Daily Kennebec journal., 1925-03-18

On further motion by the same
Senator the bill was then passed to
be engrossed.
On motion by Mr.. Anthoine OF
Cumberland, H. D. 260. bill. An Act
from the table.
The pending question being the
passage of the bill to be engrossed.
Mr.. Anthoine then yielded to the
Senator from Androscoggin, Senator
Carter.
Mr.. CARTER: Mr.. President. in
urging that this bill be passed to be
engrossed, I would like to call the
attention Of the Senate to few
things in connection with 1t. This
measure started in the House and Is
No. 6. It declares that the so-called
standard time" shall be the time
of the State of Maine, and that 1t
shall be unlawful for any town or
other municipality to vote for. or
otherwise establish, any other sys-
tenn of time. In its second section
1t provides that any violation of the
provisions of this Act shall be pun
ishable by a fine not exceeding five
hundred dollars.
This bill and its provisions did not
meet with the approval of all the
committee before whom it was heard,
after a very full and very ably con.
! Quoted hearing on the part OF both
, the proponents and opponents of the
J measure. In the first place, there
was some question as to the consti-
tutionality of the penalty. wherein
| 1t was provided that a town or mu-
nicipality might be indicted unless
1t appeared in the statute that the
power was given to 1t. relative to
the constitutionality of the crimi-
nal penalty: and 1t also appealed to
| many of the committee that no town
F! should be put in the category of a
I criminal If it exercised its right of
| individuality. Whereupon the man
! who drew the bill and presented 1t
! to the House, Mr.. Hartman Of Read
| field, suggested and brought to the
! committee an amendment which ap-
pears as section two of the present
bill, which appears in a new draft
as House Document No. 260. chang
\ ing the criminal penalty clause Of
the original bill to the following:
THE supreme judicial court in
equity. by writ of injunction or 9TH
erwise, may restrain or annul pro-
ceedings in any town or city in vio-
lation Of the preceding section, upon
| application of ten or more taxable
citizens of the state. and writ Of
| temporary injunction may issue
forthwith the fling Of bond by
such petitioner"
| The committee in considering this
amendment, which removed from
the Act all penalties or the employ
ment of the criminal court in
connection with the enforce
ment of the penalty against a
town. city or municipality, united in
a unanimous report that the bill
'ought to pass" feeling that the in
dividual in the state had right to SO
conduct himself as he wished. as Ions
as he did not infringe upon the rights
OF others, or that any groups of in
dividuals had a right to work so long
as they disturbed no one else in the
hours they saw fit to work, or that
they had right to keep their places
Of business open during such hours
as they saw fit.
|. On the other hand. the committee
realized the importance of the princi-
pie that we should have one uniform
time in the State of Maine upon
which public business was conducted
and appointments made, and other
things of that sort relative to busi-
ness conducted, rather than to have
a series of times that might vary one
from the other, and which would re-
suit in no one knowing exactly where
they were.
Now, under this bill it is provided
that every municipality must have
a standard time, and there is pow
er to stop any town or municipality
from voting to have anything but
standard time. But under this bill
IL my Interpretation is right, there is
nothing which prevents any group OF
individuals in any town or munich
pality from declaring their business
to be conducted on any time they
so see fit. The bill is limited to the
town or municipality, to that body
polite. and not to any individual OF
any group or individuals.
So. to take that home to my own towr
an6 county, under the terms of this
bill the clocks in Andrcscoggir
county. or in Lewiston and Auburn
would be run on the legal time of the
state, which Is standard eastern time
If the workers in our shoe factories
and in our cotton mills, or wherever
they may be situated, who through
the long summer days are confined tt
in door~ work, If they wish to have
| tiiC use vi NC dAOW GU " use
extra hour of Gods sunlight there Is
nothing in this bill which prohibits
that group If workers from starting
their work at any hour they may
wish. or from closing heir work a
any hour they may wish or from
setting their watches at any
time they wish. But this bill
does give a uniform time, and tha'
uniform time is exactly the time
which understand is now on the sta.
tute books of this State, and it pro.
vides that the State shall run or
standard time, which correspond.
with the time of our railroads. ant
yet It does not stop any individual o.
any group Of individuals from excer.
cising their rights In regarding tt
starting their business when they