Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-04-18
WHEN THE DUST HAS SETTLED


on the face of earth so long may dust
be expected 1t is an Improbable by
product, often laden with dlstemper
and a nuisance if not menace when
living about. Those who throw IL
for the sake Of binding the vision are
in contemplate endea>or.
There has been lot OF aust
throwing in connection with the dis
cussion of the water question IN
Maine. When the dust settles ana
the people are given an opportunity
to see the situation as 1t actually IS
they will wish to be fair in their de-
cisions, will try to he and we nave
faith will be.
There are certain facts considera-
ton of which may help to settle the
dust. One of these is that the State
doesn't own the water resources;
never has owned most of them. II
owns one dam site that we know
about. 1t has very little to SELL
lease or give away. The only
tain control of the sources OF our
waters would be by purchase, an
enormous undertaking, necessitating
enormous expenditure of the peoples
tax money. Judged by its record in
the past, there is no reason to sup
pose 1t would manage the property
so obtained with profit to the State.
It has derived vastly more from the
lands which it has sold through
power Of taxing development thereon
than it ever had made for itself
from any land of like kind which 1t
didn't sell, it is said, and we do not
question the truth of the assertion.
It owns today certain so-called
school lots on the site of the proposed
dam in the Dead River region. 1t is
deriving practically no revenue there
from and is not likely to until enter
prise and capital have been expended
in development. An opportunity to
have this very thing accomplished
arose during the last Legislature.
1t happened that the industries in
this region suffered because of ex-
ceptionally low water. Some of
these were compelled to curtail
operations in the winter months.
Neither these nor those they en-
ployed were able to be employed to
advantage. From this situation arose
keener appreciation of the evident
need of impounding some of the
water. running to waste IN time of
dc and sadly wanted in time of
drouth.
Out Of this need came cooperate ted
effort to provide storage. Investiga-
ton was made with the result--a re-
suit by the way not then known to
the State authorities, 1t is said-that
a location was found in the Dead
River region. If the State knew
about this possibility we had never
heard Of it. A bill was drawn under
the terms of which a corporation
would acquire the right to purchase
the State lots on the dam site. The
ownership OF these lots is a feature
which hasn't before arisen in the de-
velopment of our water resources.
In other respects the bill provided
the usual rights; the State was to re-
ceive for the State land a price to be
fixed under the statutes, was to have
an option to buy back at the end Of
a period of fifty years at actual cost
and without paying anything for the
franchise.
It will be we'll to remember that
to generate power or to sell to
anyone else the right to generate
power. The purpose was to build a
storage reservoir to impound the
water and save 1t to be used on the
river below as 1t was needed.
This measure was heard before
the committee, was before the law
makers for around two months.
Everybody had opportunity to be-
come familiar with its terms, which
were not in anyway unusual except
for the fact tha' the State owned two
lots in the area affected. This is the
Dill which the Legislature passed over
the Governors veto. In that veto he
said this would definitely settle the
State policy as between private and
public ownership Of our water re-
sources, a statement not then nor
since clear to us. but he did not
suggest then that tho State lease in
stead Of sell the lands. That PROPOSE
ton did not ONE until the last days
of the session when the Legislature
was in the usual turmoil of closing
up its work.
The idea of leasing the land does
not appear in any way novel. OF
course the State has the right to
either sell or to lease property which
1t owns. But the Governor insisted
this was a change in policy, that we
would thereby enter upon a new era
and argued that the State was leas-
ing a franchise to generate power
instead Of leasing the land 1t owned
for such purposes, and so in the con-
fusion the enterprise came to naught.
The State still owns those lots and
is getting no revenues from them.
No capital is being invested in Maine
for purposes of development in the
Dead River region: the waters are
running freely to Me sea: the State !
neither owns water resources nor has |
the power under the Constitution to |