Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-16

was concerned. and could contro, tte
situation. Now Amendment A that
is offered he:e requires that hsrnaa
any construction shall be Commence,
the three votes Representing tha
three bodies constituting thar hosra
must be unanimous. The obiection
that has been raised on the mart ~
those who do not favor the adon-
ton or Amendment A. is that that
Is going to create an absolute dead
lock ana that the State highway
commission. II they do not approve
the actioh OF the county commits
sioners. or Of the municipal ofticars
IN relation to a particular bridge
proposition, have practically how
given the veto power. Now strict
ly speaking that's true because this
amendment will require an unani
nous vote of those three boards.
Well. now. is that an undesirable
thing to have in existence? They
say that board OF county commits
sioners. If they see fit to be ,stubborn
and set about 1t. can block the mot
ter. and that the same is true as
regards the other boards. Now in
order to determine, what the vote Of
any one of these three bodies shall
pc. the majority of that particular
board will determine-the State
highway commission can determine
what their vote is going to be, and
the same with the other two boards.
l do not believe in assuming in as
important a matter as our bridge
building program in this State. that
our public officials. State; municipal
or county. are going to be so stub
born and so set with relation to a
matter that they are going to upset
whole program if the particular
matter that they have under con-
sideration has got genuine merit and
is intended to relieve q situation that
requires relief. I do not think it is
fair to assume that they are going
to take any such attitude.
Now what is the purpose and the
object OF Amendment A? We know,
just as we'll as we know anything.
that the bridge building program in
the State of Maine. no matter how
desirable 1T Is and how much we
need 1T, or how much we approve of
it. has certainly been a tremendous
ly extravagant piece of business The
counties of the State of Maine have
been going into debt head over heels
as the result Of this extravagant
bridge building program, and I
think 1t is perfectly fair and reason
able to attempt to put some check
upon that type of construction. Take
my county. for instance, that just
folated a $4,000 bond issue. That
grew out of this thing. Other coun-
ties. 1 am informed, are in the same
situation and there is considerable
feeling about the matter. 1 know
of one instance where a certain con-
struction was under consideration,
aStf not "a
engineer and the county commits
sioners were opposed to the propo-
sition. but the town wanted it. The
State highway commission wanted It
because it did not cost the. town
tremendous amount of money to get
the benefit of that. 1t was voted, and
after it was voted the town officials
said. give us this contract and we
will build a bridge on these figures"
and they did it and after that bridge
was constructed-the town built the
bridge, paid the bills and had some
of the State and county money left
in the own treasury, and had not
spend a cent of their own money.
That is an instance that 1 happen
to know of. l know of another in
stance where an estimate of four
or five thousand dollars was put in
opposed to it. 1t was afterwards
built for less than a thousand dol
lars and the thing never went
through.
Now, who determines the esti-
mates? Suppose you have got to
float bond issue in your county to
meet the expense of this program.
The statute says that in order to get
out a valid bond issue. that any
reputable bank will certify. you have
got to show three essential things,
outside of the preliminary techni-
calities of the requirements of your
joint board. You have got to show.
first. that the joint committee judged
that project to be a common con-
venience and necessity. You have
got to show. secondly. that they
determined the type of construction
of that bridge. You have got to
show, in the third place. that they.
by the records of that meeting, APP
proved the estimated cost of con-
struction.
Now by whom is the estimated
cost of construction made? 1t is made
by the engineer of the State high
way department and then it is voted
to approve the estimate. The con-
tract is then let. Now l know that
when we got this bond issue through
and got it out in shape so that the
Fidelity Trust Company would GER
tify those bonds as being legally is
sued, that it was necessary that
every one Of those essential elements
be clearly shown by the records OF
that Joint board. l was in confer
ence with the attorneys OF the FL
deity Trust Company. myself. in
that transaction, and since this mat
ter has come up l have conferred
with them again. and in each in
stance where a particular town was
involved they had to show that the
estimate set up by the highway de-
partment through its engineer was
approved before they would certify
the bond.
Now if you have got to certify
YOUR bond issue in that manner it
seems to me safe to say that in order
to get your proper bridge construc-
ton YOU must have the estimate 10
base the construction on. and pe-
lieve that with the type of construc-
ton we have had. it is too expensive
a program, and I would like to see
whether in the next two years this
program, requiring the unanimous
consent of these three boards. VII!
not work out a program which VIII
in no way block bridge construction
but will put it on more economical
and safer basis l am willing to trust
to the discretion OF those three
boards, l believe in their ability to
get together and agree upon some
thing definite and constructive ana
do not believe it is going far wrong
to require that to be done. And II
it is proven in the next two years
to be an injurious piece of legisla
ftion it can be amended then. but
do believe that, unless something is