Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-02
C. M. P.'S new HOME
PRES. WYMAN'S REPORT
COMMENTS ON LAW


states water-power policy in his
quarterly letter to stockholders and
announces a publicity campaign:
To the Stockholders of
Central Maine Power Company:
Central Maine Power Company is
to have q new home. For a long
time it has been increasingly plain
that the present quarters which our
general offices in Augusta occupy are
not large enough. We have not
been able to get all our depart
ments together under one roof.
Everybody has been crowded. When
we have found 1t necessary to take
on a new employe the big question
has been where to put him. When
the auditors make their semi-annual
visit life in the Accounting Depart
ment becomes difficult.
So, after a great deal Of searching
for q suitable site and much figuring
as to requirements and costs. we are
to have a new General Office Build
ing which is to house not only the
Central Maine Power Company, but
the General Offices of the New Eng
land Public Service Company as
we'll. The site selected is the old
Bradbury homestead on Rines Hill
in Augusta.
The land has been purchased, the
old buildings are being removed and
plans are being red,-within a
month a contract will be let and
next winter we hope to be located in
a new building, with room enough
for all our departments and plenty
of land as increased growth makes
more building room necessary.
Incidentally, the location Of the
new building affords splendid view
for miles up and down the Kennebec
River and we hope that many of our
stockholders will visit us there-not
only to enjoy the view but also to see
more of the actual workings Of their
Company.
AS a plain, straightforward bust
| ness proposition, we believe that the
economies effected by this new
building will more than offset the
cost of having it.
During the last three months, in
terests allied with Central Maine
have bought Western Maine Power
Company and Black Stream Electric
Company and these companies are
! now being operated by Central
Maine Power officers.
Western Maine Power Company
serves a number of towns in the
western part of the State and Black
| Stream Electric Company's lines eX-
| tend from Newport eastward to
Northern Maine Junction near Ban
gor.
Work at Gulf Island is going on at
| a splendid rate. Recently the river
rose for a few days and overlooked
| the Golfer dam in the westN channel
| so that work at that point was sus-
| pended. This was only for a few
do c md hot ffo,- &c,
| almost ready to pump out. When
| the water is once out, the laying of
the last big junk of concrete on the
| job will be pushed night and day to
a finish. Everybody connected with
the work believes that the date
originally set for completion will see
the plant running. That date is
Jan. Is, 1927.
The business of your company has
| been good for the past three
months, but new business has not
been as plentiful as we like to see it.
General business in Maine has been
| tagging and outlook for future
growth is not as good as it ought to
be. This is not meant to be pessi-
mistic, but simply means that 1 feel
| that Maine, with what l believe to
! be her very great opportunities to
get ahead, is neglecting her chance
and SO failing to grow industrially
as she might. Business conditions
are always changing and they were
| never changing any more rapidly
| than they are noW-in Maine, in the
| United States and all over the world.
| IL we as community are to pros
per, we must change to suit the new
conditions and must find a way TO
| furnish our share of the worlds re-
! nllirpmpnfS nn1pr fhnCa
tons. In other words, we must put
to work all of our resources that we
can and make them help pay the
bills for running our State and sup
porting our people.
To my mind, the one big, out
| standing natural resource now going
| to waste is the water power on our
rivers. Let's put the question this
Way-Suppose the anti-eXport law
had never been passed and that
Maine, like practically all the rest
of the states, was accustomed to see
electricity transmitted across its
borders freely. Suppose some big
corporation owned these water
powers and was not willing to de-
velop them. Suppose some man in
Massachusetts came along and said
here-"If you will develop one-fifth
OF the water power you own, l will
pay to the State of Maine four hun
dred thousand dollars per year sc
long as l can have the use of that
power" and then suppose the big
corporation said-"No, we won't dc
it; we haven't any use for this
power ourselves, now, and probably
won't for many years, but sometime
our great grandchildren may want
it, so we are going to keep 1t un-
| 6pVplnnpd " Don't hr
people of the State would be mad
Don't You think they would sit VI
nights trying to figure out a way t.
compel that corporation to so ahead
and develop? There isn't doubt il
the world but they would and thai
corporation would be condemned
even more violently than some of us
are now for advocating the repeal Of
the anti-eXport law.
When you think about this cues
ton remember the following points
in connection with it.
1. Our undeveloped water powers
are of no use to their owners or any
one else until they are developed and
put to work.
2. Water power, in order to at
tract industries to Maine, must be
cheap. 1t has to compete with such
I'eNSSo 90 ANih5elie q L dis III pllCS.
8. The class of industries that
will actually locate In Maine on &C.
count of power alone are those that
use huge amounts of it so that its
cost and reliability are very i'm
portant to them.
4. Builders Of these great plants
have to plan their new projects very
carefully with reference to the mar
kets they serve and once a decision
to build is made then the plant must