Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-07

| the factories that take care OF the
| fish brought from the Island OF Beais
are located In Jonesport and are the
property Of the people OF Jonesport
and it seems to me that they right
fully belong to the people who have
| been doing business there for years
and years. and l think it would be
a great mistake for this Legislature
to interfere with the business OF
| those people. 1 think 1t would be
opening up the matter to endless It'll
| cation to incorporate the town or
Beals because as the town OF Beals
, is incorporated the rights OF these
people in this regard are entirely
| taken away from them. and 1t is the
| selectmen Of Beals who will control
| that business.
Mr.. Rounds has referred to the ISL
| ands of Casco Bay. We people in
| that community are perfectly willing
! that Mr.. Rounds should have author
| ity to speak about those islands. and
| how they are taken care of but we
| feel that we want something to say
! about how our towns down there
shall be handled.
Mr.. ROUNDS: Mr.. Speaker and
gentlemen, l come here Is repre-
| sentative Of the State Of Maine. not
| OF Casco Bay, nor Of Washington
i County. I come here for the interest
| of the whole State and l want to say
| that I have a right to speak on
matter which concerns any county in
this State and l do not want any
body to say that I have not, because
l am right here to speak on that
question and therefore l want to say
, here that these people have given
those fishing rights. That was the
objection two years ago. but this
year they put it right in the bill that
they should have the rights. There
is one man who is chairman OF the
Board of Selectmen and he is the man
who is trying to do this. He says.
Are you willing if YOU take the sea
and shore efisherics:" Yes. we are
willing, but if you do take them we
are not willing. Why. gentlemen, it
looks as though there were some
conniving between the selectmen and
the Sea and Shore Fisheries Commits
sion. but if they should have a new
commission they would control the
vote and therefor l say it is time
that We divorce that island from the
mainland as they are now trying to
do. l tell you. If you were living
on one Of those islands and could
see what was going on and how they
were being used. YOU would not for
| minute say but what there should
be another town. The people of the
town of Jonesport. while they are
smoking their pipes on these cold
winter days and the sturdy sons of
this island go down in their dories
and fishing boats and catch the fish,
| while the fellow on the mainland
smokes his pipe beside nice warm
| fire. have nothing to do but cure
| the fish and take the profit. and the
| fishermen have to take just what
| they give them because the ice is so
! that they cannot get near them, and
! therefore they want to establish
! their own town, and they will do it
! if we give them the chance.
| The SPEAKER: The question is on
| the motion of the gentleman from
! Portland. Mr.. Rounds, that the Dill
| be substituted for the report.
A viva voce vote being doubted
| A division of the House was had.
! Twenty-eight having voted in the
| affirmative and eighty-four having
voted in the negative. the motion to
substitute the bill for the report was
| lost.
| The SPEAKER: The question now
before the House is the acceptance
of the report of the committee
ought not to pass"
On motion by Mr.. Smith of Ludlow
1t was voted to accept the report Of
| the committee.
On motion by Mr.. Downing of Ean-
Eor the House voted to reconsider its
! action whereby Bill. an Act requir-
ing an excise tax to be paid on all
! cigarette. cigarette tobacco and Gig
| arctic papers sold in this State. was
| earlier in this mornings session re-
| ferred to the committee on judiciary
in concurrence: and on further mo-
| ton by the same gentleman. the bill
| was tabled, pending reference to any
| committee.
| On motion by Mr.. Melcher of Rum
! ford it was voted to take from the
table Bill. an Act relating to the
! compensation of judges of probate,
! tabled by that gentleman, March =,
! pending first reading; and on further
| motion by the same gentleman the
| bill received its two several readings
and tomorrow assigned for its third
reading.
cat this point Mr.. Tildcn of HALO
we'll assumed the Chair)
! On motion by Mr.. Stevens of Bel
| grade. it was voted to take from the
table report of the committee on legal
affairs on Bill. an Act relating to
! Belgrade Lakes Village Corporation,
/ tabled by that gentleman on March
l, pending acceptance of the report.
! Mr. STEVENS of Belgrade: Mr..
! Speaker, l move that the report of
the committee be Indefinitely post
| poned; and in support of that motion
| l would like to state the position OF
| the town in regard to this matter
This bill to which l wish to call
your attention is one to amend the
charter of the Village Corporation
| This. it is true. is a very small mat
! ter in comparison with some that YOU
| already considered and in comparison
with some that you will be called
! upon to consider in the future days
of the session; and yet it is an i'm
| portant matter to one of the towns
in the district l represent.
! This charter was obtained two
! years. ago for the purpose of self
| assessment,-an assessment over and
| above the regular town tax for viii
lage improvements; and having ne
| elected and failed to make such an
| assessment, they now come back to
| the Legislature and ask for an
amendment to the charter by which
! the town would be obliged to pay
back to the corporator 20 per cent OF
| the amount of the tax assessed on
! the property within the corporate
limits. That is the proposition. Now
f! for the benefit of those who may not
/ perhaps, have the matter clearly in
| mind, l wish to state that Belgrade
| is ten miles northwest of Augusta
! on the western division of the Maine
| Central Railroad. 1t has population
| of about $50. 1925 polls, and a valua-
! ton of about S750.000. 1t is a farm
| ing community, no manufacturing
! there. but in recent years has be-
come somewhat famous as summer