Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-11-13

WIN W. SHiNo
or Sangerville-Chai of Fedora
tion Committee on Taxation, Who
Spoke at Convention
able to the department of which lie
was a member. More and more each
year the members of this aSsociat ion
have learned to appreciate the Ster-
ling characteristics of the man, al
ways courteous, always Willin" to
help. we found him a safe and sane
councillor and Il man "hO was never
Influenced by sentiment or locality
in the discharge of his official duties.
therefore be it resolved by this
AssOcia ton of Maine Assessors in its
eighth annual session assembled,
that these resolutions ne spread up
on our records and Il copy sent to tho
family of the deceased"
Discuss State Bridge Work
During the round table period fol-
lowing the addresses of the day there
was u somewhat extended discussion
regarding the resolution presented by
+, l.. Hutchinson of .;anGerville to
the effect that the convention should
so on record as againS, the policy of
turning over to the state the con-
Struction of bridges
Instances We're cited in the dis
cUSsion where towns had built hridg-
Is much cheaper than the figures
estimated by the state h!ghgway
department.
q. ". q 'crham Of Wood&ioc OK
pressed the opinion that The towns
are now well protected ia this matter.
| that bridges are not built without con-
sent of county and town officials and
that if a town does not want state
a id in ba Initiative pf lr9,l 10
not have to tai" it.
NJ. Hutchinson said that there
might Il" some question regarding the
language used in the resolution and
he would Withdraw it.
1t was voted that committee of
, five he empowered 20 draw some such
resolution to h. presented for the
consideration OF the assessors; today,
and tn" committee was elected as fol
lows: Samuel t. Furnish of Bruins
wick. John y. Story of Washburn. G..
! w. o. Perham of WoodStoch. w. f..
! l;achlffe of Newport, and +. l. Hutch
inson Of Sangervillc
Address by Geo. w. Leadbettcr
George w. Lcadbetter, messenger
to the Governor and Council. speak
ing ON the subject. Support of state
Poor" declared that the laws relat-
ing to settlement of paupers are sim
pie. but municipal officers of cities
and towns have more or less diff
Guilty in mining the liability for
support OF pauperS, under their care
but not having n settlement in their
respective cities and towns.
Il think this is due largely to the
difficulty in procuring from the pau
! pers or from other sources the neCes-
Sary information for fixing the liahii-
ity,' he continued. 'If complete in
formation can he obtained. there
should he very little difficulty in fix
ing the liability. As rule it is more
difficult to prove the liability in a
State pauper case than in a town
pauper case. for the reason that
many of the State paupers have been
travellers for considerable portion
of their lives. seldom remaining long
in place. and frequently being UNI
able to give an account of their wan
behring's which can be accepted as re-
liable.
AS I have stated. the settlement
laws are simple. They are all con-
solidated in Chapter 80 of the Re-
vised Statutes. ! realize that the
majority of the assessors are familiar
with these laws, but perhaps it will
be helpful to discuss briefly some of
the principal points.
Gases have come to my knNw1edge
occasionally where the local Over
seers have supposed that a whole
family of pauperS were State paupers
for the reason that the head of the
family had no pauper settlement
within the State. In many cases this
IS true: in other cases 1t is not true.
AS the law now stands. there arc
three general classes of State pau
pers. viz: those who have no settle
ment for the reason that they have
lived in unincorporated places five
years or more: those who have lost
their settlement by living outside OF
the State five Years or more. and
those who have become paupers be-
fore living in a town five years con-
tinuously- Outside OF these three
classes there are other scattering
dian tribes falling into distress while
away from their reservations.
'lt Is the duty of Overseers of the
Poor to make provision for the care
and support OF persons falling into
distress in their respective towns.
regardless of whether such persons
belong in their own town. or in an
other town, or whether they have no
settlement. I know that many over
seers hesitate to incur expense in
pauper case when the liability does
not rest on their own town. but they
should bear in mind that the respon-
sibiiity is on their own town in the
first instance. and that they must
give the necessary relief and fix the
liability later II is good business.
of course. to fix the liability as soon
as possible. If the paupers are al
lowed TO go away without making an
affidavit as 10 their former places Of
residence there Is likely TO ha diff