Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-03
PIER PROJECT
fCoutinued from PAGE One)


out that there are many cases in
which huge docks fail to pay and as
cases in point he referred TO the Bcs-
ton & Albany docks in South Boston,
the New London State Pier and the
Commonwealth Pier in Boston.
Mayor Mcdonald told the commit
tee that the proposed pier will cost
s3,000000 to build and will cost near
err 100000 before the last bonds arc
taken care of. And these bonds. re-
member. are mortgages on every
piece Of property in the State OF
Maine," concluded the Mayor.
Chairman Henry f. Merrill of the
State Pier Commission, was the prin-
cipal opponent to the measure. Chair
man Merrill told of the history of
the measure, which the act operates
to repeal, of the study of the situa-
ton made by the commission for the
past four years and of the almost
unanimous support the measure re-
5ceived when it went to the vote OF
the people of Maine in all parts of
the State.
THE people Of Maine have! had
plenty of opportunity to look into the
entire question" said Mr.. Merrill,
: land they apparently availed them
selves of this opportunity before vot-
ing on the measure when the oppor-
tunity was given them. 1t is impos-
sible to conceive of the people from
other parts of the State voting by a
wide margin to give such a project
tn Portland unless they thought it for
the best interests Of the entire State.
The people of Maine must be shown
and their vote on the adoption of.
tiis measure showed conclusively
that they were for the project in
solid body"
Mr.. Merrill went into the details of
the selection of the present pier site at
the present location of Gait and Frank
lin wharves on the Commercial street
waterfront of Portland. He claimed
| that South Portland was apparently
satisfied in the measure until the COM
mission. for obvious reasons, failed to
select a site in South Portland and
since that time the Cape city has reg
! istered strenuous objection to it. The
conditions are more favorable at the
present time than ever before, said
the speaker, for the elimination of the
project, for 1t is believed that the in
coming Congress will repeal the La
toilette act. which has hurt the ship
ping industry by placing extraordi-
nary financial burdens upon it and
with the 100000 extra tons of ship
ping in this country under the coming
two years program shipping will
thrive as never before.
In reply to Mayor Mcdonald. Mr..
Merrill stated that the Grand Trunk
has been doing 100 per cent. bust
ness at its Portland docks during the
past season and read a letter from
one of the officials of the company
in which that statement was verified
and which turned down an applica-
ton for dock facilities from a repre-
sentative of another shipping concern.
THE Grand Trunk railroad is one of
the States biggest assets" said Mr.
Merrill, but bear in mind, gentle
men. that the United States officials
will not allocate United States ship
ping to foreign owned piers and the
Grand Trunk piers are English piers
owned by English capital. There are
"a state or municipality owned piers
in the United States and the only one
that has been failure is that at New
London, fact caused by the absence
Of proper railroad facilities"
1T has come to my attention recent
ly.that allusion has been made by OPP
ponents to the pier proposition that 1
have personal motives in advocating
, hat s,.k4 t.
comes from the fact that the company
in which I am interested owns proper
ty in close proximity to the proposed
pier site and that l hope to sell this
property for the purpose of enrich
ing myself pers onally and my COM
pany. l hope it will not become neces-
sary for me to defend my honesty of
purpose before this committee. My
vocation is the coal business and 1t is
from this business that I derive my
income. 1t would hardly be good
business for me to sell myself out of
a business at my age when it is too
late for me to engage in another
and especially to sell the property at
a value to be placed upon it by an ap-
praiser."
| You do not need to defend your
motives before this committee, Mr.
Merrill said Chairman Thombs Of
the committee.
Mr.. Spofford of the engineering firm
of Fay, Spofford & Thorndilse of Bos-
| ton, engineers for the commission, ad-
= dressed the committee in connection
with the details of the investigation
made on the proposition by his firm
during the past four years. He said
that the estimated cost of the 1000
foot structure Of piles with a con-
crete deck. deck houses and equipment
tcomplete is about 1,035, 900, exclusive
Of the site which is to be provided by
the city of Portland. He said that
the site. selected after much inyes-
tigation, is advantageous from the
standpoint of rail facilities and con-
venience of location from both water
and land standpoints.
James @. Gulnac of Bangor and
Fred w. Bunker of North Arson, both
members Of the State Pier Commission,
spoke in favor Of the project and in
opposition to the bill under hearing.