USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1872 > Part 1
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WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 8139 0129 6540 8
Worcester Free Public Library
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014
https://archive.org/details/citydocumentnoan1872worc
CITY DOCUMENT No. 27.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
OF
HON CLARK JILLSON,
MAYOR, JAN. 6, 1873 ;
WITH THE
ANNUAL REPORTS
OF THE
CITY TREASURER, CITY AUDITOR, SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, FIRE DEPARTMENT, OVERSEERS OF THE POOR, COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS, COMMISSIONERS OF HOPE CEMETERY, CITY ENGINEER, WATER COM- MISSIONER, COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS, CITY MARSHAL, TRUANT SCHOOL, CITY HOSPITAL, CITY PHYSICIAN, AND CITY CLERK
OF THE
CITY OF WORCESTER,
FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING NOV. 30, 1872.
WORCESTER : PRINTED BY CHARLES HAMILTON, PALLADIUM OFFICE. 1873.
R 352. 07443
W9220 v.27 1872
CITY OF WORCESTER.
IN CITY COUNCIL, January 20, 1873.
Ordered :
That the Committee on Printing be, and they are hereby authorized to contract for the printing of 1500 copies of the annual "City Document," to be numbered 27; also for the printing of such number of the Annual Reports of the several Departments of the City Government, for the current Municipal Year, as they shall think advisable.
A Copy, Attest :
SAMUEL SMITH,
City Clerk.
INDEX.
PAGE.
MAYOR'S ADDRESS. 5 REPORT OF THE CITY TREASURER 33 REPORT OF THE AUDITOR. 36
SCHEDULE OF CITY PROPERTY. 76
REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE ACCOUNTS
80
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. 81
SUPERINTENDENT
87
SECRETARY .
118
ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR 1873
157
APPENDIX TO SCHOOL REPORT. 165
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY 205
REPORT OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 241
REPORT OF THE OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. 279
REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OF PUBLIC GROUNDS 293
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF HOPE CEMETERY. 307
REPORT OF THE CITY ENGINEER 315
REPORT OF THE WATER COMMISSIONER 327
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS 337
REPORT OF THE CITY MARSHAL. 353
REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON THE TRUANT SCHOOL
359
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE CITY HOSPITAL 365
REPORT OF THE CITY PHYSICIAN. 379
AUDITOR'S REPORT ON CLERICAL ASSISTANCE .381
REPORT OF THE CITY CLERK. 385
CITY GOVERNMENT AND OFFICERS FOR 1873.
387
SALARIES
395
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Gentlemen of the Board of Aldermen,
And Gentlemen of the Common Council:
THE varied municipal interests of the city of Worcester have been committed to our care for a brief period.
We have accepted the trust, and to-day, under the dawning light of the new year, we have taken upon ourselves the oath prescribed by law, which is a solemn pledge of fidelity to the people we represent. We are not here for any individual or self- ish purpose ; but we have been called by the people to perform a portion of their work, and we are bound by the sacred ties of honor to lay aside all pride of position and enter upon our labors as servants.
The constituency we represent is of the highest type in the scale of moral, intellectual and social attainment-a people at once satisfied with the honest administration of public affairs, but ready at all times to censure any unworthy official. No unreasonable or unusual demand will be made upon us, in relation to the discharge of our duties ; and so long as we fairly represent the inhabitants of the city our acts will be approved and sustained by them.
Under the guiding hand of Providence, Worcester has been constantly advancing from the neat, quiet country village of forty years ago, with a population of about four thousand, up to its present position among the leading cities of New England, now embracing a community of more than forty thousand people, representing various shades of religious and political
2
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
opinion, engaged in a multitude of industrial pursuits, the pro- duct of which has been transported to every civilized nation on the globe.
Our streets are busy with the various forms of commerce, and the voice of industry from the valley and hill-top sends forth its greeting. Our workshops are thronged with earnest, brave and intelligent mechanics, whose genius and skill the renowned of other lands have been glad to honor. Our churches, our libra- ries, our institutions of learning, combined with all the resources incident to a great inland city, make Worcester the pride of the Commonwealth.
Amid such surroundings our lot is cast, and we have only to go forward, regardless of everything but the public weal, and fear- lessly perform the labor assigned us.
FINANCES.
The financial condition of the city presents a subject for your careful consideration. A large and constantly increasing outlay is the natural if not the inevitable result of a growth so rapid as that of Worcester.
The introduction of water into the city, the adoption of a gen- eral system of sewerage, the building of numerous expensive school-houses, and various other extraordinary but needed expendi- tures, have been by force of circumstances crowded into a single decade.
Had these improvements covered a period of twenty-five years, no special anxiety would naturally have been manifested in rela- tion to our finances; and even now, with this great work accom- plished for all time, and the city meeting promptly every demand, we cannot help feeling the utmost confidence that reasonable economy and judicious financial management may ere long essentially but gradually reduce the debt, while we continue to make all needed improvements and keep pace with our advancing prosperity.
The present city debt has been incurred by other administra- tions, and it only remains for us to see that it is properly managed, and such methods adopted for its payment as shall con-
7
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
form to the public good. To suspend the public works, or attempt to cancel the debt by unusual taxation, or any other extreme or radical measure, would tend to cripple the industry and impair the material prosperity of the city.
On the 28th day of August, 1871, an ordinance was passed by the City Council relating to finance, under which a new system of accounts has been adopted, whereby the transactions of the various departments are set forth in detail, and also in a more con- densed form, under the direction of the Auditor of Accounts, thereby consolidating the details of the entire financial operations of the government into a single department by itself.
I desire to call your attention to that portion of the ordinance making provision for a sinking fund for the payment of the city debt, which was copied from a Boston ordinance long since repealed. It provides among other things that "All balances of money remaining in the Treasury at the end of any financial year shall be appropriated to the payment or purchase of the capital of the City debt," and drawn from the Treasury for that purpose.
It also provides that "The Joint Standing Committee on Fi- nance shall act in behalf of the city as a Committee on the Reduction of the City Debt, and they shall cause all moneys passed to their credit in the books of the Auditor of Accounts to be applied to the purchase or payment of the capital of the debt of the city."
The unexpended balances of all the departments are, or ought to be, so much money in the Treasury, and are so represented.
Even when an appropriation is made, and the Treasurer author- ized to borrow money in anticipation of taxes-which is a device that might do for a speculator, but is beneath the dignity of a city-even then the money is represented on paper as being in the Treasury, for the very sensible reason that the city cannot in fact appropriate other people's money on the supposition that it may be borrowed.
If this theory is correct, the Treasury is not only without a dollar on the first day of December each year, but owes the above named committee the unexpended balances of all the departments, the ordinance having been repealed whereby trans-
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
fers may be made from one department to another. The truth is, the ordinance providing for a sinking fund has created a place where facts may be put out of sight, while the finances of the city are conducted in open violation of its provisions ; therefore, I recommend its amendment or repeal.
The city debt can never be paid by financial manipulations on paper, and unless some more practical method of managing the finances of the city is adopted and carried into effect, the debt will increase from year to year till the interest alone exceeds the limit of reasonable taxation.
The only practical method to adopt is to make our appropria- tions at the beginning of the year, covering all contemplated expenditures ; and the taxes, together with the income of the sev- eral departments, should be ample to meet every dollar called for by these appropriations. It may be said that this method of procedure would increase taxation, and thereby make the city less attractive to those who might otherwise desire to reside here. But is such a state of affairs more to be dreaded than the accumulation of a debt so large that the interest alone would necessitate a larger tax than we now have to pay?
To this point we are rapidly drifting, and we may yet learn that a bad policy under cover is far more dangerous in the end than even a worse one exposed to public view.
The following statements show the financial condition of the city at the close of the financial year, November 30, 1872.
CITY DEBT, JAN. 1, 1872.
Funded Water Loan,
$794,500 00
Sewer 499,400 00
City 66 601,000 00
Temporary 66 561,888 72
Total, . $2,456,788 72
CITY DEBT, DEC. 1, 1872.
Funded Water Loan,
$747,500 00
66 Sewer 499,400 00
City ..
633.500 00
Temporary
857,510 55
Total, .
$2,687,910 55
9
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Increase of City Debt during 11 months, $231,121 83
CASH IN THE TREASURY.
Cash in Treasury Jan. 1, 1872, $ 83,173 59
Dec. 1, 1872, 155,995 75
The money received from sewer assessments, amounting to $156,715 49, does not belong to the income of last year, but should have been applied to the payment of the sewer debt, in- stead of being absorbed in the current expenses ; and when this amount is deducted from the cash on hand, it leaves a balance against the Treasury of $719 74.
EXPENDITURES.
The expenditures of the several Departments for the twelve months ending November 30th, 1872, were as follows :
Highway Department, . $124,812 63
Water Works, Construction,
76,419 15
66 66 Maintenance,
14,528 27
Sewers, .
89,106 10
Mill Brook Sewer, .
63,810 12
Incidental Expenses,
15,916 66
New High School House, 23,772 26
Old
17,577 45
School Department,
Pauper Department, Farm,
66
City Relief,
7,542 93
66
66 Truant School,
2,713 52
Police 66
45,407 44
City Hospital, 8,090 54
Lighting Streets,
20,050 70
Shade Trees and Public Grounds, 3,267 05
Salaries,
21,779 94
Free Fublic Library,
10,723 65
City Hall, .
3,968 01
Fire Department, 39,742 81
Street Construction, . 72,203 90
Water Works, High Service, . 165,666 63
Hope Cemetery, . 4,345 07
City Hospital Building, 167 40
Interest, .
136,259 70
Abatements on Taxes prior to 1872, 144 17
Total Expenditures,
$1,120,264 68
144,352 03
7,896 55
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
From this should be deducted the following items of income from the several Departments for twelve months, ending Novem- ber 30th, 1872.
INCOME.
City Hospital,
$ 715 00
Incidental Expenses,
5,617 05
City Hall, .
725 00
Fire Department, .
887 68
Free Public Library,
1,954 74
Highway Department,
37,036 75
Interest, .
Lighting Streets,
94 64
Pauper Department, Farm,
3,782 59
66
Truant School,
69 90
Police
1,804 53
New High School House,
714 40
Sewers,
38 05
School Department,
2,206 86
Street Betterments, .
8,318 70
Shade Trees and Public Grounds, 675 00
Water Works, Construction Account,
7,992 23
Maintenance Account, . 58,416 03
Total Income, . . $138,282 71
Expenditures for 12 months, as above, . $1,120,264 68
Income for same time, . 138,282 71
Balance of Expenditures above Income, $981,981 97
City Debt, January 1, 1872, . $2,456,788 72
December 1, 1872, 2,687,910 55
Increase of City Debt in 11 months, $231,121 83
Sewer Assessments paid, . 156,715 49
Average monthly increase of debt, 21,011 08
$408,848 40
Excess of cash on hand deducted, .
72,822 06
Total increase of City Debt for 12 months, $336,026 34
This amount has been expended by the City Government of 1872 above its legitimate income. Any tax-payer can determine how much of this expenditure has been of a permanent and extraordinary character, according to his own ideas, by reference to the above table of Department expenses.
3,484 82
City Relief, .
3,748 74
11
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
I have not made the above statements for the purpose of unfa- vorable criticism upon the action of our predecessors. They pro- fessed economy, and have undoubtedly labored to that end; but if figures prove that they have failed, they teach to us more plainly their inexorable lesson.
With all these facts before us, I do here and now insist upon an entire change of policy in regard to finances. The first thing to do towards paying the debt is to stop increasing it, and the time has come when some decided action ought and must be taken in relation to this matter. When the contracts now pend- ing are completed, let there be no further increase of the city debt. I do not intend by this policy to prevent or retard a single needed improvement, nor restrict the legitimate operations of any of the departments, but I would call your attention to the abso- lute necessity of "paying as we go."
If the citizens of Worcester are now ready to purchase Newton Hill for a Park, let the expense be met by taxation during the present year. It will be enough for generations to come to adorn and beautify it.
If it is thought best to decorate the borders of Lake Quinsiga- mond, let the tax-payers understand that it must be paid for when the work is done.
I recommend this policy because there is no other honorable one to adopt whereby we can ever make preparations to reduce the city debt ; and I seek your aid and cooperation in sustaining the position I now take.
THE TEMPORARY LOAN.
The temporary loan now amounts to $857,510 55, mostly in- vested at seven per cent. on call. This debt ought to be funded at once, provided it can be at a satisfactory rate of interest. But owing to the high rates paid by the United States from 1861 to 1865, and the still higher rates now offered by the railroad companies, together with the increasing demands of business, there is not much hope of being able to fund this debt at six per cent. during the present year. The prospective litigation between certain parties and the city in relation to the sewer assessments is
12
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
not favorable to this work. There is a general impression, how- ever, among the people, that an attempt should be made to nego- tiate loans covering this debt, even though the old rates are not adhered to.
TAXATION.
The Assessors have been laboring for several years to perfect a plan for the more equal valuation of property as a basis of just and equitable taxation. They have met with admirable success, and only need time to make their work complete. The old method of trying to make valuations correspond with the last sale and applying it to single estates, has been abandoned, and nothing short of a whole street is now dealt with at one time. In this way the valuation of different estates on the same street, or in the same locality, is made to harmonize so completely as to give entire satisfaction to those who own the property. Maps have been furnished by the city to facilitate this work, but they have not all been completed, and this has caused some delay. When this work is once done, the valuation of the entire city may be equalized in a few weeks at any time hereafter.
The valuation of taxable property in this city May 1, 1872, was as follows:
Real Estate, $30,844,600 00
Personal, . 11,397,950 00
Total. $42,242,550 00
Number of Taxable Polls, . 13,055
Amount assessed in 1872, . $761,130 37
Abated by Assessors,
$ 2,367 82
Discount for prompt payment,.
43,268 57-45,636 39
Balance, $715,493 98
Amount paid, . 693,849 96
Balance unpaid, . $21,644 02
Taxes prior to 1872 uncollected,. 34,001 22
Total amount unpaid, $55,645 24
13
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
ASSETS OF THE CITY.
It has been customary to exhibit a valuation of the property belonging to the city, including the Common and other public grounds, for the purpose of making it appear that the city owns property enough to pay its debts. This exhibit may look well in print, but the city has no authority to sell its common, and in case of emergency might be troubled to find any body who would be willing to buy the water works or the sewers.
SCHOOLS.
The public schools of the city are of more importance than any other interest connected with the government.
The apparent destiny of men and women assumes form and character in early life, and the liberal culture so readily obtained in our well-conducted schools, at once invests the young with a strong safeguard against vice and crime. A cultivated mind is above all price; and intelligence, combined with a keen sense of moral obligation, commands respect even in heathen lands.
Our schools are under the control of an able board of School Committee, elected by the people, whose duty it is by themselves, their committees, or the Superintendent of Schools, to manage all the affairs of this department, and designate from time to time such aid from the City Council as may be required in furnishing additional accommodations.
I have no doubt you will appreciate the importance of dealing with this department in a spirit of liberality, with a view to make ample provision for all who are entitled to receive instruction at the public expense. In the generation to come we shall be rep- resented by our children, and we are under the most solemn obli- gations to give them the best opportunities within our reach for mental and moral culture.
The ornamental part of our system of education will appear better in a condensed form than in any other. After our scholars have learned to be gentlemen and ladies, further ornamentation to gratify pride or conform to fashion, involves a loss of time and unfits them for the plain, practical duties of life.
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
Were the schools of the entire country graded and classified, so far as practicable, in accordance with the taste, health and capacity of the scholar, instead of his ability to repeat what he has learned from books, a new impetus would be given to all branches of business, simply by educating the right man for the right place. Many a child of rare genius has been restricted in his range of thought by the conventionalities of school life, and thus compelled by force of circumstances to seek ungenial em- ployment.
Were these principles recognized and carried out, under the dictates of reason, in the management of our schools, the scholars would become more interested, because better suited, and the cases of truancy materially reduced in number. I fully believe in compelling children to attend school; but the schools should first be made attractive, by adopting every available method to secure voluntary attendance.
There is no doubt that our schools are equal, if not superior, to any others in New England, and I only suggest these thoughts because I believe them to be in harmony with the progressive tendency of the age.
A lot of land has recently been purchased upon Summer street, near to where the Union Depot is to be built, as a site for a school-house. This purchase may be well enough as a matter of speculation, but there is no call for a school-house in that locality, and it is not probable that one will be built there. More than half the children who would be likely to attend there would be obliged to cross the numerous railroad tracks in that vicinity, and thus be constantly exposed to danger.
A school-house will very soon be required in the vicinity of the Gas Works, and it may be necessary to take action in relation thereto during the present year.
EXPENDITURES.
Salaries of Officers, . $ 4,316 66
" Teachers, 98,302 37
Teachers in Drawing Schools, . 502 75
Pay Roll of Janitors, 4,640 43
Fuel,
8,582 48
Furniture, Fixtures and Books, 4,131 31
15
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Printing, Advertising and Stationery,
1,455 61
Pianos and Tuning,
219 25
Gas and Rent, . .
570 06
Repair of Stoves, .
1,079 52
Land at South Worcester,
217 61
Trucking and Horse Hire,
720 37
Chemical Apparatus, .
667 45
Miscellaneous Repairs,
12,554 13
Furniture and Models for Drawing Schools,
2,054 77
Insurance, Express Charges and Repairs,.
392 26
Brooms, Mats and Dusters,
500 36
Grading, .
3,221 05
Care of Clocks, .
223 50
$144,352 03
Income from this Department,
2,921 26
Total Expenditures above Income, $141,430 77
The whole number of persons who have received instruction the whole or a part of the year is 10,226, against 9,941 the year previous.
The average number belonging to the schools the past year was 6,809, against 7,024 the year previous.
The average daily attendance was 6,050, against 6,323 the year previous.
The whole number in the schools at the close of the year was 7,126, against 7,145 at the close of the previous year.
The figures above include the evening and drawing schools.
The number in the day schools was as follows :
Whole number registered, . 9,212
Average number belonging, . 6,238
Average daily attendance, . 5,599
Number actually in attendance at the close of the year, . . 6,582
There has been, during the year, two large schools opened in this city, under the charge of the "Sisters of Mercy," which has taken quite a large number of scholars from our public schools. This will account for the decrease, instead of the usual increase, n their numbers. It will be seen, however, that their places are being rapidly filled, there being but 19 less in all the schools at the close of this, than at the close of the last year.
The number of schools at the close of the year, including four
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
evening schools and one drawing school, was 141; the same as at the close of the last year.
The whole number of teachers employed, including twelve who are employed in both evening and day schools, is 174.
The number of regular teachers in the day schools is 152.
The property in the possession of the department is about $1,000,000 in value.
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The Free Public Library is an institution so well known and so thoroughly appreciated, that little need be said about it.
Great care has been taken in the selection of books for the circulating department, which now contains many rare and valu- able works. The mechanic of limited means may obtain from this large collection a vast fund of knowledge upon almost every subject likely to attract his attention; and even the man of science or of literary attainment may there find much to enter- tain and instruct.
The selection of new books is of the greatest importance in the management of a library, because upon this depends the moral influence to be exerted by the diffusion of such knowledge as may be from time to time added to the common stock. A bad book leaves a bad impression upon the mind of him who peruses it ; but a good one touches the finer sensibilities of the human heart, and tends to lift the mind up into realms of ethereal light.
The recent opening of the reading room on Sunday has elicited considerable comment, and the success of the enterprise is not yet fully established. Whether a sufficient number of persons have a desire to avail themselves of such a privilege for the sole purpose of mental and moral advancement, to make the outlay advisable, remains to be seen. Those persons who are in the habit of attending church will not frequent the library on Sunday, as a general thing ; therefore those who do go will naturally be- long to a class more likely to be benefited than injured. I would not encourage any act whereby the rights of a single individual are disregarded, or any person disturbed in the enjoyment of his religious faith. If the reading of books and newspapers on the
17
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Lord's day is to be tolerated at all, I cannot see why it may not be done in a quiet, well conducted library.
This experiment has been tried in other cities with apparent success. Mr. William F. Poole, the well known librarian of the Cincinnati Public Library, recently made the following statement to the trustees of that institution : "It is a noticeable fact that many of that class of young men who have strolled about the streets on Sunday, and spent the day in a less profitable manner, are habitually frequenting the rooms and spending a portion of the day in reading. The deportment of readers on Sunday has been unexceptionable, and the rooms have been as still and orderly as on secular days. While some readers have called for religious books, the other classes of reading sought for have, in the main, been instructive and profitable.
" An experiment, which was commenced here some sixteen months ago, with forebodings in the minds of some excellent people, has, by common consent, been acknowledged a success, and has been instrumental in forming public opinion on the subject.
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