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ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
TOWN OFFICERS
OF
Middleboro, Mass.
UTH
COUN
INCORPORATED
SAD.1669
For the Year Ending December 31st 1928
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
TOWN OFFICERS
OF
Middleboro, Mass.
E
R
OUTH
COUNTY
PLY
H
INCORPORATED
166
For the Year Ending December 31st 1928
H. L. THATCHER & Co. Middleboro, Mass.
٠٠٠
MIDDLEBOROUGH
"HEAD-O'-THE-CAPE"
Elevation-100 feet above sea level Settled-1660
Incorporated as a town-1669 Population 1925 census-9136 Valuation-$9,562,910.00
Municipally owned-water, gas, electric light plants. Tax rate-$35.30 per thousand Area-68.1 square miles Miles of streets-146 Motorized Fire Department Well equipped Hospital
Schools in Class A.
Principal Industries:
Fire Apparatus
Varnishes
Shoes
Worsteds
Boxes
Jewelry
Brass Goods
Drug Sundries
and thirty other products
The center of the cranberry industry
35 miles from Boston
Located: 22 miles from New Bedford 30 miles from Providence, R. I.
Railroad Center Direct rail connections with
Fall River New Bedford Brockton Taunton Boston
Provincetown
Providence New York
Kingston
Plymouth
410
BORO
The Fo th de
DOLEBOND, AND
AROUND.
MILES
TWENTY
5
TOWN OFFICERS 1928.
Selectmen
GRANVILLE E. TILLSON
ALBERT F. SOULE
WILLIAM EGGER
LEWIS F. HARDING, Chairman
Term expires 1930
FREDERICK H. NOBLE
Term expires 1931
Town Manager HARRY J. GOODALE
Town Clerk and Accountant
WALDO S. THOMAS Term expires 1929
Treasurer and Collector
WILLIAM W. BRACKETT Term expires 1929
School Committee
ALLAN R. THATCHER
FOREST E. THOMAS
LORENZO WOOD, Chairman
FRED B. ALGER
KENDRICK H. WASHBURN
MRS. PRISCILLA S. ALGER
Term expires 1929.
Term expires 1929
Term expires 1930
Term expires 1930
Term expires 1931
Term expires 1931
Superintendent of Schools J. STEARNS CUSHING
Assessors
HARRISON F. SHURTLEFF BENJAMIN C. SHAW, Chairman WILLIAM G. BOYNTON
Term expires 1929
Term expires 1929
Term expires 1930
Term expires 1929 Term expires 1930 Term expires 1931
6
Overseers of the Poor
ADELAIDE K. THATCHER WILLIAM G. BOYNTON, Chairman LESLIE N. CLARK
Term expires 1929
Term expires 1930 Term expires 1931
:
Members of the Planning Board.
THEODORE H. STEGMAIER
Term expires 1929
HARRY W. SEARS, JR.
Term expires 1930
JOHN B. SAVAGE
Term expires 1931
HOWARD C. HOLDEN
Term expires 1932
GEORGE A. DOANE
Term expires 1933
Health Officer JOHN H. WHEELER
Superintendent of Streets PAUL F. ANDERSON
Registrars of Voters
SYLVANUS L. BRETT
MICHAEL J. CRONAN
WILLIAM J. COUGHLIN, Chairman
Term expires 1929 Term expires 1930 Term expires 1931
Trustees of the Public Library
WALTER L. BEALS
LEONARD O. TILLSON
NATHAN WASHBURN
HENRY W. SEARS, President Died May 19, 1928 GRACE H. NOBLE, appointed to fill unexpired term THOMAS H. KELLEY H. JANE BENNETT ALLAN R. THATCHER THEODORE N. WOOD MARION K. PRATT
Term expires 1929 Term expires 1929 Term expires 1929
Term expires 1930
Term expires 1930 Term expires 1930 Term expires 1930 Term expires 1931
Term expires 1931 Term expires 1931
7
Constables E. KIMBALL HARRISON ALDEN C. SISSON HARRY S. ALLEN
Tree Warden HARRY J. GOODALE
Forest Warden HARRY J. GOODALE
Moth Superintendent JESSE CARPENTER, JR.
Sealer of Weights and Measures. LOUIS C. LITTLEJOHN
8
REPORT OF THE SELECTMEN
The major project of the past year, namely the New White Way and the placing of the electric wiring under- ground is nearing completion. It was our intention to have the old poles and wiring down before January first, but the local electricians would have been unable to keep up with their regular business and at the same time make the necessary changes in the buildings before connecting with the underground system. However, the completion of the White Way will add immensely to the appearance of our business district and the underground wiring will elimi- nate the fire hazard which exists with overhead wiring. Moreover, the underground wiring insures the factories and stores, to a great extent, against loss of power and light during heavy storms.
The addition of a new 1200 G. P. M. pumping engine and the installation of a repeater in the Fire Alarm System has placed the Fire Department in a much better position to protect Middleboro industries, homes and institutions against fire. There has also been a pipe installed at Nevertouch pond so that water can be pumped from there, providing added protection to the Geo. E. Keith Factory and the West side section. A similar arrangement has been installed in a pond at the Rock providing better protection to that section.
The addition of the gravel crushing plant has proved it- self a good investment, as it has enabled the Highway De- partment to build much more road per dollar this year than ever before. This is welcome news and gives us courage and hope that the time is not so far distant when Middle- boro will have her two hundred miles of road in good condi- tion.
9
The above mentioned additions to the equipment of the various departments has temporarily increased the tax rate, but the return much more than offsets the extra investment.
The comprehensive report of the Town Manager which is printed on the following pages outlines in detail the activi- ties of this board during the past year and we urge every voter to read it carefully.
As heretofore the Selectmen ask for your sincere co- operation in all town affairs and invite suggestions and criticism with the assurance that it will be gratefully re- ceived.
LEWIS F. HARDING, Chairman GRANVILLE E. TILLSON ALBERT F. SOULE WILLIAM EGGER FREDERICK H. NOBLE
Selectmen.
10
REPORT OF THE TOWN MANAGER.
Board of Selectmen, ' Middleboro, Mass.
Gentlemen :-
In submitting my eighth annual report it is a pleasure to note that the last of the major projects that have had the attention and thoughtful consideration of the various Boards of Selectmen for the past eight years, is nearing completion.
We have this year placed all the wires of the Gas and Electric Department and the Fire Alarm and Police Signal System, in conduits, in Wareham and Center Streets from Clifford St. to Oak St., and in South and North Main Streets from Nickerson St. to the Fire Station. A White Way System of Street lighting has been installed covering the same sections, and extending on Center St. to include Everett Square. The White Way lights were turned on and dedi- cation exercises held Sept. 26th. The whole system is not as yet complete owing to the inability of the local electricians to take care of their regular business, and at the same time to make the necessary changes in the buildings adjoining the underground system, in order that they may be served through the new system.
During this year also a new 1200 gallon per minute pump- ing engine has been added to the Fire Department and a repeater installed in the Fire Alarm System.
A gravel crushing plant has been purchased for the High- way Department.
Everett Square has been greatly improved this year by the taking of land on the six corners of the intersecting streets and widening the roads at these points. This im- provement will greatly relieve traffic and eliminate the congestion which frequently occurred here during the sum- mer season.
11
It might be well at this time to review the major activities of the town for the past eight years, in addition to those above noted.
In 1922 Electricity substituted for steam at the Water Works Pumping Station; 1924 reinforced concrete bridge completed over the Taunton River, Plymouth St., No. Middleboro; 1926 New Fire Station completed, a reinforced concrete bridge was built over the Nemasket River, East Main St., and a High Pressure Gas Line laid connecting the manufacturing plant of the Taunton Gas Light Co. at Taunton, with our Gas Plant; 1927 Memorial High School completed, and a High Tension Electric Line built connect- ing our Central Station with the Central Station of the Brockton Edison Electric Co. at E. Bridgewater.
GAS AND ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT
GAS. But two short gas extensions have been laid this year, Prospect St. and Clara St. These, together with the usual services have constituted the improvements in the Gas Department this year.
ELECTRIC. A short extension on Bedford St. Lake- ville, Chestnut St. and Precinct St. were all the electric extensions made this year.
HIGHWAYS
The results obtained in this department this year are very gratifying. 14550 cubic yards of gravel have been placed on twenty seven of our streets, covering a distance of about nine miles. These results were obtained largely by the use of the gravel crushing plant and drag line pur- chased this year, as by the use of this plant we were en- abled to place the gravel on the roads at nearly one-half the cost of the methods formerly used.
In speaking of this work in terms of two horse loads, the number of cubic yards of gravel placed on our roads this year equals over 14,000 loads.
12
WATER DEPARTMENT
There is but little of special interest to report on the activities of this department this year.
We have exercised the same care in the inspection of the hydrants, main gates and curb boxes as in past years.
We have continued the policy previously established of removing all the meters which have been set more than five years, cleaning and testing before replacing them in service again.
We had hoped that we could postpone the changing of the coke in the reisler until next year, but the first of Decem- ber it refused to function so that it had to be done immed- iately. The removal of the ninety tons of coke which it contained, together with the red mud which had accumulated around it, and replacing it with fresh coke cost $1488.32 This has to be done each three or four years.
STREET LIGHTING
The recommendations for the past few years that better street lighting was a necessity have been at last considered with the result that a White Way system has been installed on our main streets, and the so-called Highway Lighting system extended on Wareham St. from Cherry St. to Cush- man St. and on Everett St. from North St. to Plymouth St. There still needs to be additional lights installed on the streets approaching the White Way so that there will not be the contrast between light and dark streets that now exists. Also there is much need of more lights on all of the side streets in the center of the town, as well as in some of the more thickly settled outside streets.
I would recommend that this be given careful study the coming year to see how far it is advisable to go in making these improvements.
13
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The addition of the new 1200 G. P. M. pumping unit and the repeater in the Fire Alarm system has brought the equip- ment of this department up to a very high standard.
There remains the cutting up of the Fire Alarm system into more circuits so that when trouble occurs on the lines, fewer boxes will be out of commission at any one time.
The old Knox hose wagon, now sixteen years old, and the first piece of motor equipment purchased by the depart- ment, has about reached the limit of its economical useful- ness. This machine travels more miles than any of the fire apparatus as it not only answers all the box alarms but also answers all the Forest Fire calls.
MOTH DEPARTMENT
The gypsy moth situation has somewhat improved this year, although there are some areas that are badly infested, showing that it is necessary to keep up the war against them by keeping our roadsides sprayed, in order to confine them in the areas they are now infested. There are but few brown tail moth infestations and the numbers in these are small.
This department not only takes care of the moth work but also the forest fires, cleaning and repairing the school houses, tree warden work, and the town forests.
TOWN FORESTS
A beginning has been made this year in the developing of a town forest. At the annual town meeting it was voted to convert several pieces of land then under the control of the Public Welfare Department into a town forest, and fifteen hundred trees were set out, nine hundred of these by the graduating class of the high school. In addition to this, considerable brushing out has been done on the Chestnut St. lot, and the lot on the corner of Brook and Plympton Streets.
14
POLICE DEPARTMENT
There is but little of special interest to be said about this department. The personnel is still continuing to perform its duties in an efficient and courteous manner. The work in connection with this department is increasing each year, but as yet there is apparently no need of increasing the number of officers,
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The general health of our citizens was very good for the first eleven months of the year, very few contagious diseases having been reported, but unfortunately December did not treat us as well. With the advent of this month, came Scarlet Fever. Twenty-nine cases in twenty-two families were reported. In most cases the disease was light, but unfortunately one twelve year old child died. There were also some cases of whooping cough and measles, but nothing serious.
During the Christmas season a slight Small Pox scare occurred, caused by the home-coming of a former citizen, who after returning home, was taken sick, and the case was diagnosed as Small Pox. All precautions were taken by the Health Department to prevent the spread of this disease, and up to the present time no serious results have occurred.
Respectfully submitted,
H. J. GOODALE,
Town Manager.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
School Committee
OF
Middleboro, Mass.
O
E.
RO
UTH AG
COUNTY
MASS
M
SH*
INCORPORATED
AD./669
For the Year Ending December 31st 1928
16
SCHOOL COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION 1928
LORENZO WOOD, Chairman
MEMBERS
Term Expires
Kendrick H. Washburn, 70 So. Main Street
1931
Priscilla S. Alger, 10 Southwick Street
1931
Lorenzo Wood, Plymouth Street
1930
Fred B. Alger, 5 Court End Avenue
1930
Forest E. Thomas, 59 Everett Street
1929
Allan R. Thatcher, 1 Webster Street
1929
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
J. Stearns Cushing, 16 Court End Avenue Telephone 173-Y
Office Room 7, Town Hall, Telephone 81
Office Hours, School Days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday 3:30 to 5 P. M .; Tuesday and Thursday, 8 to 9:30 A. M.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the School Committee are held in Room 7, Town Hall, on the first Thursday of each month, excepting July and August, at 7:30 P. M.
17
SCHOOL PHYSICIAN Dr. A. V. Smith, 35 Pearl Street Telephone 50 /
SCHOOL NURSE
Miss Helen B. Pasztor, 132 North Main Street Telephone 278
SUPERVISOR OF ATTENDANCE
John H. Wheeler, 60 Everett Street, Telephone 407-W *Louis C. Littlejohn, Plymouth Street Telephone 691-M
*Acting
CENSUS ENUMERATOR
Mrs. Carrie L. Jones, West Street Telephone 293-M
SCHOOL CALENDAR
First Term, January 7-March 1, 8 weeks.
Second Term, March 11-May 3, 8 weeks
Third Term, May 13-June 14, 5 weeks; High School June 21, 6 weeks.
Fourth Term, September 4-December 20, 16 weeks.
First Term, January 6, 1930.
The graduating exercises of the Junior High School Grades will be held Wednesday afternoon, June 12 at 2 o'clock in the Town Hall.
The graduating exercises of the Senior High School will be held Wednesday evening, June 19 at 8 o'clock in the Town Hall.
HOLIDAYS
February 22, April 19, May 30, November 11, November 28-29.
18
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the Members of the School Board :-
I present herewith the annual report of the schools of the town and my second as Superintendent of these schools.
May I express at the outset my sincere appreciation of the splendid cooperation received from all persons connected with the School Department as well as from Town Manager, Accountant, Treasurer and other Town Officials.
The Supervisors, Principal of the High School, and other School officers have written clear and concise reports regard- ing the work of their departments and I sincerely hope these will be carefully read by all citizens of the town. These reports I have included in this annual report of the schools.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS
During the past year changes have been made in the courses of study in the grades. In Geography, the State course of study with of course modifications and additions to meet local conditions has been adopted in Grades three to six inclusive.
Geography is a study of the casual relations existing be- tween life on the earth and the earth itself. It should aid the child to understand the geographical influences which have helped to determine the course that human history has taken; it should arouse in him a true sympathy for all peoples and workers so he will in time become a more intelligent, more sympathetic, more responsible citizen of his town, his country, and of the world. Surely there has never before been a time in the history of our country when it was so im- portant for the continuance of our prosperity and for the furtherance of friendly relations with foreign powers that the youth of the United States should understand the var- ious geographic conditions that affect the lives of the other peoples of the world and that influence our relations with them.
19
An outline of the course will show the scope of the work covered.
Grade Three
Geographic nature study and reading.
1. Direction (points of compass).
2. Wind direction and weather brought by the winds.
3. Effects of the change of season upon the life of child- dren, adults, animals, and plants of the neigh- borhood.
4. Child life among primitive and isolated peoples. Grade Four
1. Local geography centering about the home town.
2. World geography as approached through child life.
Grade Five
1. Selected regions of the world that furnish the child with food, clothing, fuel, and shelter. Emphasis placed on the North American continent.
2. Certain of nature's greatest wonders that engage the interest of children because of their unusual grandeur, beauty, or other unique characteristics.
Grade Six
European peoples prominently engaged from time to time in discoveries, and in world trade.
In the Junior High School grades the study of Geography, History, and Civics has been fused into a Unit course of Social Studies. The interdependence of these three is self evident. Surely the proper time to study the history and government of a people or country is at the time of studying the geographical features of that country that influence its history and its conduct.
In all grades to the eighth inclusive there has been a new course of study in Arithmetic based on the new Strayer- Upton text in the work. New books for this have been purchased for all grades and all schools. These books aim to give children the ability to compute easily and accurately and to enable them to interpret and solve the quantitative
20
situations which they will meet in life. In the achievement of this aim, these books incorporate the most valuable find- ings of modern experimentation in the teaching of arithmetic.
New maps and globes have been purchased during the year. Many more are still in poor condition and incorrect and it is hoped these can be replaced next year. These maps replace those printed prior to the World War and which were incorrect due to the great boundary changes in the warring countries.
A new Reading Course was installed in the Primary grades using the Aldine method, due to the discontinuance of publication of that method. Much supplementary reading material and reference work has been supplied the various schools.
The Bates School has been organized as a unit on a Junior High School basis. All the work has been departmentalized and pupils placed in homogenous ability groups. The de- partmentalization of the work gives teachers a chance to specialize in their subject and gives a chance for the econom- ical use of teaching aids, this by having the same subject taught in the same room by the same teacher as one set of maps, one Science outfit, one victrola does the work of the many otherwise needed.
This organization puts pupils into the atmosphere of the work about to be done and much better work is accomplished by going to an Art Room for drawing where the walls are beautified, other drawings on exhibition as an inspiration and proper and adequate supplies at hand than by having a drawing lesson in the same seat that the pupil had just pre- viously had arithmetic, with examples in long-division on the board for inspiration, and a limited supply of tools to work with. By being accustomed to departmental work the pupils will more readily fit into the Senior High School work and failures found in the first year of that school will be materially reduced.
21
VISUAL EDUCATION
As an added means of teaching Geography in the grades a film-slide projector has been purchased for classroom use with films on all countries and all industries studied in the Geography course. This projector is portable and can be used by any teacher in any classroom where there is electric- ity.
PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHERS
In March the School Board passed the following vote: whereas it seems wise that the teachers of the town be en- couraged to better themselves by courses in professional improvement the following schedule of awards shall be in effect.
For courses in a Summer Normal School the sum of fifty dollars.
For courses in Summer Colleges the sum of seventy-five dollars.
For courses in University Extension expenses and tuition.
For pre-arranged extensive travel for educational im- provement the sum of fifty dollars.
Teachers must have served town for full year previous. Payments to be made as installments with salary. Four successive years study would make award part of regular salary.
It is interesting to note how many teachers took advan- tage of this ruling.
7 attended College Summer Courses.
3 Attended Normal Summer Courses.
1 attended University Extention Course.
COST OF EDUCATION
A few figures covering the last school year will perhaps be interesting to the taxpayer of the town.
22
There are 78 towns in Massachusetts with a population of over 5,000. Middleboro is in this group.
The cost per pupil in net average membership in Middle- boro from local taxation was $59.55 or number 72 in the group, that is, only six towns out of the 78 spent less per pupil from local taxation and 71 spent more.
The cost per pupil in average membership for the High School was $99.04 and Middleboro stood number 71 in the group.
Middleboro is surely not paying more than her neighbors.
We hear so much about the mounting cost of education that the following figures should be of special interest.
1927
Total Disbursements
$125,652.99
Receipts
21,823.74
NET COST OF SCHOOLS 1927 $103,829.25
1928
Appropriation
$133,575.00
Disbursements
130,354.20
Unexpended balance
$3,220.80
Total Disbursements
$130,354.20
Receipts
27,713.27
NET COST OF SCHOOLS 1928 $102,640.93
From the above figures it may be seen that the Net Cost for the past year was nearly twelve hundred dollars less than that of the previous year. This reduction in Net Cost of schools considering the fact that the first full year of opera- tion of the new High School building has been completed; that one janitor and an assistant were added; that three new teachers were added to the teaching force; that the High School enrollment has jumped as predicted from 438 to 513
23
making an increased membership in that school 75; that this increase meant added desks, seats, books and supplies; that added transportation had to be provided for the increased number of High School pupils; that one new complete adop- tion of text was installed in the grades; that major changes were made in the Bates School classrooms; that all schools are in good repair; that the proposed Budget for next year is less than that of 1928; and that there is a substantial balance left from this year's appropriation should give the committee a feeling of satisfaction in their work of the past year from a financial viewpoint.
CONDITIONS IN THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
To take care of the increase of 75 pupils last September one of the two remaining rooms on the third floor was seated with 35 desks and chairs.
The graduating class of the Senior High School of 1929 numbers 68.
The graduating class of the Bates School in June num- bers 141.
Expecting the same percent of pupils to enter High School as of last year from this school (92%), together with 6 from Pratt Free School, and 20 from the outside towns, Plympton, Carver, and Lakeville there should be about 140 enter the Senior High School next September making a peak enrollment of approximately 570 or an increase of nearly 70 pupils over the registration of September 1928.
The remaining small room on the third floor and the room now used for a lunch room must be seated and used as home-rooms. Even by increasing the present overloaded teacher load it will probably be necessary to add two more teachers to care for this increase.
.
24
CONDITIONS IN THE CENTRAL GRADE SCHOOLS
There is a considerable over load in the School Street School. Teachers who have 48, 50, or 52 pupils in their rooms cannot do justice to the pupil, parent, or system. Rooms designed for 40 pupils have over 50 pupils in them at present. This is not a satisfactory condition from a Health or Educational viewpoint. There seems to be no immediate remedy for this condition however as long as there are three normal second grades from Forest and Union Street Schools contributing to the two third grades in this school.
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