Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-01-08
treated alike. This is the fundamen-
tai rule / think in rate making.
Bound BY /, C, C.

VI the power company, but you vote
to be bound by the rules of the In
terstate Commerce Commission |
which If the commissioners are true
to their oaths must make rules which
are beneficial to the greatest |
number. from nation wide out
look,-the greatest number is in the |
Mississippi Valley.
This apparently brings us to an
impassee. for Maine to develop it's |
| powers must be developed; for it's |
powers to be developed, the COM
modify must be sold; If the COM
modify is sold, it is lost to Maine
forever.
AS I say, from the articles pub
| lished, this seems to be the situation
when 1 have added to all the arti-
cles the proposition of Federal jur-
i isdiction thru the Interstate Com
merce Commission. But this is not
so. Under our u. S. Constitution,
states and Individual citizens of
states have some rights and as long
as they do a legitimate business con-
fined to their own state, they are
free from the national or Federal
jurisdiction. If Maine utility COM
pany is citizen Of Maine doing
Maine business only, the l. c. G. has
no jurisdiction over them nor can it
gain any jurisdiction over them.
] Time Is Now
The time for the companies to pro-
tect themselves. for the State to pro-
tect itself, for the power users to
protect themselves, for the power
developers to protect themselves, is
while these companies are citizens
of Maine, individuals of Maine. The
companies do business under char
| ~, o,.tn &c
tween the corporators and the State.
In this charter is stated their right
| to do business the scope of their
business, limitations, terms and re-
strictions under which they may do
business,-and only the business and
| only under the terms as stated in
the charters. Here in the charter:
a re-capture clause passed by the
Maine Legislature would be opera
tive even in conflict with Federal
laws. Thru conferences and agree
ment and under the general law. any
restriction or limitation to the rights
of the companies which appear In
the charter by amendment becomes
a part of the charter, YIELDS Itself INTO
the charter so that the companys
rights, the scope of its business, are
fixed by the whole charter. Thru use
of restrictions and limitations, thru
amendments, to the charters OF
Maine HYDRO electric corporations,
Maine can protect itself.-and when
II saw Maine, I include the power
companies as citizens of Maine just
as much as / include the power
user.
Maine Needs Power
Maine needs water power develop
ment, and immediate water power
DEVELOPMENT so that industries may
| be increased. Maine cannot absorb
at once all of the increased electric
ity. but Maine needs and wants the
right to use more electricity in the
future as its industries grow and
demand it. The power users OF
Maine want and need plenty of power
now and in the future at tne
cheapest possible rate to them, 1alr
to all. This means right TO an
sorb more and more electricity as the
user needs it. The power companies
| want a right to. develop Maine as
they deem it more profitable to them.
They apparently want the benefit
of the Mill Act and other broad
laws which aid in developing pow
| ers. If they go under the |. e. C''
the benefits of the Mill Act of Name
are lost to the power companies
| after the power companies seek FED
| eral Jurisdiction, they must take the
| Federal definition Of what naV1ga-
BILE stream is, and when they take
that, it makes the Mill Act lnopera-
tive on all our rivers and streams,
! robs the power companies of what
they apparently deem their best
mode of procedur. in the develop
ment of the water power sites. The,
! needs of Maine, of the power users
| of Maine, cannot be taken care of
under Federal jurisdiction. but they
can be by amending the charters or
the companies,-to give to Name
| Just that which it should have pro-
lection of its geographical location
at the dam site
To accomplish these things. have
| suggested three simple restrictions
have suggested them in broad terms
as details must be worked out by
those experts in the wants and needs
of the state, of the power users. OF
the power companies.
The Suggestions
(1) The first element necessary in
| each charter is that it should be u1I-
! lawful for hydro electric public utff-
ity companies of Maine to ever do a
public utility business extending be-
yond the borders of our State. This
accomplishes one thing,-it forever
| keeps our Maine hydro electric COM
panies within the borders of our
| State, citizens of Maine, amepable
to our Maine laws, an individual or
! the State over which the I. C. C. has
no jurisdiction
! (2) That this Individual of the
State be permitted to sell it's sur
plus power to any other individual
or another state on limited term con-
| tracts, and that no contract for such
sale of surplus power shall be valid
| unless so stated by the Governor and
Council after a hearing. and that the
Governor and Council shall be the
final arbiters of what is surplus
| power, or whether any exists in
Maine, and the length Of time for
which such power shall be sold. The
purpose of this restriction is very
| apparent-that at stated times any
person who contemplateS the use of
power and is unable to get it, as
there is no more local power, 1t being
shipped outside the State, can come
| to the Governor and Council and
there make an application. When
| the next contract expires, this local
| user will have to be taken care of
before any of the power companies
| can ship out surplus. This preserves
to Maine the opportunity to grow in
dustrially in that industries may
1 LII