Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-08

| AuA AaSAA ooS oIiu electI1Clty anu IAAe I'VE
the present electric company there. mat
tiers were brought to a head when Judg;
H. E. Coolidge Of Lisbon. representing
the Yarmouth Electric Light & Power
Co.. said the company did not care il the
enabling act were granted, SO that the
town might hold a club over the heal Of
the company and administer spanking
to them If they didn't furnish better pow
er and lights in the town. and Chairman
Butler of Knox, who was presiding, said
If this had been before brought to the
attention of the committee an hour might
have been saved.
| The hearing was before the COMMITTEES
on public utilities Wednesday afternoon
and was the most interesting one before
that committee. About 20 other matters
| occupied the attention of the committee
| as>well as the act in question.
| Rep. Rowe of Yarmouth opened FOL
the proponents of the bills and conducted
the hearing in a manner which called
witty remarks and quick replies to coun.
sci opposing the act.
He said the act was simply an enabling
act for the town to have better lighting
and power facilities and was the result
of the towns action some two years ego
Because of the lack Of service, he said,
the town was hampered in getting new
Industries in the town.
Clarence L. Buchanan, one of the county
commissioners of Cumberland. was frs!
called. He is a native of Yarmouth ard
he Of o the
town on Royal river. He said the Var
mouth Manufacturing Co. which had fur-
nished lights in the town had abandoned
the plant and the town now has to g Ii
miles across country for electric service
He said one of the great necessities of
the town was electricity and another was
new industries, and that the town would
like to combine so they could pump lie
water and now they have to go to Lisbon
for Juice to do it with.
He said the town at its recent meet
ing had contracted for lights for an
other year and the co4tract was for
s2592 and had also asked for 10 addi-
tional lights.
John G. Hall, president of. the board
Of trade, said the board had been try
ing to get new industries into the town
but because the town couldn't assure
these industries of adequate power,
they had not come. He said rates were
excessive and the power often went
off just when it was needed. AT the
First Parish church one Sunday right
in the middle of a hymn the organ
stopped for lack o. power to run the
motor that pun ps the bellows" said
he. He said at numerous other times
when the knights of Pythias and Ma
sons were having installations or pub
lie affairs the lights went out and left
them in darkness.
isn't it true that the lights were off
only a little. time" said Attorney Har-
ry l.. Cram Of the Portland Company.
ANT that there was trouble up the
line and 1t was fixed up shortly?"
1T is true that a man went down
and started up the old steam plant
and that's where we got our power, not
from the power plant in Lisbon" said
Mr.. Rowe and this created laugh.
Rep. Clason was asked to state how
this charter worked out in Lisbon, the
one in question being almost a dupli
cate Of the Lisbon charter and he said
not satisfactory two years ago and that
a charter had been granted the town
Of LISBON and, then the company was
willing to make concessions, decrease
the cost of service and since then the
service had been better. He said this
year they had asked a renewal of their
charter and that just prior to this their
lights were a little dim and probably
it was because the company was send
ing the power down to Yarmouth and
brighten up their streets a little, there
doubtless being a reason.
D. S. Thomas. superintendent of
schools in Yarmouth, said if the men,
bers of the committee lived in Var
mouth they'd all he wearing glasses
because of the wretched lights in that
town.
He said at the lights burned
brightly, at 1880 they began to grow dim
and by IL they were just a glow and
he didn't understand why there should
be SUCH a change in the voltage. He
said the lights were not suitable for
school children nor adults.
ATTORNEY Cram made statement that
arrangements had been completed with
the Cumberland County Power and
Light Company of Portland to furnish
them additional power when they re-
quired it. He said the company had
been doing all it could to give the
best service possible in that town. He
said he objected to this bill because
nothing was said in it as to the allow
ance mads the company for it's fran
chise and if Yarmouth took over the
company, sorne such allowance should
be made. He said the company had
been tHing to get new industries to
come into the town and had always
tried to give good service. He told
where they got their power from the
Worumbo Company at Lisbon Falls and
they. had an auxiliary steam plant at
Would YOU operate the plant if the
town took it over.'' asked Mr.. Cram
of Rep. Rowe.
Eyes. or we should purchase power"
he replied.
A this stage Judge Coolidge asked the
committee consider the franchise of the
company which hadn't been considered
or provided for in the bill. He said If
Yarmouth wasn't getting good power
they ought to kick and he didn't blame
them. He said If this bill passed it
would simply be a club over the head
of the company and the company was
perfectly willingly they should pass the
bill if the franchise was taken care of