
all parts Of IL.
The act creates a section Of the town
of Van Buren, as a body polite, grants
N the right TO generate and sell electrici-
~, and authorizes It to acquire by pur-
chase the capital stock. plants ana IRAN
chise OF the Van Buren, Light rover
Co. by which the inhabitants are no"
supplied. II is Furthermore provided that
In the event Of tho directors OF the van
Buren Light & Power Co. and trustees
OF the district fail 10 agree upon pur
chase price by Aug. /. 1917. the valuation
shall be fixed by a committee OF three
disinterested appraisers. appointed ny
the court.
Tha nrononents who were represented
BY Attorneys Thomas Lee of Augusta
ter Charles Keegan Of Van Buren,, hel 4
that there is dissatisfaction with the
present power and also with the existing
scale OF prices; and they held. also, that
when community has satisfactorily
proved its desire and ability to take
over the plants and franchises OF pubic
service corporations, under circumstance
applicable in the present case. the permits
slon is customarily granted, even though
the proponents do not go step further
and prove inadequacy of service. They
held. In short, that the creation of the
district would be for the best interests
OF the people, and that If the town OF
Van Buren, seriously wants municipal
ownership II should be given the oppor-
tunity.
The opponents, whose cause was con-
Quoted by Attorney Ransford w.
Shaw Of Houlton, had two contentious
first, that the owners of the Van Blu
rem Light e. Power Co. would be de-
prived of their rights; second, that no
sufficient evidence had been intro
duced TO estat lish a demand for the
change Owners of the company, 1t was
contended, installed the present system
at their own expense, taking business
chance which very many would not
have done: they were actuated very
largely by public spirit; and it would
be poor acknowledgment of their
public spirit and enterprise, and a
thorough discouraEemcnt to others, to
now take away their franchies and
rights NJ time when the growth OF
the community gives promise OF a
little return on the investment. Van
Buren, is growing. now, and the owners
OF the company have no desire to sell
They object, moreover to ultimately
leaving the matter Of recompense, in
all robability. to n committee which
however disinterested it might be,
would very likely not be informed up
on local conditions or In sympathy
with the company's aims and purposes
Petitions containing 447 names were
offered in support of the act. and pc
titions containing 80 names in remon-
STRANGE This, according 20 the oppo-
nents, shows IN itself there is little de-
mand for change: hut the proponents
refused TO accept this view. Arthur w
Brown. treasurer of the st. John Lum-
her Co. OF Van Buren,. testified that
the lights in his plant supplied by the
Van Puren Power Co. were dim and
unsatisfa Glory. Attorney Shaw. on the
other hand. offered * letters from
prominent business men who said that
their lights were furnished by the
Van Ruran Power co. and that they
were perfectly satisfied.