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

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situation at the head of Long Falls;
that is where a dam has got to be con-
structed to develop this: we desire to
develop this great storage power for
the beneft Of ourselves and for the
benefit Of the State; and we are willing
to pay the State an annual rental which
is fair and just for this privilege" if
they had come there with that propo-
sition it would have been quite differ
ent. But no. they come here with a
proposition to take this great right as
gift. for that is what this bill means.
The only remuneration which the State
would receive is merely what they get
out of the land damage per acre for
this. and it amounts to nothing. 1t is
not worth considering at all. But ii
will cost them $1,200,000 to develop
this proposition. That includes. by
their own estimate, the entire cost of
the dam and of all the damages Incl
dent to the development Of this propo-
sition.
Now, you can allow them 100000
yearly int rest on the cost Of this de-
velopment and YOU have got $4,000
left Suppose they had come to the
State and had said, I'VE will lease this
from you for SO years and we will pay
you an annual revenue of $200.6 900 per
year. That will give us 100000 per
year and that will give us in the so
years which is covered by this bill.
S10.000.G00 net and it will give the
State $l0.000.O00 net in that so years"
That would have been fair PROPOSE
ton. Wig. gentlemen, you know that
the old saying is that half is fair even
among hogs, and that would have given
them all the profit they are entitled to.
l want to ask the members of this
House. before they permit this bill to
become law. to think of what the
State could do if this were put up a.
fair proposition, if the State were to
have $4,000 a year rental for this.
representing to the parties that
develop this thing a very great in
come. very great indeed. notwith
standing the fact that the gentleman
says that this is not profit making
concern. l want to ask them to con-
slider if it would not be worth while
to have that income to reduce the
taxation of the State. l want to ask
the farmers here who use the third
class roads. if they do not think that
100000 a year derived from that
source and appropriated to the prob
lens of the third-class roads of
Maine, would be worth while. Ten
millions of dollars in fifty years; 1t
is hard for me to believe that the
members of this House will vote to
absolutely give away a thing Of so
great value, and it is absolutely un
fair for those people to come here
with any such proposition as this.
Kill this bill. gentlemen. Then in
two years if they come here with a
fair proposition. something that has
some merit of equality in it. some
thing that will give the people of
this State a fair and equal part,
something that will give them some
element of justice in the taking over
and development of this great privi
lege and then we will consider it.
Mr. BARW'ISE of Bangor: Mr..
Speaker and gentlemen of the House:
l have listened with very close at
tentioh to the gentleman from Port
land (Mr. Cummings) and l have ad-
mired the beauty of his fanciful
painting of all of those wonderful
values that he has built up. but let
us now get down from these rose
tinted clouds to the face of the earth
and look at this thing in its real
light.
We cannot set into the business as
a State until we have had a Consti-
tutional amendment adopted. and l
believe that / know something about
the temper of the people of the State
of Maine with regard to passing Con-
stitutional amendments to go into
business, into a Socialistic scheme.
do not believe that the state of
Maine will go into any sort of bust
ness as a political entity. We on the
Penobscot know something of this
sort of proposition. The people Of
the Androscoggin region know some
thing of this proposition Has any
+ body who is opposed to this measure
pointed out in any way where the
state was injured either by the
Aziscoos development or the Ripo-
genous development? Has anybody
put their finger on one single spot
where the State as whole was in
jured by these developme
On the other hand, have they not
immensely increased our manufac-
turing possibilities. has not our
manufacturing output Increased by
the development from twenty to
standa rdized flow of water? This
measure is not profit making
measure in the usual sense that these
people are going to develop the
power and sell it to the citizens Of the
State of Maine. This is a profit
making measure. II YOU want to term
it i'm that way. for the people Of the
kennebec Valley. for all of the man.
featuring interests in the kennebec
Valley. 1t is a method of aiding
nature to control <he water during
the springtime and hold it over until
the drouth. That is all there is to
it. Everybody up and down the
Kennebec river. whether they are
80 IL
ready put their money in and helped
the State Of Maine in their business
Development. or not. will benefit. I
am not one of those who are afraid
of big business development. I wish
we had little more of it in the State
of Maine. Not only these big firms.
but everybody up and down the Ken
nebec river. all along this river pro-
perty. who owns a foot of land. up
and down the river. will participate
in the rights of this development.
Whether they come into this COM
pany or not, makes not the slightest
difference.
All of us attorneys know. and
think you laymen know. that any
man who owns land on the bank of
the Kennebec river. has an in
alienable right to take full advantage
of that water power. to the use of
that water in any Spower he may
develop. Now. the value at the pres
ent time to the State of Maine of
|. this water privilege is absolutely nil.
The real value to the State of Maine
is absolutely nothing. and as to the
prospective value. after the State
goes into this business after a Con-
stitutional amendment comes up.
which is extremely doubtful. after we
do get into business, which is the
theory of the gentleman from Port