USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1908-1911 > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
Meters,
1,415.50
Arc Lamps,
208.85
Incandescent Street Lamps,
1,839.18
Office Furniture,
269.19
Tools,
36.58
Cash,
331.50
Accounts Receivable (Mfgr.)
1,314.60
Inventory (Supplied on hand)
2,720.58
$59,869.12
Liabilities.
Notes Payable,
$56,000.00
Appropriation for Construction,
551.59
Accounts Payable (Sundry Persons)
2,675.13
Accrued Interest,
387.91
Profit and Loss (Surplus)
254.49
$59,869.12
-
9
OPERATIONS TO FEBRUARY 1, 1908.
Income.
Commercial Incandescent Lighting $ 4.38
Cont.,
Commercial Incandescent Lighting,
meters,
1,119.33
Power for motor,
277.86
Light for municipal buildings,
189.98
Jobbing,
25.95
Incandescent lamps,
163.02
Pole rentals,
$1,883.37
Expense.
Current bought,
$3,116.19
Distribution labor,
147.00
Reps. electric plant,
.43
Reps. street lines,
12.08
Reps. tools,
.35
Salaries,
650.00
Office expense,
645.55
Legal services,
45.00
Insurance,
50.00
Salaries, Munic. Lt. Board (2 years)
900.00
5,566.60
Deficit,
$3,683.23
102.85
IO
PROFIT AND LOSS.
Credits.
Appropriation for salaries, June 1, 1906, $450.00
Appropriation for salaries, April I, 1907, 450.00
Appropriation for interest, April 1, 1907, 1,000.00
Appropriation for interest, November 20, 1907, 633.62
Appropriation for maintenance, November 20, 1907,
428.88
Appropriation for maintenance (balance appropria-
tion for street lights, Apr. 1, 1907)
2,996.75
Amt. recd. as accrued int. on sale of note,
428.88
$6,388.13
Debits.
Interest, December 1, 1906, $500.00
Interest, June 1, 1907, 500.00
Interest, December 1, 1907,
1,062.50
Deficit in operations to Feb. 1, 1908, 3,683.23
Interest accrued but not due,
387.91
$6,133.64
Surplus,
$254.49
An examination of the statement will show that all the expenses of the Board from its appointment in 1906 to January 31, 1908, have been included in the cost of operation. This together with the gradual growth of the commercial business, makes the cost of street lighting for the past five and one-half months, higher than estimated. From the following table of commercial earnings it will be seen that until November the street lighting account was obliged to bear almost the entire cost of operating the department :
September, 1907,
$35.69
October,
132.72
November,
330.20
December,
350.IO
January, 1908, 660.0I
II
POWER CONTRACT.
The service supplied to the Town by the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Boston, through its power contract, has been very satisfactory, and the price charged for the same has been well under the estimates of the Edison Company or the engineer of this Board at the time of making the contract.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
In accordance with the requirements of the laws of Mas- sachusetts the manager has filed with the Board estimates of the cost of operation for 1908. From the figures submitted, the Board recommends that the Town make appropriations on account of the Municipal Light Department for 1908 as follows :
$4,500.00
For payment of Town notes,
2,395.00
For interest,
1,649.00
For depreciation (3 percent on $54,962),
450.00
For salary of Board,
4,300.00
For operating expenses,
$13,294.00
together with the surplus from operations in 1907, and all income from commercial business.
On account of new construction,
$3,500.00
The Board also recommend that the sum of $400 be added to the operating expense item in the above recommendation for the purpose of burning all the incandescent lights every night until one o'clock without reference to the moon schedule.
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES BERWICK,
WALTER F. TILTON, JOHN GILLOOLY.
I2
We hereby certify that we have examined the accounts of the Electric Light Commissioners and find them correct and duly vouched.
JAMES E. PENDERGAST, ELTON O. CLARK, GEORGE H. O'BRIEN.
February 24, 1908.
Auditors.
1 1
,
APPENDIX.
-
-
REPORT OF MANAGER.
February 12, 1908.
To the Municipal Light Board,
Norwood, Mass.
Dear Sirs :-
I respectfully submit the following report as Manager of the Municipal Light Department to February 1, 1908.
I assumed charge of the department July 15, 1907. Active operations were begun August 15th, when 211 incandescent lamps and 14 arc lamps were put in operation on the streets.
The organization of the working force has proved a very simple one requiring only an assistant to the Manager as a regular employee. This assistant resides at the Station thus having someone near at hand to answer calls at all times. When it is necessary to make additions to the lines, men are employed by the day.
The development of the commercial service has taken most of the time of the Manager. Upon taking charge of the department it was found that but a few houses or stores were wired completely and almost none of them in a condition to receive immediate service. The townspeople at first hesi- tated about preparing their premises, preferring to wait until some neighbor had tried the new system. Consequently the growth of the first few months in this department was rather slow. The issue of a small pamphlet giving the various details relating to the use of electricity, including prices of current, requirements of wiring, etc., materially aided in bring- ing the merits of the Department before prospective customers. As the value of the electric system of lighting became known
16
the increase in customers and lamps was quite rapid.
On January 31, 1908, the volume of commercial business was as follows: Number of customers, 71 ; number of incan- descent lamps connected, 1930 ; number of H. P. in motors con- nected, 68.
There have been delivered to the commercial customers 14,666 kilowatt hours.
The rates adopted by your Board seem to be proving very equitable both for the Department and the consumer. They encourage long lighting hours and the use of heating and cooking devices, electric flat-irons, etc., upon reduced prices.
Consumers' bills are rendered and collected monthly and by this means the premises of each consumer are visited at least once a month enabling any errors or defects in the meters or other apparatus installed to be corrected before being al- lowed to accumulate. Also any errors in billing, poor ac- counts, etc., can be readily detected.
At the office there has been put into operation a system of daily reports which contain all the details relating to the condition of the service for the period of the report, the data of which will prove very valuable in the future, when desiring to make estimates and also in compiling records of the growth of the business.
A simple but complete system of book-keeping has been put into use, all in keeping with the requirements of the law relating to accounts of a Municipal Light Department, and which will insure a proper compliance with and return of the reports required by the state.
I am transmitting herewith a balance sheet as of January 31, 1908, showing assets and liabilities and the results of opera- tions for the same period.
The following table gives the hours of burning of the street lights by months together with the number of lamps in use.
17
STREET LIGHTING.
ALL NIGHT SERVICE.
Month.
No. lamps in use.
No. hours burned.
Arc.
Inc.
H. M.
Aug. 07
I4
6
I57
Sept.
I5
8
305.30
Oct.
I6
8
357.30
Nov.
I6
8
312.35
Dec.
16
8
391.40
Jan. 08
16
8
405.25
1929.40
ONE O'CLOCK SERVICE.
Month.
No. Inc. lamps in use.
No. Hours burned.
Aug. 07
289
71.45
Sept.
328
I68.
Oct.
344
164.25
Nov.
344
173.05
Dec.
344
188.
Jan. 08
373
167.20
932.25
The contract with the Edison Illuminating Company of Boston seems to be a very satisfactory one and it is my belief that it will prove later that no small plant can make its cur- rent as economically as can be purchased especially where a twenty-four hours' service is being given. The regulation as furnished is very good and much better than could be main- tained by a small plant. During the period just passed there have been purchased 67,183 kilowatt hours at an average price of $.0432.
In compliance with the requirements of the law, I submit the following estimate of the cost of operation for 1908.
18
For Operating expense,
Purchase of current,
Salary of Board,
$8,000.00 450.00
Salary of Manager,
I,200.00
Distribution Labor,
600.00
Repairs, 100.00
Office & Incidental Expenses,
500.00
Insurance,
150.00
- $II,000.00
For Payment of Town Notes,
First series June '08,
2,500.00
Year Note Dec. 1908,
2,000.00
4,500.00
For Interest,
$25,000 at 4 per cent,
1,000.00
25,000 at 4 I-2 per cent,
1,125.00
6,000 at 4 I-2 per cent,
270.00
2,395.00
For Depreciation, 3 per cent on $54,962.
1,649.00
$19,544.00
Estimated income for Comm'l business 6,000.00
Surplus for 1907 254.49
6,254.49
To be appropriated by town, $13,289.51
Estimated amt. required for new construction $ 3,500.00
Respectfully submitted, FRED S. BARTON, Manager.
-
19
LIGHTING RATES.
Primary Usage .- The price of 18 cents per kilo-watt hour will be charged for that portion of the total kilo-watt hour consumption, as recorded by the meter each month, determined by multiplying the kilo-watt equivalent of the demand indi- cator reading by the number of hours shown on the schedule for the corresponding month below :
January, 60 hours.
February,
50 hours.
March,
40 hours.
April,
40 hours.
May,
30 hours.
June,
30 hours.
July,
30 hours.
· August,
30 hours.
September,
40 hours.
October, -
50 hours.
November,
60 hours.
December,
60 hours.
Secondary Usage .- The remainder of the kilo-watt hour consumption for the month will be charged at the price of 12 cents per kilo-watt hour.
If the total monthly consumption exceeds 500 Kw.H., then the remaining kilo-watt hours, after completing the pri- mary usage, will be charged at 6 cents per kilo-watt hour.
Under this contract the demand indicator is set back to zero each month.
The minimum charge is $1.00 per month.
Example.
Demand Indicator reading 5x113 volts equals .56 Kw.
Total consumption, 50 Kw.H.
Charge
(demand) .56 Kw. x 50 hrs. = 28 Kw.H. x 18c., $5 04
Remainder, 22 Kw.H. x 12., 2 64
$7 68
20
YEARLY LIGHTING RATES.
Primary Usage .- The price of cents per kilo-watt hour will be charged for that portion of the total kilo-watt hour consumption determined by multiplying the guaranteed demand figure of the consumer by the number of hours of the monthly schedule as follows :
January,
50 hours.
February,
40 hours.
March,
30 hours.
April,
20 hours.
May,
20 hours.
June,
20 hours.
July,
20 hours.
August,
30 hours.
September,
October,
40 hours.
November,
50 hours.
December,
50 hours.
The amount of the bill computed above must be guaran- teed as a minimum monthly bill for one year.
The demand is determined at the start of the contract by an agreed estimate, but on March Ist of each year the demand figure is to be replaced by a new one obtained by the average of the readings of the demand indicator for the months of November, December, January and February previous.
Secondary Usage .- The remainder of the kilo-watt hour consumption for the month will be sold at the price of 6 cents per kilo-watt hour.
POWER RATES.
Primary Usage .- The price of 12 cents per kilo-watt hour will be charged for that portion of the monthly consump- tion determined by multiplying the kilo-watt demand by 25 hours. This charge is the minimum bill and must be guaran- teed for one year.
-
30 hours.
2I
Secondary Usage .- The price of 8 cents per kilo-watt hour will be charged for that portion of the then remaining monthly consumption determined by multiplying the kilo-watt demand by 50 hours.
Tertiary or Remaining Usage .- The price of 4 cents per kilo-watt hour will be charged for all the remaining kilo-watt hours of the monthly consumption, after computing the pri- mary and secondary amounts.
Rate Discount .- Whenever the gross bill figured at the above prices exceeds $25.00 in one month, there will be de- ducted 33 I-3 percent on the excess amount over and above $25.00.
The kilo-watt demand is understood to be the kilo-watt equivalent of the average highest amount of horse-power used in the months of November, December, January and February of each year.
Example. 10 H. P. Demand = 7.5 Kw. Usage, 1387.5 Kw.H.
7.5 Kw. x 25 hrs. = 187.5 Kw.H. x 12C. =
$22 50
7.5 Kw. x 50 hrs. = 375
Kw.H. x 8c. = 30 00
925 Kw.H. x 4c. = 37 00
Gross Bill, - -
-
- $89 50
$25 00 net - - = $25 00
64 50 less 33 1-3 per cent.
= 43 00
Bill, -
-
-
-
- $68 00
REPORT OF THE ENGINEER.
Feb. 8, 1908.
Mr. James Berwick, Chairman,
Municipal Light Board, Norwood, Mass.
Dear Sir :-
I beg leave to submit the following report relative to the
22
construction of the Municipal Light Department of the Town of Norwood.
HISTORY.
Acting under instructions from your Board and in con- formity with the votes of the Town, actual construction of the Department was begun on the streets of the Town April 8, 1907, ground being broken for the distributing building on April 30. By August 8, work had been sufficiently advanced on the street lines and in the building to permit electric cur- rent to be turned on to the switchboard; and on August 15 it was possible to begin lighting the streets in that portion of the Town west of the main line of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R., on September all of the Town previously lighted by gas and oil lamps was covered and lighted by the new electric system, and on October 12 all of the construction contemplated in the spring had been completed, together with several large extensions to the original layout for commercial lighting as well as nearly one and a half miles additional street lighting.
JOINT USE OF POLES.
Early in the spring the Selectmen expressed the desire that only one line of poles should exist on the streets of the Town so far as it was practical to combine telephone, electric railroad and electric lighting. Accordingly contracts were made with the Old Colony St. Ry. Co., the New England Tele- phone & Telegraph Co., and the Norfolk & Bristol Street Railway Company, in which it was arranged that existing lines of poles on the streets should be changed to a size sufficient to care for all the users of wires on the street, and whereby the corporation interested should bear its portion of the cx- pense of the change. The actual work of reconstruction was undertaken by the Board, the proportional costs charged to the several corporations, were $2763.67, all of which sums have been repaid to the Board.
23
There was also arranged a contract whereby the New England Telephone Company is to make use of the poles of the Town wherever it should desire to make extensions, thus providing for the future needs of the telephone business in the Town without requiring the addition of more poles in the streets, for the use of which the Town will receive a proper rental.
CHANGE OF STREET LAMPS.
The original plans for street lighting contemplated the use of 25 c. p. lamps, but just before beginning operation tests on the new GEM lamp showed that it was giving such satis- factory service that a 32 c. p. GEM lamp was recommended in place of the 25 c. p. carbon lamp originally considered. The cost of operating the 32 c. p. GEM lamp is no greater than the 25 c. p. carbon lamp, due to its more efficient construction and consequently 32 c. p. GEM lamps were used from the start by the system.
COST OF CONSTRUCTION.
The large amount of rocky undersoil in the Town, togeth- er with the large number of shade trees made the work of coll- structing the street lines in certain portions of the Town much slower, and of consequent greater cost, than had been estimated There were several items of the estimate in which the cost did not reach the original figures, and as a result the total cost of the original plans was slightly under the amount of the appropriation available, notwithstanding the additional con- struction above referred to.
The following table will show very nearly the actual cost of the plant on October 12, 1907, being compiled from all the bills of construction incurred :
Poles Cross Arms, etc., erected,
Estimate. $11,500.00 15,500.00
Actual. $19,1II.43 15,508.21
Wires erected,
Amount carried forward,
$27,000.00
$34,619.64
24
Amount brought forward, $27,000.00
$34,619.00
Street lamps erected,
2,000.00
1,855.65
Meters, transformers, etc.
4,000.00
1,578.II
Sub-station and equipments,
10,000.00
9,703.54
Miscellaneous Expense,
2,500.00
2,426.04
Eng. Service & Contracts profits,
4,500.00
3,996.65
$50,000.00
$54,179.65
Of the item for Poles, Cross Arms, etc.,
there was left unused material,
1,750.00
Also received on account of the same from Corporations,
2,763.67
4,513.67
Making a total net cost Oct. 12, 1907, $49,665.98
At the present date the plant of the Department covers 26.8 miles of street lighting using in all 1409 poles on the streets of which 37 are poles of the telephone companies oc- cupied under license.
FUTURE WORK.
The business of electric lighting is of such nature that continual additions are necessary to care for the increased com- mercial business. In a new plant demands of this sort are very heavy during the first years of its life, and such a con- dition will confront your Board for several years to come. The Town of Norwood is so compactly settled, however, that each extension, when made, will serve 'territory well adapted to much increase in business, and which will, within a short time, make the extension a profitable one. I would urge upon you the necessity of obtaining from the Town each year sufficient appropriations to enable the department to take on the business in sight, as a ready handling of same, when it comes, will serve as an incentive for much aditional business.
Very truly yours,
T. RUSSELL ROBINSON, Engineer.
REPORT OF TRUSTEES OF THE
Morrill Memorial Library
NORWOOD, MASS.
٠
٠
+
4
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MORRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY.
The general work of the library has continued along the same lines as in previous years. The increased appropriation has enabled the Trustees to make necessary repairs and to con- tinue the efficiency of the library. The Trustees are, however, convinced that it is only a question of a short time before their efforts must be directed toward the establishment of a children's room. The popularity and usefulness of the reading room have increased.
The circulation of books has been greater than any preceding year ; many books have been added to the library and many of value replaced. In our last report it was stated that new shelves had become a necessity, owing to the gradual ac- cumulation of books from year to year. During the past year one hundred shelves have been added, relieving in a large meas- ure the crowded condition of the shelves, and necessitating a re- arrangement of the books. A large per cent. of the reading is fiction ; this is not unusual, a condition with which all libraries have to contend, still it is not desirable. In order that a library may do its best work, the better books should be in greater de- mand.
Possibly the public do not understand that each borrower may take two books at one time, providing they are not both fiction ; that the new non-fiction books may be made fourteen day books instead of seven as heretofore.
The work of the library in cooperation with the schools, does not make any progress ; this the Trustees sincerely regret. If the library and schools would work in conjunction, much more could be accomplished in helpfulness to the schools. The
28
High School, as in the past, has its list of special reading ; the improvement in the class of reading is noticeable.
At the December meeting the resignation of Rev. J. B. Troy was read and accepted. At a joint meeting of the Trustees and Selectmen held January 21, Mr. James A. Halloran was appointed to fill the vacancy.
The Trustees desire to acknowledge and express thanks for the following gifts during the year :
GIFTS.
Massachusetts, 27 volumes, 7 pamphlets.
United States, 9 volumes, 9 pamphlets.
Mass. Institute of Technology, I pamphlet.
Rev. C. C. Grafton, I volume. Jeanie Lee Southwick, I volume.
Mr. B. L. Goodwin, I volume.
Mr. John Albree, I volume.
Mr. Charles F. Adams, I volume.
Superintendent of Immigration at Ottawa, I volume. Anonymous, 6 volumes.
The following public libraries have donated reports and bulletins : Brookline, Fall River, Hyde Park, Northampton, Syracuse, N. Y.
The usual financial statement for the year ending Jan. 31, 1908, is appended.
Respectfully submitted, LEWIS H. PLIMPTON, Chairman, MARIA E. COLBURN, Secretary, IRVING S. FOGG, WILLIAM T. WHEDON, EMILY C. FISHER, JAMES A. HALLORAN.
29
TRUSTEES OF THE MORRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY in account with the TOWN OF NORWOOD.
RECEIPTS.
Balance in treasury Feb. 1, 1907,
$ 21 71
Dog Tax,
3,000 00
Town appropriation,
7 55
Income Chickering Fund,
$3,672 23
EXPENDITURES.
Librarian, Jan. 1. 1907, to Jan. 1, 1908,
$800 00
Assistant Librarian, Jan. 1, 1907, to Jan. 1, 1908,
479 17
Janitor, Jan. 1, 1907, to Jan. 1, 1908,
311 37
Gas,
235 09
Repairs,
100 00
Shelves,
69 39
Incidentals,
656 64
Books,
99 85
Papers and magazines,
124 93
Book binding.
266 25
Coal and wood,
$3,662 95
9 28
Balance in treasury,
$3,672 23
642 97
520 26
2
30
LIBRARIANS' REPORT.
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES :
The following is a report of the Morrill Memorial Library :
The library has been open for the delivery of books every week day except the legal holidays, making in all 305 days.
CIRCULATION.
For 1906,
34,520 volumes 35,801
Average daily circulation,
II7
Largest daily circulation, Jan. 25th,
271
66
Smallest daily circulation, Feb. 10th,
29
PER CENT. OF CIRCULATION.
CLASS.
ADULT. 86.1
JUVENILE.
Fiction,
90.
Philosophy,
.5
. I
Religion,
.3
.I
Sociology,
.9
.4
Philology,
. I
.I
Natural science,
.8
1.2
Useful arts,
.7
.4
Fine arts,
.8
1.4
Literature,
3.2
I.
History,
2.7
1.7
Travel,
1.5
2.3
Biography,
2.4
1.3
OF TOTAL CIRCULATION.
Adult,
Juvenile,
57 per cent. 43 per cent.
1907,
31
REGISTRATION.
Whole number registered, Feb. Ist, 1907, Names withdrawn, I53
2,620
2,467
New borrowers,
287
Whole number registered, Feb. Ist, 1908,
2,754
FINES.
Cash on hand, Feb. Ist, 1907,
$ 12 99
Received from fines, 148 37
$161 36
Paid out for supplies,
147 70
Cash on hand, Feb. Ist, 1908,
$13 66
Respectfully submitted,
JANE A. HEWETT, Librarian.
Norwood, February Ist, 1908.
~
SECOND ANNUAL
Report of Sewer Commissioners
OF
THE
TOWN OF NORWOOD.
REPORT OF SEWER COMMISSIONERS.
To the Citizens of Norwood :
The Sewer Commissioners herewith submit their second annual report. Since the first annual report was issued, a special report was made and distributed in printed form which con- tained the recommendations of the board upon the matter of Sewerage, and on May 9, 1907, a special town meeting was held, and those recommendations were favorably voted upon by the town. The Sewer Board was instructed to proceed with the immediate construction of a certain portion of the sewer system and it was voted to issue serial bonds to the amount of $160,000 of which $4000 matured each year for the full term of forty years allowed by statute.
The method of assessment was also finally settled by the adoption of the so-called frontage and area method, so that of the total cost of the system 50 percent will be paid by the town by general taxation, 20 percent by an assessment according to the frontage of the estates situated within the territory em- braced by the sewerage system and benefitted thereby, and 30 percent according to the area of those same estates within a fixed depth of one hundred feet from the street line.
SALE OF BONDS.
In order that there might be no legal obstacle to the carry- ing out of the vote of the town, this board immediately proceed- ed to have the legality of the bond issue passed upon by bond attorneys, and the firm of Ropes, Gray, and Gorham, the attor- neys who had been employed by the first sewerage committee, was again engaged to do this work. After they had rendered a favorable opinion, the bonds were prepared and their validity certified to by the City Trust Company of Boston.
*
4
The board then proceeded to dispose of enough of the bonds to pay for such portion of the work as might be com- pleted during the year, and on May 28, sent a circular letter to fifteen leading bond firms calling for bids for $60,000 of the bond issue. Not only did none of these firms submit a bid for the bonds, but we soon learned that no banking firm would handle them, as monetary conditions were such that there was no market for a four percent bond which could not be sold less than par.
It was finally suggested that we see the State Treasurer, which we did with the result that he purchased for the State sinking-fund $80,000 of the bonds at par and accrued interest. Of the bonds sold, two mature each year for forty years, so that the portion of the issue as yet unsold is just as desirable as the portion already disposed of. An agreement was made with the Norwood National Bank whereby the funds of the department were deposited with that institution, the daily bal- ance until January 1, 1908 carrying interest at the rate of three and a quarter percent.
ENGINEERING.
Mr. Lewis D. Thorpe, successor to Coffin and Thorpe, who prepared the original plans of the system, was engaged by the board as the engineer for the construction of that por- tion of the system which the town has voted to build.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.