Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-04-04

40 uOuIS III d week, tdDleO peIluIHS
the acceptance of the report, and rec
ognizes the Senator from Somerset,
Senator Smith.
On motion by Mr.. Smith the report
was accepted.
The resolve then received its first
reading, and on further motions by
the same Senator the rules were sus-
pended and the resolve received its
second reading and was passed to be
engroSsed.
The PRESIDENT: The Chair lays
before the Senate S. y. 13S, Senate
reports from the committee on taxa
ton, report A being Ought to pass,
and report b being ought not to
pass" on bill, An Act amending the
powers of the board of State asses
sors in relation to the equalization
and adjustment of assessment of the
several municipalities, tabled pending
the acceptance of either report, and
recognizes the Senator from Cum
berland, Senator Hinckley.
Mr.. HINCkLEY: Mr.. President,
this is a divided report and l tabled
the matter because | had not had an
opportunity to go into the question.
l do not at this time know very
much about the matter, and l hope
that some Senator who is familiar
with the matter will make a motion
to accept one of the reports, so that
we may know where we are at.
Mr.. ALLEN of York: Mr.. President
and Gentlemen of the Senate. this is
the intangible tax bill. so-called,
that allows, as | understand it, the
assessors of the State to so in and
doom a town for intangible taxes up
to the amount they in their judG-
ment see fit. 1t seems to be Il very
unjust measure TO me, and also
seemed unjust to other members OF
the committee, for the assessors TO
have the power to so into town, Tor
instance, to go into my town OF san
ford, and tell US to raise five million
dollars of intangible taxes, and it
was for that reason and that alone
that l signed this report ought not
to pass" An intangible tax bin does
not mean anything, and yet it means
everything.
Mr.. BARWISE of penobscot: I
would like to inquire. through the
Chair, of the Senator from York,
Senator Allen, if he means that the
state assessors can go in and say TO
the local assessors that they must
add five million dollars on to your
tax without pointing out where they
are going to find it?
The PRESIDENTS: The Senator
from York, Senator Allen, can an
swer the question if he desires.
Mr.. ALLEN: Absolutely.
nv. HOLLEY of Somerset Mr..
President, | would like to make a
motion that this matter be laid up
on the table, and | hope the Senate
will accord me that privilege.
Mr.. ALLEN: | would like to In
quire why the delay? We might as
Welt pass it along now as any other
time. The Senator from Somerset,
Senator Holley, knows what is it and
l know what it is.
Mr.. HOLLEY: In answer to the
Senator from York, Senator Allen,
through the Chair, | will say that
for personal reasons l prefer not TO
debate the matter this morning.
Mr.. ALLEN: Mr.. President, | will
withdraw any objection | may have.
The question being on the motion
to table, pending the acceptance OF
either report,
The motion was agreed to.
Mr.. CARTER of Androscoggin:
Mr.. President. | move that II. d.
16S, tabled by me this morning, be-
ing reports from the committee on
Judiciary relative to bridge between
Orrs Island and Bailey's Island, be
now taken from the table.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr.. CARTER: Mr.. President, I
will say that l have obtained what
information l could hurriedly, which
is not as full and as complete as |
would like to have, but from this
informa ton it seems that the valu-
alton of the entire town of Iiarps-
well, which takes in. l think. North
Harpswell. and Harpswell Neck. al
most from the tide waters down,
which is a distance of some four
miles to South Harpswell. and the
village of South Harpswell and all
those islands around there, and the
total valuation is about a million
dollars. Just what part of that
would be comprised in Bailey's Is
land | don't know. There is one
thing that has occurred to me, haV-
ing to do with the legal status of
this measure is that the total valu-
alton of Bailey's Island is not per-
haps as much as the cost of the
bridge.
Mr.. HINCKLEY of Cumberland:
Mr.. President, might say that
some of us have been at Bailey's
Island and there are some very
magnificent summer homes there.
The resident population is not so
very large, hut with a bridge erect
ed across there that island would
be teeming with summer people,
with beautiful homes. because it is
one of the most beautiful islands on
the entire coast of Maine. 1t seems
to me that it is Il question whether
this Legislature is going to allow The
town to go ahead and do business.
A question has been raised here to-
day in regard to the state putting
any money into this proposition.
That matter has never to my know
ledge been mentioned. 1t was not
mentioned before the committee on
legal affairs two years ago. 1t was
never mentioned before our COM
mittee, as matter of fact, that the
state and the county and the town
were all agreed to go ahead with the
bridge and had the money all ready
for it, never any suggestion that the
highway department or any oflic-
ials of the state, the Governor or
anybody else had suggested 1t. The
real question two years ago was
whether the leSislat ure would take
the matter out of the hands of the
court. 1t is out of the hands of the
court.
Mr.. POWERS of Aroostook: I
would like to inquire of the Sena-
tor from Cumberland, Senator
Hinckley, if in this present measure
the state is not contributing.
Mr.. HINCKLEY: Mr.. President.
will answer the Senator from Aroos-
took, Senator Powers, through the
Chair, that under the provisions of
this present Act the town of Harps-