Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-04-01
SlEloeRlPHlC REPORT

ss9 sssoss eaDs Fsss)
s Grey sA1f ps1nkzsut delinite-
{H0e o1ky eaeetrse4an. That was
sJues6eot ds0nlteay b 11r. Rounds,
w were asked the question If
fsa1au officers had ever been
pAD4alsd 10 for q ncense IN this par
sac1ar instance. They said they did
~ know, and their only complaint
Wae tlsaf they could not get the
DaAh3pal officers to act. II they
ennst get the municipal officers to
act in Portland, in Il any reason why
This law should be 30 changed that
any person wanting to move indis-
cr1minately through the streets
should serve notice, and IL the pub
lie service corporation, or whoever
may be the owner of the poles, does
not move within a definite period of
time, say 48 hours. the person him.
self can cut those wires and move
them, doing whatever injury he has
a mind to and inconveniencing the
public service which is being served
by those wires and poles This law
provides ample means by which, on
application to the municipal officers,
those changes can be made, and it
is. entirely within the discretion of
those municipal officers who shall
pay Now I think that is a fair law
and it gives ample protection for a
man who wants to move a building
and to the public being served by
those corporations.
Mr.. ROUNDSf Mr. Speaker, I
would like to state that at this hear
ing 1 was the only man who appear
ed for the BILL the lawyers from all
parts of New England appeared
against it, Why, gentlemen, we were
told there that they could not con-
meet with Europe and with North
America: business had got to stop.
Now I did not believe it and
they mentioned a barn down here in
the country somewhere and they said
they never should move the barn be-
cause it would stop all traffic between
Europe and America, and the barn
has never been moved yet. Now if a
man wants to get onto his own prop
erty, it seems to me as though he
ought to have the right to move a
pole three or four feet one way or
the other so he can get into his own
dooryard. You know that the aver
age man has not got whole lobby
hanging around the city government,
as well as around the State Legisla-
ture, as some of these corporations
have: and that is where the trouble
is. and they work it for all it is
worth. That is why I want this
thing done. so the law may protect
q W. nf n s-<4 /, :.
own dooryard They put a pole I'D in
front of my house, and I told them
I would cut it down and they moved
il land now they have got a law and
you have to hire a lawyer to find
out about it, 1 tell you it is time
we had a little right in our own
streets.
Mr.. WILSON of Pressure Isle: Mr..
Speaker, / am somewhat interested
in the passage of the law under dis
cussion. Two years ago it was made
for the purpose Of protecting the
public utilities. electric light, tele-
phone and telegraph, in the moving
of buildings. Previous to the pas
sage of this law they would go
ahead anc move a building right up
companies. and they did not stop at
that but they would shove it UP
against the line and break it. 1 have
in mind an instance at Mars Hill
where they were to move a building
under a high tension wire running
into Houiton In this particular in
stance they notified the company and
the company told them they would
be on the spot at a certain hour if
they would have their building
there. They had the building moved
to the place where the wire was and
the boss of the job said: Boys, we
will go under that wire" They went
under but it broke the high tension
wire and there was some scurrying
around the streets for a while Under
those conditions it rather requires
the man who moves the building to
get license for moving it so that
he will not meet with any delays
when he comes to these wires, nat
urally getting the buildings moved
and out of the street a great deal
more quickly. In the past two years,
to my knowledge. in the town. where
l live, there have been 10 buildings
moved. and the municipal officers in
each case have adjusted the cost SO
there never has been a complaint by
either the man who moved the build
ings or the utilities whose wires were
cut There is no provision in the
law whereby the man who moves the
building must repair all damages he
does to the street or road. This
worked very well in a couple of in
stances for they had to lay some
granolithic sidewalk that they broke
UP, thus saving the town some ex-
pense.
The SPEAKER: The question is
on the substitution of the bill for
the adverse report All those in ia
vor of the substitution of the bill TO,
the report will say aye. contrary
minded no.
A viva voce vote being taken, the
motion to substitute the bill for the
report failed OF passage.
On motion of Mr.. Willard of San
ford. the report. ought not to pass
was accepted
Mr.. Mason from the Committee on
Legal Affairs reported Ought not to
pass" on bill. an act to prohibit the
use of spraying machines in the
painting or repainting of buildings
Same gentleman from same COM
mittee reported same on bill. An Act
relating to the forfeiture of vehicles