Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-12
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operations and Investigations and in
the accumulation and tabulation OF
it's data, employing such subordi-
mates as in the opinion OF the COM
mission were necessary.
In the clerical department there
have been employed on the average
| by the commission one clerk, and in
! the engineering force in addition to
the chief engineer, two assistant en-
gineers, one of whom has been en-
| ployed entirely in connection with
the river gaging stations.
The commission wishes to state
! its belief that the present disinclina-
ton to develop Maine power is due
largely to the lack of q definite State
policy toward such development. We
believe that little development can
be expected beyond the demands OF
actually existing markets until the
State fOrmulateS q definite policy
which the business world believes to
be relatively stable and permanent.
Unless this is done the tendency will
be toward Development by outside
capital under q Federal license
which we have believed to be unad-
visabIe for this State in that the
control of such developments passes
into the hands of the Federal gov
eminent.
On page 1G of its report for 1920
the commission stated that they
deemed it unwise to make recon-
mendations in the nature of def
mite plan for the development OF
storage and water powers which in
the present state of the constitution
and laws as judicially construed
could not be put into practical OPP
GRAFTON. In stating this opinion the
commission believed that such a de-
tailed plan should be drawn only
after the constitutional amendment
should have been passed.
No such amendment having been
passed the commission deems it a
i part of its duty to state its conClu-
sions in regard to such an amend
ment as will provide eminent do
main 70: the purpose OF storage con-
struction and ability to recover the
costs of such construction from the
persons or corporations benefpinS by
the increased power.
After mature consideration and
with the assistance of eminent legal
counsel the commission unanimously
recommends the passage of the fol-
lowing amendment to the conStitu-
ton OF Maine for the purpose OF
bringing our definition of public
use" more into accord with that OF
other states and with the opinions
OF the supreme judicial court of tho
United States.
Sec. 20. Conservation. storage
and control of the waters within the
state. The conservation. storage and
control by the state, or by Il duly
authorized public district or districts
thereof of the waters within the
State are paramount public uses and
for the benefit of the people of the
State: and the Legislature may pro-
vide for the same and the apportion-
mcnt to and assessment uron the
lands and property which shall o,
may be benefited thereby, the whole
or any part of the cost including
maintenance and operation OF said
conservation. storage and control OF
said waters"
There appears in the report of the
chief engineer, which is attached TIC
and made part of this report. q
suggestion in regard to legislation
which might be passed at the option
of the Legislature under such an
amendment and which meets with
the approval of the commission
such approval being based on a
study OF the operation of existing
laws in New York, Wisconsin, and
other states, and in the province OF
Quebec.
In the opinion of the commission
the item of greatest value in its
work is its ability to place in the
hands of engineers and others in
tcrested in power development ac-
curate information in regard to river
flow and the location and amounts
of available power. These data
should be in permanent form for
reference and their importance is
cofncident with the Importance of
Names water powers as one of its
natural resources and tho desire of
the State to encourage their develop
ment.
In the 1920 report previously OBJ
tanned data in connection with river
flow was revised in accordance with
modern methods. data of insufficient
accuracy. being discarded and the
complete records republished. From
the point of view of economy it was
decided to publish additional data
every two years instead of annually.
Arrangements were made to fill in
dividual requests for information
received by the Commission during
the interim.
Material prepared for publication
for the years 1921 and 1922 includes
bringing up to date of figures on
river discharge. precipitation and
evaporation, material of fundamental
importance in connection with power
development; and tables of maximum
and minimum discharge, which are
important in connection with the de-
sign OF dams and computation of
storage. There have also hecn pre-
pared water power tables hich ron
resent an important part Of tho
Commissions work of the past two
years in gathering data CT amounts
aid location of undevelopcd and de-
ve'aped power. The Commission be-.