Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-06-30

until we can get right down TO rock
bottom and say to ourselves I'VE are
/ to receive so much income, we can af-
! ford to levy so much and we can spend
such money as we have, wisely and
/ economically
At the last session of the Legisla-
ture we changed the fiscal period
from the calendar year to the year be-
ginning July 1st and ending the fol-
, lowing July, so our appropriations
were made for a period of six months
from January to July of this year,
and then for two periods Of II months
each. At the end of June We shall
have completed one fiscal period and
that is going to help us in this re,
July to call upon every department
fhead and upon the head of every State
| institution to render an account of
| just what has been spent by that in
: riod. Then we can tell whether or
| not the appropriation made by the
Legislature has been expended wisely,
and am going to take the people of
! the State of Maine into my confidence
and show them just how We have man
aged for the first six months period.
1t you would only take an interest in
| the financial affairs of the State and
| and help by means of your defence
and council. l feel that this is a
| splendid opportunity for us to begin
| to take account of stock. so you may
expect early IN July 10 near WnSt we
have been doing and what has been
| paid in taxes for the first six months
t period.
! Water Powers
| I have identified myself, in the
minds of the people of the State of
Maine, with one or two questions, per-
haps more so than any other single
question, and l want to tell YOU some
thing about my ideas about the water
power question in the State of Maine.
The water power question is not a
J question solely for the state or Maine.
Every state in the Union is discussing
this question and the Federal Govern
nent has taken an active interest in
it, so that all over this country the
people are discussing what 10 do and
how to get the benefit of their water
powers. This is very critical. because,
during the war we were all faced with
the problem of how to get coal, and it
was brought right home to Us in the
State of Maine as to what to do for
fuel. That caused us to focus our
, attention upon this vital issue.
l believe that the people of the State
should share somewhat in the water
power development of the State. You
all know that the lakes OF Maine,
which we term the storage reser-
voirs" of the State. belong to the peo-
pie of the state of Maine. We are
, joint owners in these sources of our
water power, and | believe that the
State should control the water from
those lakes, should build dams and
hold back the water that now goes to
waste. so that the people located on
the rivers may derive the benefit from
that water as they need it.
1 water power as YOU all know. is
not of any particular value unde-
veloped. We want to have water
powers in Maine on which we can rely
and If we can get certain HoWage
, from a certain lake for 365 days in
the year. then that water power be-
comes of value. and the only way that
we can do this is to control the source
in such manner that the tremendous
| Head obtained in spring and autumn
may be held in reserve and d,stribut
ed evenly as needed during other sea-
sons of the year. | do not know what
the future holds in store for the State
of Maine in the water power qucs-
ton. | am only looking at the pres
cnt. I believe that the State, at the
present time, should develop one or
two locations and see how they work
out and if they prove successful we
can continue the work. The expendi-
ture will, / believe, prove a sound
business investment. and the funds in
vested will come back to the tax pay
ers in the form of rental, and then we
power user on the river.
This appears to me to be 4 very
mild form of public ownership. it
does not involve taking over private
/ =
people of the state develop what al
ready belongs to them. The question
Of water power is not. at the present
time however, a question of public or
down to this: SHALL THE LEG1s-
LATCRE Bf, ALLOWED TO CON
TLNUE TO TAKE THIS MATTER
INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND
M hEHEGT KN THE r THE1k v1 EHgM
or SHALL. THE PEOPLE OF THE,
State or MAINE BE AILOWED
TO : s !; THIS QUESTION For
course to pursue in this connection
it is my opinion. however, that the
people of the State should he allowed
to express their judgment through the
referendum. In no other way will
this question ever be settled right
There are some people in the State
who do not want a referendum or a
constitutional amendment, and ! re-
Erot il because while this question is
| being discussed, We cannot arrive at
any we'll defined policy to be pursued.
There is one thing. however, which
has been settled about the water pow
ers Of Maine and that is this. we have
water powers of Maine shall be kept
within the state Of Maine for the
benefit of the Maine people. That we
have settled and it has taken three
fS lSldllNf SESSIONS TO 90 II, but |
think that any Individual or corpora
ton approaching us with project
which means the taking over of any
of our power for uses outside the
state would meet with a cold recep-
ton.
I have occasion to go to Boston fire.
quently, and whenever ] go into Ger
tain large institutions the question of
water power is brought up and nv
stand regarding the matter creates an
atmosphere that is antagonistic, and
] am criticized for the attitude that
have taken. They have worry jeal-
Gus eye on the water powers of Maine
and those people outside of Maine are
just as determined to obtain our
rights and privileges as we are to re-
tain them. You have read of the So
called Super Power Line. They want
to take all of the water powers from
Virginia. tie them in with Niagara.
| taking In the coal mines oe Pennsyl-
Vania. and from them they will take
| the electricity for developing the in
dustries of the Atlantic Seaboard. I
have seen tie map which they have
prepared. and on that map is a nice
little arrow that points to tho heart
"f Names water power, showing that
their eyes are on the water power Of
| Maine. This Super Power Line, with
Maine connected. will travel down
along the coast and feed the indus
tries Of Massachusetts. Connecticut.
and New York: so we people of Maine
must watch that Super Power Line
very carefully and see that it does not
come across the New Hampshire Dor
! der. We ought to be able in Maine to