Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-23

pany pays therefor dollar. for dollar
and cent for cent. The State does
not get anything? Why. gentlemen.
the development of that storage res
ervoir up there adds to the value of
the State OF Maine a great taxable
property. and they have not asked
a. some companies have definitely
asked. for the exemption Of a single
bit of property. personal or real. from
taxation. The development of this
storage reservoir will add taxable
property all down this river, and is
the State getting nothing out of
| that?
! Then one thing more. Under the
answer of the judges given two years
ago, it is possible for this Legisla-
ture, under the Constitution, without
an amendment. as 1t exists today, or
! for any Legislature that wants to.
| to impose franchise tax on all of
these companies. and I suggest that
instead Of waiting until there comes
| a time that the State will consent
to go into the business Of develop
ment Of power. that this Legislature
or those interested in returns for the
State, direct their attention to a fair
| franchise tax and then you are pro-
SlO1uS SOuctulA8 tudL tuS SCdIS Cdu
| get. The State Of Maine can never
| get anything after it goes into the
business 1t cannot get any profit.
Every Notwithstanding that the State
! was ready tomorrow to do work
| there. the State could not get any
money benefit except through charg-
| ing the users. Now is it going to
| charge them so as to make a profit
! and make it easy for some of the
other departments of State to realize
in taxes the profits that will help
: them to defray their expense? Why.
| the moment they increase the prices
upon that power that is coming down
that river. they destroy the very end
that they are seeking. namely, en-
coura cement of industry. There is no
| possible objection to this measure
! that has not been voiced. l think
| you will agree with me that every
| objection that could be made to this
| measure has been made. This bill
has been pending before the Legis-
| lature for weeks. and from the be-
| ginning to the end of the measure
| there has not been found one single
| fault with the bill except that the
| State has not the right to control
! the power at the end of fifty years,
| and / think l have answered that.
1
| one that the public wants to go into
| the development and that the public
| wants to go into business.
Nothing is wrong about private
| sources developing this power be-
cause the Constitutional amendment
provides it and the Governors in
! augural does. We do not feel that
! there is any reason why the precedent
| set in the east at Ripogenous. along
! the Androscoggin Valley. and only
! two years ago given to Aroostook,
and in this Legislature with refer
ence to the non-protit. making COM
panies for the potato growers. we do
not see why that same principle
! should not apply to this great central
! part of Maine. The central part of
this State is eager and anxious for
the benefits that the Androscoggin
| has had and that the Ripogenous has
| had. and that Aroostook has had. and
we do not believe that you are giving
away Names last great inheritance,
because that inheritance as it is now
; is a fiction. and we ask you to
| translate that fiction into fact.
Mr.. BARTLETT of Waterville: Mr..
| Speaker. l will not take time to go
| into the merits Of this bill, but l will
| say that when / read it read it very
| carefully and raised objections to one
or two Of its provisions. In the new
draft which came out. those are taken
care of and 1 could not see why the
State in every way was not protected
! under its provisions.
! l come from city on the Kenne-
| bee river. l know it's industries and
| l know that those industries and the
| city itself, are dependent upon the
! development of this water power.
When you look into the the kenne-
| bee Valley, look at your cities, what
| keeps them? l am Informed that if
| this bill goes through and the power
is equalized that in my own city it
\ would mean development of at least
! another million dollars in manufac-
| turing and building. And does not
| the State get revenue from that:
| Everything under this bill is taxable.
| The State gets it's revenue. Are we
going to leave it, the river. the de-
| velopment OF the city, and every
! thing, for a time. to see whether the
! State as an institution itself is 60
| ing to enter into the development
| thereof:
From going over the conditions.
| from what has happened within the
! last two years. !, personally. cannot
| see that the State is going to under
! take it. and as the previous speaker
| has said. it is either this bill or stay
| where you are and not go ahead.
Mr. CUMMINGS of Portland: Mr..
| Speaker and gentlemen: Unfor-
| tunately l have been in very poor
physical condition to participate in
! this debate. and even if l were in
| the best of health I do not anticipate
! that I could prevent the passage of
| this bill oyer the veto of the Cover
nor Nevertheless I should be false
| to my sense of duty if l did not stand
| here and in such manner as l am able.
| voice my opposition.
The gentleman from Augusta (Mr.
! Mahe:) has proven himself a most eX-
cellent advocate of the parties inter-
cd in this bill. but there is another
| side to this question and this matter
| is not as complex as you would be led
| to believe by the manner in which he
| has set forth what he considers to be
the questions at issue. 1t is true, and
we all realize it. that there are two
conflicting opinions IN the State with
regard to water rights and water de-
those who believe that these purchase
powers and these rights should be re-
tanned by the people and developed by
| them. The reason why they feel that
| way is because where any public utili-
ty has been developed by private inter-
! ests the conditions surrounding their
development have been such that they
have become burdensome in their
| charges ur.on the people OF the State of
| Maine. BY various methods of stock
issues and methods which they have
adopted to increase their charges
through overcaptalization those things
| L.