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A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mayor's Inaugural Address Jan. 4, 1875
School Committee Report 1875
Newton Free Library - Transfer of the Newton Free Library to the City of Newton March 16, 1876
Water Commissioners Report
(Established December, 1874)
May, 1875 (t.p)
3 1323 00360 4997
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https://archive.org/details/publicdocuments1875newt
N 352 N48 P 1875 V.1 C.1
72
THE
ADDRESS
OF
JAMES F. C. HYDE,
MAYOR OF NEWTON,
TO
THE CITY COUNCIL.
January 4, 1875.
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1,13ERTY AMD UNIO!
FOUNDED
1679.A CITY1873.
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TUM.
RATE
BOSTON : PRINTED BY RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY. 1875.
WITH COMPLIMENTS OF
JAMES F. C. HYDE. MAYOR.
THE
ADDRESS
OF
JAMES F. C. HYDE,
MAYOR OF NEWTON,
TO
THE CITY COUNCIL.
January 4, 1875.
W
N
ERTY AND UNI
FOUNDED 16:
79.A CITY1873
INC
NONA
TUM.
ORATI
ATOW
BOSTON : PRINTED BY RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY. 1875.
CITY OF NEWTON.
IN BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN, JAN. 4, 1875
Ordered, That his Honor the Mayor be requested to furnish a copy of his Address for publication.
Sent down for concurrence.
JULIUS L. CLARKE, Clerk.
IN COMMON COUNCIL, JAN. 4, 1875.
Concurred in.
HOSEA HYDE, Clerk.
ADDRESS.
GENTLEMEN OF THE CITY COUNCIL : -
The first year of our existence as a city has now closed. It is numbered with the two hundred and forty-three that preceded it since Newton was founded, and with the one hundred and ninety-four that have elapsed since its incorporation as a town. Its past history has been one full of interest to its citizens, and one too upon which they may justly look with pride and satisfaction. The year that has just closed upon us has not been noted as one of great prosperity : still we have reason to rejoice that no great calamity has befallen us as a community. Neither fire nor pestilence has desolated our city, while general peace and good order have prevailed through all our borders.
Let us be grateful to the Giver of all good, that he has thus so kindly dealt with us, and so spared and protected us through the weeks and months of our first year under a new, and to us untried form of govern- ment.
4
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
This first year was not an easy one to those who were called upon to fill the various positions of trust to which they were elected. Great pains were taken to arrange ordinances and by-laws adapted to the wants of the young and growing city. All the machinery necessary to carry on the new government was to be created and tested. Many of those elected were wholly new to the duties that they were called upon to perform. It was a year of hard work and constant anxiety to all. The key-note for the new government was true economy in every department, reduction of taxes with no increase of the debt. The people whose servants we were anxiously watched our progress, hardly expecting, but still hoping, we should be able to redeem the promises we had made, and the expectations that had been raised. Let the records show how we performed our part.
Though the past has been in a good degree satisfac- tory, still with the experience that has been gained is it not fair to presume that the new government will be able to more fully meet the expectations of our fellow- citizens who have elected us to the various positions of trust that we now hold ?
As we accept the places assigned us by their kind- ness, let us all remember the solemn obligations we have this day assumed.
Let me now respectfully invite your attention to the present condition of the important interests con- nected with the various departments of the govern-
5
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
ment, and to such suggestions concerning the same as the occasion demands.
FINANCIAL REVIEW.
In my last annual address, I ventured to express the hope that the outstanding debt of the city - a legacy from its honored predecessor, the town - would not be increased unless for some permanent improvement, or temporarily to meet some extraordinary expense. During the year, the city has necessarily incurred large expenditure for important permanent improve- ments ; while in some of its departments unusual expenses have been unavoidable. Thus, in the very commencement of its history as a city, its appro- priations for current expenses have been nearly fifty thousand dollars more than in any preceding year, under its organization as a town. But it is fortu- nate that, while its financial responsibility has been in- creased, the expenditures of the city, as rendered and paid for 1874, have not only fallen within the amount appropriated therefor, but even its public debt, and rate of taxation, have been materially reduced. Cer- tainly, the citizens of Newton may be congratulated upon these most favorable results of their first year's experience as a city.
The following exhibit of the finances of the city is sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes. Some unimportant variations may appear in the final adjust- ment of accounts, but these will not essentially affect the sumining-up of results.
6
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
The outstanding or permanent debt, amounting at the commencement of the year to $407,000, has been reduced to $387,000. Temporary loans have been negotiated from time to time, in anticipation of re- ceipts from taxes and other sources, amounting to $195,000, all of which has been liquidated. Should the financial policy of the past year be continued, there need be no increase of the public debt on account of any ordinary expenditure which the necessities of the city may require.
The aggregate cash transactions of the treasury de- partment show its receipts to have been nearly or quite $631,500, and its payments upwards of $611,000. The total net expenses allowed and paid during the year, exclusive of State, county, and bank taxes, may be stated at $405,000, subject of course to the slight varia- tions already referred to. But including the State tax, ($23,540), county tax ($16,108.32), and the bank tax (1,206.79), the total payments on account of current expenses do not much exceed $445,000.
In a classification of expenditures by departments, as far as rendered and paid, the following are some of the more important results : educational purposes, $97,353; highways, $121,532, including $13,142 for concrete sidewalks and crossings; fire department, $27,234, which includes $2,000 paid for tivo new strik- ers for the fire-alarm telegraph ; lighting streets, $17,- 280, which with contingent expenses makes the whole
7
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
amount chargeable to the same appropriation $20,608 ; police department, $11,100; Steamer House No. 3, $17,954 ; city stables, $16,752; City Hall, construction account, $10,500, furnishing, &c., 3,100, making $13,- 600. The whole amount appropriated for alterations, furnishing, &c., of the City Hall, was $16,800, showing an unexpended balance of $3,200 for the payment of bills yet to be rendered.
The appropriations for the year 1874 amounted to $376,000, for which full provision was made in the assessment of taxes, and other sources of income. But the net expenses allowed and paid, and which make up the item of $405,000, include the completion of the Steamer House No. 3, for which an appropriation was made in the previous year, and also other authorized expenses payable from unappropriated moneys in the treasury. Deducting these from the statement, and adjusting the transfer of unexpended balances, as authorized by special order of the city council, and the net result shows a small unexpended balance of the aggregate appropriation for the year.
This balance would have been much larger, and the apparent expenses of 1874 would have appeared pro- portionally less, had not some of the departments been burdened with the transmission of an unexpected excess of unpaid liabilities from the previous year. But, as a portion of the last month's expenses necessarily fall due within the present year, the total payments as rendered for 1874 substantially cover a year's expendi-
S
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
ture. With this result, and the reduction of the out- standing debt by draft upon the surplus funds in the treasury, there is good cause for satisfaction.
The following will show the valuation of the property of the city on which taxes were assessed for the year 1874, with amount of taxes and rate of taxation : --
Value of real estate
$20,032,800.00
Value of personal estate
8,048,645.00
Taxable value of corporate stocks
1,195,294.00
Taxable value of bank stocks
1,157,961.00
Total taxable valuation
$30,434,700.00
City grant .
$320,000.00
State tax
23,540.00
County tax
16,108.32
Overlay
13,245.21
Assessment on corporate stocks
18,539.02
Assessment on bank stocks
17,369.49
Total assessments
$408,802.04
Rate of taxation $13.00 on $1,000, 1874.
Rate of taxation $14.50 on $1,000, 1873.
SCHOOLS.
This city still maintains its high rank in regard to schools. The appropriations have been liberal, and the money in the main judiciously expended.
No complaint comes from any quarter, however large the expenditure for this department, provided the same is economically and wisely used.
There are few or none who do not feel that money laid out in this direction is well invested. The school
9
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
committee, with the superintendent, have so managed the past year as to show a small surplus of the appro- priation still on hand ; and yet all the demands made upon this department have been fully and liberally met.
The parents, as a general rule, enter into all the plans for the promotion of education through the public schools, and heartily co-operate with the com- mittee, superintendent, and teachers to promote the highest and best interests of the scholars.
The following will show the financial condition of this department : -
SCHOOL APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1874.
General appropriation for support of schools . . $77,000 00
Received from the dog tax
472 77
" school fund
564 96
Amount received, non-resident pupils in
440 46
$78,478 19
Amount paid to superintendent and teachers, to Dec. 31,
1874
. $67,842 00
Amount paid to janitors
3,281 50
6 " for fuel
5,318 63
76,442 13
Balance unexpended Dee. 31, 1874
$2,036 06
Appropriation for industrial drawing
.
$2,000 00
Amount expended .
$1,362 40
Amount transferred to school ineidentals
249 29
1,611 69
Balance unexpended, Dec. 31, 1874
$388 31
1
10
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Appropriation for evening schools .
$1,000 00
.
Amount expended, Dec. 31, 1874 .
$252 35
Amount transferred to school incidentals
747 65
1,000 00
Appropriation for school incidentals
$17,000 00
Amount transferred from industrial drawing .
249 29
" evening schools
747 65
$17,996 94
expended, Dec. 31, 1874 .
17,996 94
Appropriation for conveyance of pupils to the high school
$1,000 00
Amount expended, Dec. 31, 1874 . 1,000 00
Appropriation for text-books .
$300 00
Amount cxpendcd, Dec. 31, 1874
299 83
Balance unexpended , .
17
Net balance unexpended, Dec. 31, 1874 . $2,424 54
Total amount expended for educational purposes for the
year ending Dec. 31, 1874 . $97,353 65
The question of additional accommodations at the high school is now forced upon us; and something will need to be done this year in order suitably to accom- modate the present scholars, about two hundred and thirty in number, to say nothing of the large increase that will be knocking for admission before the close of the year.
There are more now in the school than can comfort- ably be provided for; and I suggest that this subject receive such early attention as its importance de- mands.
Some have indulged the hope that, when the present
11
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
high-school building should be found to be too small to meet the wants of the whole city, another high school would be established on the line of railroad run- ning through Wards Five and Six.
There are strong reasons for and against such a plan, while those who are best qualified from experience and observation feel that there should be but one high school in each city or town.
If that idea is to be adhered to, then the location of the present building is probably as central and conven- ient as any that could be found, and it will be wise to make such additions to the building as will fully meet the present and prospective wants of the school.
The alteration contemplated will probably cost not less than twenty thousand dollars ; and this will nearly double the capacity of the building.
The subject of truancy is one that has attracted some attention of late. The whole matter, including the ap- pointment of truant officers, is in the hands of the school committee, except to determine the place of confinement of truants. I would recommend the adop- tion of a suitable ordinance in relation to it.
HIGHWAYS.
The streets of Newton, I believe, were never in so good condition as during the past year, and better results have been obtained for the money expended than ever before. This is largely due to more efficient management, and to the better system that has been adopted.
12
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
The work has been laid out under the direction of an engineer, and carried on by the superintendent of streets and his assistants, under the general direction of the committee on streets.
.
More crushed stone has been used during the past season than ever before, and several streets have been well covered with this material. I expressed the hope last year that such a course might be adopted, and I would strongly reiterate the same at this time.
There are miles of street that need to be properly macadamized, and we have plenty of good material for this work that only needs to be broken to be made available for such use. In accordance with a sugges- tion that I made last year, a superintendent of streets was chosen, who has had the general management of all the streets, sidewalks, culverts, bridges, and other things connected with the same.
The plan pursued has given general satisfaction, and should be continued with such improvements as expe- rience may suggest.
So far as possible, all unsafe and dangerous places should be improved, and thus reduce the possibility of accident, and the liability of the city for damages.
Much has been done, and wisely too, in laying con- crete sidewalks and street-crossings. This work is rather costly ; but such walks and crossings are a great improvement, and I think we should expend a reason- able amount each year upon them.
During the past year, a portion of the work on roads
13
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
previously ordered to be built, or widened and im- proved, by the county commissioners has been done ; but much remains to be accomplished.
The " Valentine Road " has been so far completed as to be accepted by the city council. The original esti- mate of the county commissioners for the completion of this road was about $2,000. The actual cost has been about $26,000.
That portion of Walnut Street south of the railroad remains to be widened ; and when the whole is com- pleted, with the addition ordered at the Highlands, this street will be one of the longest and best in the city, extending as it will from Dedham Street at the High- lands, to Crafts Street near Waltham line.
The widening of Waltham Street, to which reference was made last year, should receive attention this year, as well as the road laid out by the commissioners, lead- ing from Winchester Street in Ward Five, to Charles River, to meet a road laid out by the county commis- sioners of Norfolk. The work on the latter, except the building of the bridge, could be done to advantage this winter, and thus give employment to many labor- ers at a moderate price per day, who might otherwise be compelled to remain idle, and possibly need assis- tance from the city.
The same course might, and I think should be adopted, in the extension of Walnut Street at the High- lands, and in the widening of Beacon Street in Ward Six; the latter an improvement also ordered by the
14
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
county commissioners. It is possible that other work could be done during the winter, in connection with the improvement of highways, or preparation of mate- rial for the same, and so afford work for the unem- ployed, of which I fear there will be many this winter.
Fuller Street in Ward Four has been partially com- pleted ; but the work should go on until it is finished the entire length to the width of fifty feet, which will be a costly improvement, and one hardly warranted by the small amount of travel it accommodates.
The committee on streets, in view of the large amount of work already ordered, have not deemed it best to lay out new streets that might prove expensive to the city; and in this I think they have acted wisely.
While there should be no obstacles thrown in the way of improvement by our citizens, by the refusal of the city to do its part, yet it cannot be expected that the city can lay out and build, or even accept after they are laid out by individuals, every street or way that is asked for.
Wise discrimination should be made between such streets as are demanded by public convenience and necessity, and those that are merely marked out by some speculator in land, the better to enable him to sell the same.
While I have no hostility to any, I do believe the expense of streets laid out only to benefit a few inter- ested parties, and that are not called for by the public,
15
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
should be built at the expense of those who are directly benefited.
I would express the hope that the committee on streets will insist upon having all new streets of good width. None should be laid out less than forty, and others should be fifty or even sixty feet in width. Pos- terity will thank us for our wise forecast ; for now, while land is comparatively cheap, it will be no hardship to give it for this purpose, while if left for twenty-five, fifty, or a hundred years, it will be a very costly under- taking to widen streets. We have only to look to Bos- ton for verification of this remark.
When new streets are built, the work should be well done. It is not economy to save a few dollars in making a road that will soon need extensive and costly repairs.
Road-making is an art, and is not well understood even by some who profess a knowledge of road-build- ing. The mere laying-out and shaping of a road is but a small part of the whole work. The proper drainage of a road is a matter that is almost wholly overlooked by many ; yet it is very important, and on some soils it is impossible to have a perfect road without suitable drainage. I commend the manner in which the streets, the gutters, the sidewalks, and the culverts have been managed the past year, and hope that they may receive equally good attention during this year.
The betterment law has been applied but in few cases, and in those cases not to the injury of any person.
16
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Its provisions are productive of good when wisely administered.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
During the past season the city has not suffered serious loss by fire, notwithstanding the short supply of water. Our fire department has been greatly im- proved, and is now in excellent condition.
The number of engineers has been reduced from ten to seven, including the chief, and the change seems to have been a good one. The pay of the chief engi- neer was increased from two hundred and fifty to seven hundred dollars.
The three steamers are so located as to be able to reach any part of the city in a short time, and have during the past year rendered excellent service. There will be a few extra expenses in connection with the department this year. A new house in Ward Two for the use of the hook and ladder and hose company, or an enlargement of the present one on Washington Place, will be required; new hose to replace that which is no longer fully serviceable ; and some addi- tions to the fire-alarm telegraph, among which will be a new striker at Lower Falls, and some additional boxes, - which improvements are suggested by the chief engi- neer in his yearly report. Hand engines, except at Lower and Upper Falls, are not now relied upon for protection against fire. Should water be introduced into Newton, there will be no need of more steamers at present, and a large expense will thus be saved.
17
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
The hose companies in Wards Two and Four, and the hook and ladder company in Ward Two, are valu- able additions to the fire department.
The horses used in connection with the fire depart- ment are also used on the highways; and the plan as now arranged appears to give general satisfaction. This arrangement seems to be an economical one ; though, if care is not exercised, it might be far other- wise.
None are more ready to do their whole duty, and to do it promptly, than the firemen; and I recommend that all proper wants in this department be promptly supplied.
The fire-alarm telegraph has proved its value in giving early notice of fires; and in some cases valua- ble property has been saved that otherwise would have been destroyed. No great additions have been made to it the past season. A small amount may need to be laid out this year for its improvement and preservation.
The ordinance concerning the erection of improper and dangerous buildings should be enforced so as to prevent the locating of such buildings where they will endanger other property.
POLICE.
I have given special attention to this department, and feel sure it has been improved during the year. There has been an increase of the force, and there will need to be a further addition.
18
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
Our limits are extensive; and the present number, however efficient they may be, are entirely inadequate to meet the present wants of the city by day and by night. The past season, it has been more quiet within our limits than during previous years, which may be accounted for in the fact that we have had a better police force, which has had the effect to prevent crime. Newton is still regarded as a quiet and orderly place ; and, that we may preserve our reputation, the police force should receive some additions. I still feel that the force should be composed of prudent, intelligent, and temperate men, who will be prompt in the dis- charge of every duty.
WATER.
In accordance with the suggestions that I had the honor to submit in my address of last year, a commit- tee was chosen to consider the subject of a supply of water. That committee reported that it was expedi- ent to have water introduced, and at as early a day as was practicable ; and further reccommended that the matter be referred to the people, that they might ex- press their minds upon the question at the election re- cently held. The people by their votes said Yes, by more than five hundred majority.
I regard it as fully settled that Newton must have water, and that soon. While almost every city, and many towns, some of which are not one-tenth as rich as Newton, have introduced water, it is not wise for us longer to delay the matter.
19
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
But, aside from that fact, the more important one is, that during the past year there has actually been a scarcity of water, even the wells in many localities failing to yield the usual supply. In some of the more thickly settled wards, there is no question but that the people are constantly drinking and using water that is entirely unfit for domestic purposes.
Recent analyses made of water taken from different places in the neighboring town of Watertown show that that taken from Charles River above the dam, which is below all the mills that are located on this river except those in Watertown, was really the purest, while that taken from seven different wells located in the same town was found to be, with two exceptions, " quite unfit for domestic use ; " and the water from the two other wells contained more than double the im- purities of the river water.
If the water in wells in Watertown is so impure, is it not reasonable to suppose that in Wards One, Two, and Three, and in some portions of other parts of the city, the same state of things may exist ?
In addition to these facts is the important one that most of our dwellings, as well as a large number of other buildings, are of wood; and, without a supply of water, serious consequences might result from fire.
We feel that this is a very important subject, the most so of any we have ever been called to decide.
If we were compactly situated, as many towns are, then we should need but comparatively few miles of
20
MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
pipe, and the cost would be small ; but with over a hun- dred miles of streets, and the villages widely apart, it must involve a very large outlay, even to lay the pipes through one-half of the streets with all the necessary appliances. The estimated cost of water from Charles River, taking the same from some point above the Upper Falls, by the Sawyer plan, for forty-three miles of pipe, is $600,000; and it is reasonable to suppose that it will not be done for less than that sum.
It is probable that more pipe will need to be laid, and consequently a larger sum of money will be needed.
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