Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-05-05
AUGUSTA COUNCIL
VOTES TONIGHT ON
DAYLIGHT SAVING

AAuCS VIII DC 11cdTQ-
Strong Feeling That City
Government Will Abide by
Result of Referendum -
Other Special Business to Be
Transacted
Whether or not Augusta will adopt
the Daylight Saving plan this sum-
mer is to be finally decided at a spec
iai meeting of the City Council to be
held at 7.30 this Thursday evening at
City hall. At this time the Augusta
Chamber of Commerce will present
to the City Government the report of
the straw vote which was conducted
IN the city recently and there will be
an opportunity for both sides to be
heard on the matter.
Although the straw vote was
against Daylight Saving, the mem
bers of the City Council are not
bound by this expression of the peo-
pie. AS far as can be ascertained the
members of the Board of Aldermen
are equally divided on the question,
four in favor of it's adoption, and four
opposed. However, at the time of the
City Government vote some of those
personally in favor may feel that it
would be best to abide by the refer
endum and vote against it. In the
case of tie vote in the Board of
Aldermen, under the City Charter
Mayor Sanford l.. FoCg has the priv
ieSe of voting, and it has been re-
ported that Mayor Fogg is not in IA =
vor of Daylight Saving as brought
forward at this time. Alderman
| Withee is reported to be opposed to
! its adoption, but as he has been i'll
to be present tonight to cast his vote
! AS it looks now. the Common Coun-
ell is also pretty we'll divided on the
question. There is a strong feeling
in the city. however that as the
straw vote was conducted in the city
at the request of the City Govern
ment, they will be guided strongly by
the result of the vote.
Many of those in favor of Daylight
| Saving appear not to have lost hope
/ however, and it is rumored that they
as we'll as the "antiS' will be at the
meeting tonight in full force. There
has been no criticism of the vote in
the city as q straw vote, but there is
some contention that a systematic
plan of votins~by wards would show
different results.
The result OF the Chamber OF
| Commerce referendum showed the
Augusta people voting 2lSI against
Daylight Saving to 1867 in favor
and the people in the outside town:
voting 511 opposed to so in favor
This does not include between % ano
IS votes that were received at the
office of the Chamber of Commerce
later, and have not yet been counted
The referendum result showed 3
much stronger vote against Daylight
Saving by the mill people of the
city than was anticipated. AS ar
example it is pointed out that in
Ward where most of the employ es
of the Edwards Manufacturing Co
reside, the vote was about $50 OPP
posed to about SO in favor.
a petition from the Pomona
Grange of Kennebec county repre-
senting 300 farmers and all oppose
to Daylight Saving, has recently
been fled with City Clerk Frank f.
Southland. Some time ago. the Ken
nebec Farm Bureau in letter to the
city clerk expressed its disapproval
of the adoption of Daylight Saving.
t., Ii, ;frl,s
ing matter yesterday, City Clerk
Frank L. Southland referred to the
I fact that Senator Edge of New Jer-
sey had introduced a resolution in
/ the United States Senate providing
! for Eastern Standard time to be
, moved ahead one hour until Septem
Der. this to cover the Atlantic
/ states, and he suggested that this
might offer the solution to the local
difficulties.
Secretary George c. Clarke of the
: Augusta Chamber of Commerce
said: I'VE have no reason to ques-
ton the validity of the vote as re-
corded by the referendum. The
people have clearly expressed their
WISHES NY IL SuDStdutldl lIlaJOT1Iy ana
the vote was the largest ever polled
| in the city of Augusta. T believe
| the people are to be trustd in mat
| tiers of this kind and that the city of
Augusta should abide by the decision
of the referendum.
1.-THE position of the Chamber of
Commerce, however. is simply that
OF an impartial organization report
ing the will of the people as ex-
pressed in the peoples vote. A COM
mittee Of representative citizens,
three of whom were in favor and two
opposed to Daylight Saving, were
chosen for their integrity rather
than because of their sentiment on
the question and carefully inspect
ed the ballots, and has >arefullv
counted them. They 80 present
this total to the city government
without further comment We will,
Of course, defend the validity of the
vote II necessary. but the Chamber
Of Commerce will argue neither for
or against Daylight Saving"
waterville has alrsacv voted down
the proposition Of Daylight Saving
for this year. while Gardiner and
Hallowel1 seem to be holding off