USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Hatfield > Hatfield Annual Town Report 1914-1924 > Part 8
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BIRTHPLACE OF PERSONS MARRIED
Groom.
Bride.
Born in the United States,
12
14
Poland,
14
12
Austro-Hungary,
2
2
-
28
28
MARRIAGES FOR FIVE PREVIOUS YEARS
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
32
26
33
38
29
DEATHS BY MONTHS
No.
Males.
Femalse.
January,
4
2
2
February,
4
2
2
Mrach,
6
4
2
April,
4
3
1
May,
0
0
0
June,
1
0
1
42
July,
3
2
1
August,
1
0
1
September,
4
3
1
October,
3
2
1
November,
5
3
2
December,
6
5
1
41
26
15
No.
Males. Females.
Under 1 year of age,
15
.
8
7
Between 1 and 10 years,
4
3
1
Between 10 and 20 years,
3
1
2
Between 20 and 30 years,
5
0
5
Between 30 and 40 years,
1
1
0
Between 40 and 50 years,
4
4
0
Between 50 and 60 years,
2
2
0
Between 60 and 70 years,
1
1
0
Between 70 and 80 years,
5
4
1
Between 80 and 90 years,
1
0
1
-
41
24
17
Age of oldest person deceased (female) 87 years.
NAMES OF PERSONS DECEASED
Ellen C. Nolan
Marguerite Darr
Eugene I. Morton
Howard M. Graves
Bronyslaw Stiwoski
Julia Johnson
Joseph Kisluk
George A. Chandler Benjamin M. Warner Madeline Rogalinski Helen Korza Valentine Parada
Eddie Korpuski Julian Kostik
43
Elizabeth Ondras Mary G. Dickinson
Arnold Graves
Frank Tobacco
John Mulany
Louis Sidowski
Helen R. Bitner
John Martalitz
John Onbras Mary Darmofal Ludwik Krahel
Edward W. Curtis Stella Hanko Joseph Ciociork John Vollinger Levi L. Pease
Dog Licenses
The number of dogs licensed during the year end- ing November 30, 1917, with the receipts and settle- ments of the account with the Treasurer, is as follows:
52 Male dogs at $2.00 each,
3 Female dogs at $5.00 each,
$104.00 15.00
$119.00
Less fees, 55 dogs at 20 cents each,
11.00
Paid to County Treasurer,
$108.00
Respectfully submitted,
L. H. KINGSLEY, Town Clerk.
:
Assessors' Report
Value of assessed Personal Estate,
$376,599.00
Value of assessed Real Estate, 1,734,806.00
Total value of assessed estate,
$2,111,405
Value of assessed buildings,
$924,704.00
Value of assessed land,
810,102.00
$1,734,806.00
Number of polls assessed, Residents assessed on property,
743
411
Non-residents assessed on property,
76
For poll tax only,
444
Rate of tax per $1,000,
$21.00
Number of Horses assessed,
463
Cows,
230
Neat Cattle,
25
Fowls,
210
Dwelling houses,
406
Acres of land,
9,246
State Tax,
$4,950.00
State Highway Tax,
354.00
County Tax,
5,119.16
Town Tax,
34,727.31
Overlayings,
675.03
$45,825.50
45
Estimated Bank and Corporation Tax, State Income Tax, Excise Tax, Addition to Warrant,
$1,200.00
3,680.69
792.75
31.71
Value of property exempt from taxation under Chapter 409, Acts of 1909 :-
Literary Institutions, $75,011.00
Church Property, 31,650.00
Resectfully submitted,
EDSON W. STRONG, P. W. MULLINS, L. H. KINGSLEY,
Assessors of Hatfield.
Report of Librarian
To the Trustees of Hatfield Public Library :-
I herewith present the following report:
The number of bound volumes in the library is 5,792. Of these 1,116 are in the juvenile department.
This year 260 books have been added to the libra- ry, 115 for adults 145 for boys and girls.
The circulation has materially increased during the year, especially among the children.
The total circulation has been 6,411. Nearly 500 persons are patrons of the library, representing about 220 families.
The 25 books in the Polish language loaned by the Massachusetts Library Association have been much appreciated by the Polish people as shown by their constant circulation.
The library is open on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 P. M. Saturdays from 3 to 5 P. M. and 7 to 9 P. M.
The present assistants are Mrs. Ula Dehey on Saturday evenings, and Miss Margaret Lovett Tues- day afternoons.
During the campaign for the Library War Fund $148.00 was raised.
47
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Received from the Town,
$230.30
Expenditures
Assistants' Salary,
$30.30
Library supplies,
14.52
Books,
7.58
Express and postage,
1.28
Cleaning,
1.00
$54.68
Balance,
$175.62
ELLEN A. WAITE, Librarian.
BOOKS ADDED TO THE LIBRARY SINCE DEC. 1916
Fiction
The Light in the Clearing,
Rainbow's End,
Bromley Neighborhood, The Prisoner,
Johnstone o the Border,
Winston of the Prairie,
Miss Minerva and Wm. Green Hill, The Major, Cinderella Jane,
Men Who Wrought, Where Your Treasure Is,
The Rising Tide,
Hundredth Chance,
Irving Bacheller Rex Beach Alice Brown Alice Brown Harold Bindloss Harold Bindloss Calhoun Ralph Conner Marjorie Benton Cooke Ridgewell Cullum Holman Day Margaret Deland Ethel M. Dell
48
Skinner's Dress Suit, The Bird House Man, The Way of the Wind, A Definite Object, Freelands, The Rainbow Trail, Wildfire,
The Last of the Plainsmen,
Lone Star Ranger,
Light of the Western Stars,
The Border Legion,
Dark Hollow,
Mystery of the Hasty Arrow, The Short Cut,
Right Stuff,
Cabbages and Kings, The Four Million, Those Gillespies,
The Magnificent Adventure,
The Broken Gate,
Les Miserables (abridged),
Sudden Jim, Kildares of Storm,
The Lifted Veil,
The High Heart,
Mary 'Gusta,
Cape Cod Stories, Cap'n Eri,
Woman Haters, Extricating Obadiah, The Red Planet, Emmy Lou, Her Book,
Emmy Lou's Road to Grace, Salina, The Wondrous Wife, Richard Richard,
Henry Irving Dodge Walter P. Eaton Eugenia B. Frothingham Jeffrey Farnol John Galsworthy Zane Grey Zane Grey Zane Grey Zane Grey
Zane Grey Zane Grey Anna Katherine Green Anna Katherine Green Jackson Gregory Ian Hay O. Henry O. Henry William J. Hopkins Emerson Hough Emerson Hough Victor Hugo Clarence Kelland Eleanor Kelly Basil King Basil King Joseph C. Lincoln Joseph C. Lincoln Joseph C. Lincoln Joseph C. Lincoln Joseph C. Lincoln William Locke George Madden Martin George Madden Martin George Madden Martin Charles Marriott Hughes Mearns
49
Ladies Must Live, Green Fancy, Luck of the Irish,
Anne's House of Dreams,
The Wind Before the Dawn, The Undertow,
The Heart of Rachael,
Martie, the Unconquered,
The Cinema Murder,
The Ways of These Women, His Family, The Road to Understanding, Song of the Cardinal, The Brown Study,
Strawberry Acres,
Round the Corner in Gay Street,
Red Pepper's Patients,
Calvary Alley,
Bab, a Sub-Deb, Seven Miles to Arden, A Country Lawyer,
Anne Feversham, The Prairie Wife,
Penrod and Sam, Mary Moreland,
The Girl at Big Loon Point, Missing, The Coryston Family, Lady Connie,
Eltham House,
Daddy Long Legs, Dear Enemy, The Four-Pool Mystery, The Gold Bag, Over the Border, El Supremo,
Alice Duer Miller George Barr McCutcheon Harold McGrath L. M. Montgomery Dell H. Munger Kathleen Norris Kathleen Norris Kathleen Norris E. Phillips Oppenheim E. Phillips Oppenheim Ernest Poole Eleanor Porter Jean Stratton Porter Grace Richmond Grace Richmond Grace Richmond Grace Richmond Alice Hegan Rice Mary Roberts Rinehart Ruth Sawyer Henry A. Shute J. C. Snaith Arthur Stringer Booth Tarkington Marie Van Vorst George Van Schaick Mrs. Humphrey Ward Mrs. Humphrey Ward Mrs. Humphrey Ward Mrs. Humphrey Ward Jean Webster Jean Webster Jean Webster Carolyn Wells Herman Whitaker Edward Lucas White
50
Why Not? Wishing Ring Man, Still Jim, The Heart of the Desert,
Lydia of the Pines,
Margaret Widdemer Margaret Widdemer Honore Willsie Honore Willsie Honore Willise
It Happened in Egypt, C. N. and A. M. Williamson
Books on the War
Mr. Britling Sees it Through,
The First Hundred Thousand,
Getting Together,
The Basis of Durable Peace,
The Vermilion Box,
A Student in Arms,
My Four Years in Germany,
Over the Top,
The Worn Doorstep,
Hilltop on the Marne,
On the Edge of the War Zone, Christine,
Out of Their Own Mouths,
When the Prussians Came to Poland,
Somewhere in France,
Laura Turczynowicz Richard Harding Davis
Miscellaneous
How to Study Birds, Herbert K. Job
The Sport of Bird Study, Herbert K. Job A Son of the Middle Border, autobiography of Hamlin Garland. Diplomatic Days, Edith O'Shaughnessy
Handbook of New England,
The City of Domes.
Feeding the Family,
Mary Swartz Rose
H. G. Wells Ian Hay Ian Hay Cosmos E. V. Lucas Donald Hankey James W. Gerard Arthur Guy Empey Margaret Sherwood Mildred Aldrich Mildred Aldrich Alice Cholmondeley
51
Canning and How to Use Canned Food. Adventures and Letters of Richard Harding Davis. The Stars and Stripes. A History of the Flag.
Boys' and Gir's' Books
Seven Little Sisters,
The Last of the Chiefs,
Little Men,
Eight Cousins,
Tom Swift in Caves of Ice,
Outdoor Chums at Cabin Point,
Four Afoot,
Four in Camp,
Kingsford Quarter,
Forward Pass,
Winning His Game,
Fifty Famous People,
Hero of Erie, Oliver H. Perry, Midshipman Farragut,
Fagots and Flames,
Campfire Girls at Brightwood, Taking a Stand,
Peter Pan, True Story of Christopher Columbus, Elbridge ,Brooks True Story of Lafayette,
True Story of George Washington, True Story of U. S. Grant,
The American Sailor, Cattle Ranch to College, Outdoor Girls at Deepdale, Outdoor Girls in a Motor Boat, Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake, Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp, Williams of West Point, Stories and Poems from Kipling.
Jane Andrews Joseph Altsheler Louise M. Alcott Louise M. Alcott Victor Appleton Allen
Ralph Henry Barbour Ralph Henry Barbour Ralph Henry Barbour Ralph Henry Barbour Ralph Henry Barbour James Baldwin James Barnes James Barnes Amy E. Blanchard Amy E. Blanchard Amy E. Blanchard J. M. Barrie
Elbridge Brooks Elbridge Brooks Elbridge Brooks Elbridge Brooks Doubleday Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Hugh S. Johnson
52
The Boy Captain, Ways of Wood Folk, Scottish Chiefs, King of the Golden River,
The Boy with the U. S. Fisheries,
Sebago-Wohelo Campfire Girls, Florence Nnghtingale,
On the Plains with Custer, Campfire Girls at Hillside,
Five Little Peppers,
James Otis Wm. J. Long Jane Porter John Ruskin Robert Wheeler Rogers Laura E. Richards E. L. Sabin Margaret L. Sanderson Margaret Sidney
Five Little Peppers in the Little Brown House,
Five Little Peppers Midway,
Five Little Peppers Abroad,
Five Little Peppers Grown Up, Our Davy Pepper,
Adventures of Joel Pepper, Boys of the Border,
Treasure Island,
Field and Forest,
Gulliver's Travels,
Margaret Sidney Margaret Sidney Margaret Sidney Margaret Sidney Margaret Sidney Margaret Sidney Mary P. Wells Smith Robert Louis Stevenson Frank Spearman Jonathan Swift Everett Tomlinson Everett Tomlinson Everett Tomlinson Everett Tomlinson Everett Tomlinson
The Pennant, Capt. Dan Richards, Three Colonial Boys, Trail of the Mohawk Chief, Scouting with Daniel Boone, Robin Hood and His Merry Outlaws,
Tilney
Boy Scouts Year Book, 1917. Three Years Behind the Guns, Aesop's Fables. The Brownie Primer, Tale of Brownie Beaver, Tale of Paddy Muskrat, Tale of Peter Mink, Tale of Tommy Fox,
Lieut. Tisdale
N. M. Banta Arthur Scott Bailey Arthur Scott Bailey Arthur Scott Bailey Arthur Scott Bailey
53
Mother Westwind "How" Stories,
Thornton W. Burgess Mother Westwind "When" Stories, Thornton W. Burgess Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Buster Bear,
Adventures of Grandfather Frog,
Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Chatterer, the Red Squirrel, Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Jerry Muskrat, Adventures of Mr. Mocker, Thornton W. Burgess Thornton W. Burgess Adventures of Old Man Coyote, Thornton W. Burgess Adventures of Old Mr. Toad, Thornton W. Burgess Adventures of Paddy the Beaver,
Thornton W. Burgess Adventures of Peter Cottontail Thornton W. Burgess Adventures of Prickly Porky, Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack,
Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Reddy Fox, Thornton W. Burgess Thornton W. Burgess
Adventures of Sammy Jay,
Adventures of Unc Billy Possum,
Thornton W. Burgess Christmas Holidays at Merryvale, Alice Hale Burnett Father Brown's Indian Tales, Merryvale Boys on a Farm, Hallowe'en at Merryvale,
Alice Hale Burnett Alice Hale Burnett Alice Hale Burnett Circus Day at Merryvale, Alice Hale Burnett Picnic Day at Merryvale, Beth's Garden Party, Alice Hale Burnett Alice Hale Burnett A Day at the Fair, Geraldine's Birthday, Alice Hale Burnett Alice Hale Burnett Mary Entertains the Sewing Circle, Alice H. Burnett Sarah Crewe, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Little Small Red Hen, May Byron Merchant Ships and What They Bring, Braine
54
Pinocchio, Dolly and Molly at the Circus, Four-footed Folk, Bobbsey Twins,
Bobbsey Twins in the Country, Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook, Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat, Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore,
Bobbsey Twins at School,
Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge, Shaggy-coat,
Little Brother to the Scouts,
Christmas Surprise Party,
Dotty Dimple at Home,
Dotty Dimple at Her Grandmother's Dotty Dimple at Play,
Dotty Dimple at School,
Dotty Dimple Out West,
Dotty Dimple, Flyaway,
Little Prudy,
Little Prudy's Cousin Grace, Little Prudy's Captain Horace,
Little Prudy's Dotty Dimple,
Little Prudy's Story Book, Little Prudy's Sister Susie, Jennie's Bird House, Marjorie's Play Days, Little Mother Goose, The Gingerbread Man, Cinderella, Children in Japan, Little Indian Maidens, Fairy Tales, English Fairy Tales,
Goody-Naughty Book,
Behind the Big Glass Windows,
C. Callode Elizabeth Gordon Elizabeth Gordon Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope Clarence Hawkes E. A. W. Hyde Caroline Jacobs Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Sophie May Lillie F. Merriam Mrs. Geo. A. Paul Ill. by Willy Pogany Ill. by Willy Pogany Ill. by Willy Pogany Ill. by Willy Pogany Beatrice B. Ruyl Charles Perrault Ernest Rhys Sarah C. Rippey Louise Robinson
55
Tale of Mr. Tod, Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse, Tale of Pigling Bland
Tale of Two Bad Mice, Tale of Tom Kitten,
Tale of Timmy Tiptoes, Tale of Tailor of Gloucester,
Tale of Flopsy Bunnies,
Tale of Jeremy Fisher,
Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Robert Louis Stevenson Reader. Heidi,
Told by the Sandman, Billy Popgun, Water Babies,
Johanna Spyri Abbie P. Walker Milo Winter Charles Kingsley
Magazines and Periodicals
Harper's Magazine. Century Magazine.
American Magazine.
Everybody's Magazine.
Good Housekeeping. National Geographic. Popular Mechanics. Forest and Stream. Youth's Companion. John Martin's. American Boy. Little Folks.
IRVING A. FLINT, Term Expires 1920. MRS. MARGARET MULLANY, Term Expires 1919. MISS MARGARET RYAN, Term Expires 1918.
Library Trustees :-
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
AND
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
OF THE
Town of Hatfield
FOR THE
Year Ending December 31, 1917
School Organization
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
John F. O'Dea, Chairman, Term expires 1920
Adam J. Smith, Secretary,
Oscar E. Belden,
Term expires 1919 Term expires 1918
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Clinton J. Richards 77 Main St., Hatfield Telephone 36-2
SCHOOL PHYSICIANS
A. J. Bonneville, M. D., (Center and North Hatfield schools).
C. A. Byrne, M. D., (Hill, Bradstreet, and West Hat- field schools).
ATTENDANCE OFFICER S. W. Kingsley
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Term opens Jan. 2, 1918, closes Feb. 21, 1918 Term opens Mar. 4, 1918, closes Apr. 18, 1918 Term opens Apr. 29, 1918, closes June 21, 1918 Term opens Sept. 9, 1918, closes Dec. 20, 1918
Report of School Committee
The Committee have very little out of the ordinary routine to report. The work of the schools has pro- ceeded along the usual lines of effort. The scarcity of fuel has caused us some anxiety, and at the time of writing this report our stock of coal at several build- ings is low, and it seems somewhat unccertain as to whether we can secure enough to carry us through the winter.
No extensive repairs have been made this year. The heating arrangements at the Hill, West, and North buildings need to be overhauled and renewed or repaired. A special report concerning the West Hat- field building has been made by the committee appoint- ed for that purpose.
At the April meeting of the Joint District Com- mittee it was unanimously voted to ask the State Board of Education to reorganize the district by the removal of Bernardston. In response to this request the State Board assigned Bernardston to the Northeld district and formed a new one consisting of Hadley and Hatfield. These two towns now have more schools and pupils than the three towns together had five years ago.
The financial report follows. The unexpended surplus represents about what we would have paid for coal if it had been possible to get it.
61
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
For Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 31, 1917 Resources
From State:
Superintendent of Schools,
$500.00
School Fund,
730.14
$1,230.14
Tuition:
Whately,
$204.88
Northampton,
111.81
316.69
Dog Tax,
76.47
Tickets sold,
41.22
Town appropriation,
13,500.00
Total Resources,
$15,164.52
Expenditures
Salaries:
Teachers,
$8,981.33
Janitors,
1,438.05
Supervisors,
449.90
Superintendent o Schools,
810.00
School Committee,
65.00
$11,744.28
Books and Supplies,
1,105.99
Fuel,
1,077.92
Repairs,
450.01
Transportation,
103.05
Miscellaneous,
165.08
Total Expenditures,
$14,646.33
Unexpended,
$518.19
JOHN F. O'DEA, Chairman.
Report of the Superintendent of Schools
This report will at least have the merit of brevity. It will relate chiefly to the business administration of the schools and leave the consideration of purely pro- fessional matters for another time and place.
CENSUS AND ENROLLMENT
The ceusus of April, 1917, showed that there were in town 541 children between the ages of five and six- teen years. Owing to a change in the law there was no census taken in 1916, but by the census of September, 1915, there were 498 children between these ages. This would show a gain of about 30 per year. For several years there has been a corresponding gain of about 30 pupils in the enrollment, until this year, when the number has fallen from 468 in October, 1916, to 465 in October, 1917. Comparison of these figures would seem to indicate not a falling off in the number of chil- dren of school age in town, but that, owing to the de- mand for labor, less children outside the age of legal requirement-seven to fourteen-are attending school.
ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance is necessary not only to pro- mote the child's own interest and progress, but also for the sake of his classmates, whose work is always hin- dered by his irregularity.
63
The attendance this year has been unsatisfactory, owing to several causes. An epidemic of measles and cther forms of illness have kept many pupils from at- tending regularly. The unusual severity of the weath- er has also interfered with the attendance of some, es- pecially the younger children who live at a distance from the school buildings.
The, greatest hindrance to regular attendance, however, is the increasing demand for the help of the older children on the farms. It may be justifiable at times to excuse a child for this reason, but only in an emergency when no other help can be secured.
The child's education should be the first consid- eration of the parent as well as of the public, and any interference with his education can be justified only by the most extreme need.
TEACHERS
Between September, 1916, and September, 1917, there were nine changes in the teaching force-more than one-half the number employed. We have been able to find well qualified teachers to fill the places of those who resigned, but it has been no easy task. The selection of competent teachers is the most difficult and important duty that devolves on school officials. It would be too much to expect that a teacher should not sometime be chosen whose work would not be alto- gether acceptable. But the fact that nearly all the teachers who have left our schools have found ready employment in larger places at higher salaries, proves that we have usually been fortunate in our choice. The selection of teachers would be much simpler and more satisfactory if a higher salary could be offered. The increase in teachers' salaries within the last two years has been more than offset by the increased cost
64
of living, so that if a majority of our teachers were not able to reduce their expenses by living at home, they would be actually receiving a smaller net income than two years ago. I would recommend that begin- ning with the next school year a salary schedule for grade teachers be adopted, placing the minimum sal- ary at $500 per year, and that this be increased up to $650, according to efficiency and time of service. The salaries of principals should be determined in cach case by the requirements of the position and qualifica- tions of the candidate.
SUPERVISORS
Miss Boyle continues as supervisor of music with the same degree of success as in previous years. While she was absent during the spring term on account of injury, Miss Mary Woods substituted very satisfac- torily for her.
Miss Bede Bjurman of the Normal Are School las been secured as supervisor of drawing to succeed Miss Landers who resigned last year.
We have no supervisor of penmanship, but an arrangement has been made with our former super- visor, Miss Kilmurry, to meet the Hatfield teachers for a monthly conference. The outlines furnished are the same as those used in Northampton, where Miss Kilmurry is the supervisor.
BOOKS AND SUPPLIES
After careful examination of several modern series of arithmetics the Wentworth-Smith series was finally selected. It is proving to be a marked improve- ment on the series displaced.
65
The course in history has been enriched by add- ing Blaisdell's "Story of American History" for the fifth grade and "Old World Hero Stories" for the sixth grade.
The course in Geography has also been improved. by placing Frye's New Geography in the fifth and sixth grades.
The need of economy is being brought home to us by the continued high cost of supplies. Many articles have increased from fifty to one hundred per cent in cost and "the end is not yet."
BUILDINGS AND REPAIRS
The Center building continues to justify the wis- dom of the town in its erection Only incidental re- pairs will be needed here. With only a slight increase in enrollment we shall have room to accommodate all our pupils in the Center and Hill buildings for some time.
The furnaces in the Hill building are in bad con- dition. When they are replaced, a system for heating and ventilating school rooms and toilets could be ar- ranged without a large additional expense.
The North Hatfield building will need to be com- pletely repaired and improved before many years. The basement in its present form is inconvenient, if not dangerous, and should be enlarged so as to contain toilets and an adequate heating system. If the enroll- ment continues to increase we shall not have room very much longer for the pupils who come from just across the line in Whately.
To accommodate the increasing number of pupils at Bradstreet a new floor and equipment will sometime be required for the room that is now used for recita- tions.
66
I can fully agree with the conclusions of the com- mittee who have investigated the West Hatfield building, that only the most necessary repairs should be made this year, since it is evident that a new build- ing is the only adequate remedy for the conditions there. The heating arrangements, though correct in theory, have some practical defects that should be cor- rected as far as possible before another winter.
The demand for repairs is most urgent at the West Hatfield and Hill buildings. Other buildings can be used without serious danger or inconvenience with only incidental repairs until a return to normal busi- ness conditons warrant more extensive operations.
MISCELLANEOUS
Cumulative record cards, properly indexed, have been introduced this year. These will give a history of each pupil throughout his school course. They will be also used as transfer cards when a pupil goes from one school or town to another.
More than one hundred fifty children had gardens during the summer of 1917. In spite of unfavorable weather and other difficulties. some very fair crops were raised and creditable exhibits were made at each of the school buildings in town. Some of the best pro- ducts from these local exhibits, together with samples from the girls' canning club, were sent to the county fair where they received second prize for school ex- hibit. This work will probably be continued during the season of 1918, with more complete organization and supervision.
Dental inspection is now authorized by law and many towns are furnishing it with good results. Physi- cians are agreed that many diseased conditions among
67
children are traceable to defective teeth. I recommend that dental inspection be provided at the opening of the next school year.
Schools and teachers are being constantly asked to engage in activities related in some way to the world war or conditions growing out of it. In order that the program of public education may not be inter- rupted, and that the schools be kept free from affairs that would interfere with their fundamental task, a committee has been formed with Payson Smith, Com- missioner of Education, as chairman, to advise in re- gard to war relief activities. In a recent circular let- ter this committee advises that the Junior Red Cross be the one recognized agency of the schools in relief work. This organization offers unusual opportunities to our children for patriotic service and training in citizenship, and all schools will be given the privilege of being enrolled as school auxiliaries.
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