The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-06-13

Attention is called to the state
ment in a former issue of this pa
per that during the past seven
years many of the most note
worthy enterprises involving pow
er and storage development to the
extent of more than 90, horse
power and an expenditure of large
sums of money have been made.
But the Lewiston Journal insists
that there is combination OF cor
porations that is hostile to the
welfare of Maine and it calls this
supposed combination "the Octo-
pus." 1t infers that sixteen cor
porations control nearly all the
water powers in Maine and consti-
tute the Octopus. Let us examine
into the component parts of the
Octopus. The list includes:
The Union Water Power Com
pany of Lewiston and its allied
interests, the Union Electric Com
pany and the Androscoggin Reser-
voir Company, the sources of pow
er for operating the great Cotton
Mills of Lewiston.
The Androscoggin Electric Com
pany which supplies Lewiston and
Auburn with light and power, and
furnishes the motive power to the
| Street Railroad and to the Portland
and Lewiston Interurban Railroad.
The Rumford Falls Power Com
pany, which has developed the
! thriving town of Rumford Falls
and the prosperous manufacturing
enterprises therein, including the
Oxford Paper Company.
The International Paper Company
with its paper and pulp mills locat-
ed in seven communities of the
| State.
The Great Northern Paper Com
pany with its record of remarkable
achievement of building towns and
creating business.
The Central Maine Power Com
pany, supplying power and light to
sixty cities and towns of the CEN
trail portion of the State.
The st. Croix Paper Company.
which has created new communi-
ty and added millions to the valua-
ton of the State.
The Hollingsworth & Whitney
Company of Madison, Winslow
and Gardiner, whose predetermined
policies are acknowledged every
where.
The Pejepscot Paper Company,
with its allied companies, the
Bowdoin Paper Company and the
Lisbon Falls Fibre Company, whose
activities are so important factor
to the towns of Brunswick, Tops
ham and Lisbon Falls.
The Cumberland County Power
& Light Company, which has con-
verified the Saco River into a power
house for supplying the City of
Portland with light, power and
transportation.
The Bangor Railway and Electric
Company, that is to Bangor and
Penobscot County the source of
many and vital activities.
The Pepperell Manufacturing
Company of Biddeford, without
which that thriving city would be-
come village.
The S. D. Warren Company,
which has made the Presumpscot
River the most highly developed
water power river in the United
States.
The Orono Pulp and Paper Com
pany of Orono.
The wards Manufacturing
Company of Augusta.
The Lockwood Manufacturing
Company of Waterville.
Is it a scandal that the above
mentioned corporations own large
percentage of the water powers of
Maine2
Are not practically all the devel-
opments, not only of water powers,
but of every kind of enterprise o.
magnitude, made by corporations3
How could it be otherwise? Has
Maine individuals of sufficient
wealth to conduct these import
ant industries without corporate
charters2
If these corporations are mimi
cal to the interests of the people,
why does the State charter them
and allow them to prey upon the
public?
| What would be the business con-
dition of Maine without them2
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