Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-10-17

| adjournment of the LEGISLATURE, and
! after many members of each house
! had left for their respective homes
/ upon being assured by Governor Bax-
! ter that no change would be made in
! the plan as reported, lalmors began
! to float around the State House that
! the Governor would not sign the tax
acts which he had agreed to earlier in
| the morning. | was summoned to the
executive offices where Governor
| Baxter was in consultat ton with 9TH
| ers. and was Informed by the Gov
ernor that he had found certain err
rors i'll the appropriation bills (Which
up 10 the present time he has not dis
closed to me- that made it absolute
~ necessary to increase the tax rates
| in order to give the State sufficient
income to pay its bills and provide
for the "ovcrlay which he desired for
emergencies"
The question of increasing the tax
rates was discussed for several hours.
resulting finally. in an agreement that
the matter would be submitted to a.
caucus of the Senate and House
| members for q decision: and that
body agreed to the demand of Gov
crnor Baxter and Increased the rate
Tor the first year onc-quartcr of Il
iihiiit lN'tN lIIS llIc Idtc LOT the second
year SIX and three-quarters mills as
formerly agreed to by Governor Bax-
| ter in the morning.
The State of Maine received from
cola teral inheritance taxes during
! the calendar year 1922, according TO
hsureS submitted by the Attorney
Generals department. the sum of
SS?4,446.30; and for the nine months
ending September so, 1928, the fur
tler sum of S599.264.14, or at the rate
OF S19?.O1SS5 for the calendar wear
1928. Does that indicate that nv
estimate of receipts by the State
from that source of $4,000 per wear
was "sEoss.' or rather, was it a
,alr estimate as compared with the
budget figures of $560,000 per wear?
mere was used as a basis for in
cteasnlg the estima to of indirect rev.
enue from railroad taxes TO he re-
ceived by the State over the amount
Wnlch the budget committee estimat-
CO. inc actual receipts from this
source for 1922 which were S4G.649.-
% more than the budget figures for
each OF the years ending June 30.
l?Z4 and June 80. 1926; and the nc
luai assessment for railroad taxes
tlllS year, Ghc amount of which was
unknown to me when the LEGISLATURE
adJourned.) is $47.993.32 more than
me budget estimate for either of the
TWO Years above named. Is $4,000
a year above the budget figures a
guess or is it fair estimate for
lnat Item? There were other items
OF indirect revenue shown in the bud
get which the Committee on Appro-
pratlons and Financial Affairs be-
ncNcd were not as large as they
should be: but these were not includ-
ca IN making up our estimates be-
cause we did not receive sufficient in
formation to warrant their being in
creased.
do not know what Governor BaX-
Ter means If he intends to intimate
mat L had anything to do with the
elimination of parts of the records of
the House of Representative before
they were printed, for knew nothing
Oh such an occurrence until I read of
1t IN his recent statement. / am not
conceited enough to believe, nor does
Governor Baxter think, that / POSSESS
sufficient influence to cause such a
thing to be done.
L do not mean to make any further
contribution to- a discussion of this
matter with Governor Baxter or~any-
one else. l have set forth the true
history of the case and would con-
slider the unjust and unwarranted
statements made by him unworthy of |
notlce now were it not for the fact |
mat ire attack upon my record as
I hartman of the Committee on An
proprlaIons and Financial Affairs VI