Norwood annual report 1927-1929, Part 10

Author: Norwood (Mass.)
Publication date: 1927
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1016


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1927-1929 > Part 10


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A claim against Michael F. Connors of Boston for automobile property damage in a small amount is pending and this depart- ment has been directed by the General Manager to bring suit to enforce collection of the claim.


Action to enforce for the benefit of Martin King, a town em- ployee, the liability of Albert W. Lyon for personal injuries sus- tained by King while engaged in street work on Washington Street


169


on April 9th, 1927, when struck by an automobile operated by Lyon was directed, but upon a waiver of his compensation claim against the Town and a suitable release suit was not brought.


Miscellaneous


The following matters which received attention appear to be of sufficient importance to warrant a place in this report in the form stated and indicate the character and extent of the activities of the law department which of necessity are largely for the guidance of the officials in the performance of their extensive and varied duties.


Takings. Preparation of orders of taking and incidental papers and attention to title questions and releases as follows:


Land of Brooks Heirs, at corner of Railroad Avenue and Central Street (formerly Market Street); in fee for Municipal Light De- partment purposes.


Land of Doane and others, Trustees, (Winslow Park); fee for park purposes.


Land of S. Seveniauskas on River Street; in fee for park pur- poses.


Lands of Winslow Brothers & Smith Company and Norwood Housing Association, Inc .; easement for street purposes re Central Street widening.


New Ways.


Street running northwesterly from Nichols Street Extension.


Street extending southerly from Bellevue Avenue.


Street being an extension of Bond Street.


Street being an extension of Chickering Road.


Street being an extension of Rosemary Street.


Street called Walter Road, connecting extension of Chickering Road with extension of Rosemary Street.


Widenings. Alterations by widening of existing streets as to portions thereof, viz .:


(a) Neponset and Dean Streets.


(b) Railroad Avenue and Monroe Street.


(c) Prospect Street and Prescott Avenue.


(d) Nichols Street and Prospect Avenue. Selectmen


Proposed Washington Street Building Line questions and at- tendance at hearing.


Vehicle regulations and street traffic automatic stop signals.


Main drain layouts Nichols to Bullard Streets.


Use of Ellis Park property for skating questions.


170


Action as to Police Department matters.


Action with respect to adoption of playground law and per- formance of duties under it.


Washington Street widening questions particularly as to damages involved.


Compensation to public works employee during illness questions. Buckmaster Pond water height situation.


Traffic light signal regulation.


Proposed new way from Walpole and Bond Streets to Nichols Street questions.


Board of Survey.


Extent and character of liability in damages upon the establish- ment of exterior lines of located way.


Procedure in establishment of exterior lines of located ways. Papers for use prepared.


Finance Commission.


Town Meeting procedure as to action on street layouts.


Legislation relative to gas companies.


School Building expansion program and Norwood Civic Asso- ciation property in relation thereto.


Peabody Trust Fund situation and action.


School Committee.


Shattuck School grading contract questions with respect to bids.


Transportation of school children-opinion to Superintendent Grant.


Morrill Memorial Library Trustees.


Action as to acceptance of gifts also as to repairs and addition to library building.


Action as to mutilation of books.


Town Planning Board.


Attention to proposed zoning by law questions and changes in draft to be presented at town meeting and to article for warrant and vote under same.


Conferences with Chairman and others as to action to be taken also as to approval by department of the Attorney General.


Board of Registrars.


Nomination papers situation and action-hearing attendance.


Board of Assessors.


Tax questions.


171


Town Treasurer and Collector of Taxes.


Victory Fertilizer Company tax claim and condition and action. Karalekas tax collection questions.


Board of Appeal under Zoning By-Law.


Action re Nickerson Building situation. Attendance at hearings.


General Manager.


Terrill, Connors, Billings, Domico and Massief claims.


Buckmaster Pond situation.


School children fares-motor bus transportation.


Right to sue for injury to employee.


King accident claim and compensation situation questions. Payment of wages to injured employee.


Town Clerk and Accountant.


Clerk of Selectmen.


Taxation of real estate questions.


Vacations for laborers questions.


Walpole sewer system legislation.


Legislation re extension of South Metropolitan Sewerage System in the Neponset River Valley.


Apportionment of taxes as to notice to mortgagees.


New sewer lien statement and assessment.


Action as to real estate tax assessment.


Drain situation as to Fahey land.


Sidewalk assessment and apportionment questions.


Betterment Assessment questions.


Action re taking land for overdue taxes including notice and service and re release and apportionment as to certain parcels.


Restraint of dogs questions.


Nomination papers questions.


Alterations of pole locations and pole line agreements.


Traffic regulation questions.


Zoning By-Law publication questions.


Building Inspector.


Permit questions under zoning by-law.


Action as to Laundry Building permit application (Cottage Street site) and hearings attended.


Chief of Fire Department. Claim for damage to automobile. Garage location re proximity situation.


Board of Relief


Relief situation and action.


172


Senior High School Building Committee.


Arbitration procedure as to sub-contractor claim and application to situation.


Payments to contractor and receipts for same.


Grading contract questions and opinion as to situation.


Memorial Municipal Building Committee.


Attention to contract and indemnity bond questions also to questions as to bids and postponement of award; various confer- ences; articles for warrants and action under same.


Metal Pole Line and Wooden Pole Line Agreements


With Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company.


These matters called for considerable attention. As to the metal poles, the question of the future use of certain poles on Washing- ton Street between Railroad Avenue and Guild Street upon com- plete title vesting in the Town through purchase of the interest of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company therein re- ceived extended consideration due to the fact that the Street Railway Company was to continue to use the poles while the Town was enlarging its own use.


Numerous conferences were held with the officials of the Street Railway Company and an amicable agreement was finally reached and embodied in the revised agreement wherein the use of the poles and the liability of the respective parties were carefully defined and an important problem was satisfactorily solved.


As to the wooden pole line in which the Street Railway Com- pany, the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Town through its Municipal Light Department were jointly interested certain new poles were set and certain other poles were relocated, necessitating changes and consideration of the propor- tions in which the respective parties would contribute to the cost and maintenance of the poles. After extended negotiations a new agreement amending the existing agreement was made whereby the proportions should be the same as before.


Betterment Assessments.


Attendance at numerous conferences and at abatement hearing. Attention to orders of assessments and other papers and to various questions as to expert advice and as to action re Town square and other public improvements.


Street Layouts


Attention to preparation of layouts from data furnished as to various new ways and street widenings. Questions re notice to owners.


173


General.


Articles and motions under annual and special town meeting warrants prepared.


Attention to deed of Standard Oil Company of New York con- veying to the Town easement in land at corner of Railroad Avenue and fronting on Washington Street for public way pur- poses and to title search and to action thereon.


Deed and incidental papers prepared conveying Pleasant Street land of Fred L. Fisher purchased for school purposes.


Official reports prepared.


Attention to budget requirements.


Attention to Maguire and Keohane releases.


Conclusion


No comment appears to be necessary with respect to matters pending in the department at the beginning of the year 1928 as aside from the suits reported above all are of a routine character. As in past years confidence and consideration have been shown by all the Town officials with whom this department has had contact and is gratefully acknowledged as in the generous co-operation extended by Clerk Pendergast.


Respectfully submitted,


JAMES A. HALLORAN, Town Counsel.


174


ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MORRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY FOR THE YEAR 1927


To the Citizens of Norwood:


It has been our pleasure to report for some years past an increase in circulation over each preceding year. This has shown a mode- rate but steady growth in the usefulness of the Library to all parts of the community but the astounding increase for 1927 over 1926 of 7,784 volumes, bringing the total circulation for the year up to 90,166 volumes, only goes to show that the establishment by the Trustees of branch libraries in several of our public schools, with- out additional cost to the town, together with the work which the Library is doing in connection with the higher grades in our school system, was exceedingly wise in its conception. For it has made our Public Library not only a source of pleasure and infor- mative reading for the general public but, in addition, has made it a workshop auxiliary to our educational system, and thus augurs for increased circulation and usefulness in the years to come, an end to which your Trustees and the Library staff are bending their endeavors. In this way is the Library becoming better known and more widely used.


In the early part of the year the Library received the Warren H. Cudworth Memorial Collection, consisting of a splendid library of classical authors and other works, from the estate of the late Mr. Cudworth. It also received the sum of $500. from the same source, to be known as the Cudworth Fund for Encouraging the Use of Pure English, the income of this fund to be used for the purchase of books especially connected with the purpose expressed in the title of the fund.


Beginning in the early summer, the Trustees have been devoting much attention to the preparation of tentative plans and estimates for the proposed addition to the Library, for the erection of which the necessary funds were provided through the bequest of the late Mrs. Alice H. Plimpton. These efforts have reached their fruition in the appointment of the building committee authorized at the Special Town Meeting of December 28th, 1927, and it is hoped that the committee will be able to complete the necessary details so that the work may commence in the early spring.


Fortunately the mutilation of books rarely occurs. When it does occur, however, it is the intention of the Trustees to see that the offender is punished. Lately a case has been in the court covering


175


the mutilation of several reference books by a boy and the Court has ordered that the matter be settled to the full satisfaction of the Trustees. In addition to this incident another case occurred in which an adult mutilated two books and was forced to make restitution.


Respectfully submitted,


WILLIAM T. WHEDON, MAUDE A. SHATTUCK, W. W. EVERETT, A. MARION WAIN, JULIA A. MCCARTHY, WALTER BLAIR, Trustees of the Morrill Memorial Library.


-


176


LIBRARIAN'S REPORT


To the Board of Trustees:


The following is a statistical report of the Morrill Memorial Library, arranged according to the form recommended by the American Library Association.


Name of Library


Morrill Memorial Library


Town


Norwood


Name of Librarian


Jane A. Hewett


Date of Founding


1873


Population served


15,000 (approximate)


Assessed valuation


$26,464,530.00


Terms of use


Free for lending; free for reference


Total number of agencies


4


Number of days open in 1927


303


Number of hours open each week


66


Number of staff


5


Increase


Number of volumes at beginning of year


29,499


Number of volumes added by purchase.


1,569


Number of volumes added by gift.


310


Total number at end of year.


31,278


Number of magazines currently received


87 titles


101 copies


Number of publications issued each year


4


Use


Fiction Non-fiction


Foreign


Total


Adult


39,910 8,845


457


49,212


Juvenile


23,222


8,349


31,571


Balch School


3,603


High School


1,169


Shattuck School


940


Winslow School


2,547


Deposits in other Schools


1,214


90,166


Number of pictures lent.


7,489


Finance


See Report of Town Accountant.


177


Registration


Adult


Juvenile 440


Total 671


Total number of registered borrowers (Re-registration was begun in July.)


1771


1608


2380


Books Added to the Library in 1927


Adult


Juvenile


Total


General Works


26


2


28


Philosophy


10


1


11


Religion


10


4


14


Sociology (includes fairy tales)


105


152


257


Philology


3


0


3


Natural Science


14


26


40


Useful Arts


30


18


48


Fine Arts


59


9


68


Literature


49


58


107


Description and Travel


63


21


84


Biography


99


18


117


History


40


24


64


Fiction


400


638


1038


908


971


1879


Gifts


The Warren H. Cudworth Library of about 1000 volumes. (This is not included in the above table.)


Books and pamphlets have been received from:


American Tree Association


Mrs. L. C. Marshall


Anonymous


Miss Mary Marshall


Frederick A. Cleveland, Ph.D.


Massachusetts Agricultural College


William W. Cook


Thomas E. Mitten


Mrs. Edward Cunningham


Mrs. C. J. Prescott


Dennison Manufacturing Co.


Universalist Society of Norwood


Miss Lucille Foster


Mr. Frank Smith


Miss Florence Hill


Mr. Fiske Warren


Judson Press


Magazines have been received from: Mrs. L. C. Marshall, Miss Maude A. Shattuck, Mr. William T. Whedon.


Pictures have been received from Miss Susan Dana Wheelock. Respectfully submitted,


JANE A. HEWETT. Librarian.


Number of borrowers registered, 1927


231


Congregational Church School


178


ANNUAL REPORT OF BUILDING INSPECTOR


January 1, 1928.


To the Selectmen of Norwood,


Gentlemen:


I herewith submit the following as the annual report of the Inspector of Buildings of the Town of Norwood for the year 1927:


Building Permits Issued


No. of Permits


Estimated Value


Dwellings


82


$511,205


Additions


62


35,185


Garages


113


63,500


Industrial Plants


9


53,500


Storage Buildings


5


10,500


Stores


7


48,950


Barns


1


425


Hospital


1


52,000


Municipal Building


1


295,387


Total


283


$1,070,652


Respectfully submitted,


F. M. DOUGLASS, Inspector of Buildings.


179


REPORT OF THE TOWN GAME WARDEN


February 1, 1928.


To the Selectmen of Norwood,


Attention of Mr. Thomas B. Mulvehill.


Dear Sir:


I herewith submit my annual report as Town Game Warden.


Attention has been given the enforcement of the Statutes relating to Fish and Game during the past year. I have been out upon the fishing streams and ponds and lands frequented by game one hun- dred and forty-three days.


I have found it necessary on two occasions to ask for complaints against persons for violation of the Fish and Game Laws. These complaints were brought before the District Court of Northern Norfolk and both were fined.


There appears to have been a small increase in the number of pheasants. There appears to be a small increase in quail, about ten per cent of the previous year.


There has been a five-year lease or agreement with the Proprie- tors of the New Pond and the Department of Conservation into which continues the conditions that persons fishing in the New Pond must have a State License or conform to the other provisions of the Law.


The Department of Conservation have placed fourteen hundred white perch in the New Pond on April 5, 1927.


The Department of Conservation have re-stocked the following brooks:


Germany and Ellis Brooks, with trout, on April 9, 1927.


There seems to be very few partridges in Norwood being a smaller number than the past two years.


Respectfully submitted,


WALTER H. HOBSON,


Town Game Warden.


ANNUAL REPORT


OF THE


SCHOOL DEPARTMENT


OF THE


TOWN OF NORWOOD Massachusetts


FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1927


183


1


REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE


School Committee


1927


Frederick A. Cleveland, Pleasant Street, term expires 1930.


Arthur S. Hartwell, 90 Winter Street, term expires 1930.


Edward F. Brennan, 1 Walpole Street, term expires 1928. Charles J. Rich, 67 Beech Street, term expires 1928.


Christine L. Probert, 11 Marion Avenue, term expires 1929. Julia R. O'Brien, 4 Railroad Avenue, term expires 1929.


Organization


Dr. Frederick A. Cleveland Chairman


Irene D. Readel Secretary


Standing Committees


Education Program Committee: Dr. Cleveland, Miss O'Brien, Dr. Hartwell.


Finance Committee: Mr. Rich, Dr. Brennan, Mrs. Probert.


Janitors, Schoolhouses and Grounds: Dr. Brennan, Mr. Rich.


Fuel, School Books and Supplies: Mrs. Probert.


Appointments: Mrs. Probert, Miss O'Brien.


Committee Meetings


The regular monthly meeting of the School Committee is held at the School Committee Rooms, Junior High School, at eight o'clock p. m. on the second Thursday of each month.


Superintendent of Schools


Leonard W. Grant, 397 Washington Street. Tel. Nor. 1229-J.


The office of the Superintendent of Schools is at the Junior High School, and is open from 8:00 a. m. until 5:00 p. m. every day except Saturday, when it is open from 8:00 a. m. until 12:00 M. Telephone Norwood 0133.


Clerks


Irene D. Readel, 506 Walpole Street.


Elizabeth Zurba, 49 Saunders Road.


1


184


SCHOOL CALENDAR


1926-27


First term begins Sept. 7, 1927, ends Dec. 23, 1927 16 weeks


Second term begins Jan. 4, 1927, ends Feb. 17, 1928 7 weeks


Third term begins Feb. 27, 1927, ends April 13, 1928 7 weeks


Fourth term begins April 23, 1928, ends June 20, 1928 9 weeks


First term begins Sept. 5, 1928, ends Dec. 21, 1928 16 weeks


Holidays


October 12, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday, Good Friday, May 30, and June 17.


No School Signal 2-2


Repeated at 7.15 a. m. No forenoon session for any school.


Repeated at 8.00 a. m. No forenoon session for first six grades.


Repeated at 12.15 p. m. No afternoon session for any grades below the Senior High School.


Repeated at 12.30 p. m. No afternoon session for first six grades.


Repeated at 6.15 p. m. No session for evening school.


-


185


REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE


At the last March town meeting an appropriation of $2500 was made to enable the School Committee to employ experts to inquire into Junior High School needs and submit a plan to relieve the pressure on that part of the system. When this matter was gone into, however, it was found that the Junior High School problem was only a part of a more general one. Therefore an arrange- ment was made for the employment of Dr. Jesse B. Davis with authority to employ such assistants as he might find desirable to make a study of the whole system-especially as bearing on the


Table I. Average Day-School Membership for Senior High, JuniorHigh and Elementary, 1912-27


Year


Elemen- tary Grades


Junior High Grades


Senior High Grades


Total


Average Attend- ance


Popula- tion


1912-13


1341


261


105


1707


1618


9,793


1913-14


1447


319


103


1869


1760


1914-15


1484


387


118


1989


1886


1915-16


1543


406


148


2097


1984


10,977


1916-17


1573


376


153


2163


2036


1917-18


1718


374


158


2250


2096


1918-19


1631*


519*


188


2338


2202


1919-20


1727


536


198


2461


2329


12,627


1920-21


1872


503


254


2629


2510


1921-22


1826


577


278


2681


2550


1922-23


1902


611


300


2813


2672


1923-24


1975


682


310


2967


2852


1924-25


1985


745


341


3071


2901


14,151


1925-26


2063


802


394


3259


3099


1926-27


2062


803


394


3259


3098


14,762 +


1927/11/1


2016


832


499


3347₫


Increase in percentages


1912-27


50.2


218.7


375.2


96.1


91.5


* 9th grade abolished.


+ Estimate.


# Enrollment


186


question of building shortage and the adequacy of the educational system to meet the local community needs. The first two sections of Dr. Davis' report are included herewith for the information of citizens.


It seemed desirable to continue the statistical data that has been prepared from year to year and to make certain comments on matters not mentioned in the reports of the experts and in the reports of the Superintendent and Department Heads.


Increased Population and School Membership: It is necessary only to look at Table I to understand why it is that Norwood High School demands have run so far ahead of all expectations. The fact as brought out in the report of the Superintendent is that the enrollment in the Norwood High School has increased 375%, and in the Junior High School 218% as against a population increase of 50% since 1912 has already been commented upon in other reports. In Dr. Davis' report an estimate is made as to what will be the future increase. It is obvious that this higher ratio of increase in the High School cannot continue. The fact is that not only in Norwood, but throughout the country, little attention was given to the secondary educational needs of others than those who were going to college. The rapid increase is largely due to the inclu- sion in the school program of instruction to other groups with the result that a very much larger percentage of pupils enrolled as elementary pupils continue in the system in the higher grades than heretofore. Whether or not this curriculum has produced educa- tional results that warrant the expenditure is a question discussed later in this report.


Enrollment by Grades: Statistics of enrollment by grades are shown as Table II of this report; this table also shows the losses from the system in going from grade to grade. From this state- ment it will be seen that the losses are very small. A further study has been made by Professor Blair, as shown in the report of experts attached. From this it appears that the percentage of the total in each grade, after the seventh grade has been reached, is much higher in Norwood than is shown by the reports of the National Bureau of Education. For the country as a whole the percentage of the total enrollment in grades one to three inclusive is 37.7%; for grades four to six inclusive 31.5%; for grades seven to nine inclusive 21.8%; and for grades ten to twelve inclusive 9.1%. In the Norwood system, the percentage in the three lowest grades is 27.7% as against 37.7% for the country as a whole. This probably is accounted for by the introduction of the parochial school and by the fact of the larger numbers who continue in the system higher up. In the second group (grades four to six) the percentages are almost exactly the same. In the Junior High


187


Table II. Showing Enrollment by Grades and Losses from Year to Year in Going from Grade to Grade


Grade


Enrollment


Losses Between Grades


Dec. 1 1921


Dec. 1 1922


Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Dec. 1 1923 1924


1925


Dec. 1 1926


Dec. 1 1927


1922 1923


1924 1925 1926 1927


Sr. High


283


307


319


353


409


444


499


57


55


83


69


119


56


12


67*


91*


74*


97*


103


111


128


11


13


10


10


13


7


11


102*


87*


107


113


124


135


27


22


25


19


47


29


10


114*


129


138


143


182


198


169 202


19


20


48


40


59


20


Jr. High


579


628


693


763


821


821


832


71


70


36


22


77


53


9


148


158


191


222


257


222


240


33


28


10


7


44


26


8


191


219


232


264


266


266


316


21


19


6


11


32


17


7


240


251


270


277


298


333


276


17


23


20


4


1


10


Elemen.


1826


1902


1969


2021


2039


2023


1991


23


6


24


11


10


41


6


268


293


297


302


334


2861


382


7+


1


10


2


18


16


5


286


298


312


336


304±


398


353


3


9


101


12+


** 42 + 3+


4


295


321


326


2921


356


350


321


13


11


26


2+


20 20


3


334


337


318₺


354


370


341


319


14


32+


41


2+


4 + 4+


2


351


286±


350


368


337


315


296


6


17


2


3


16 12


1


292


367


366


340


331


308


295


Special


18


29


27


25


25


11


2


2


0


* Small numbers probably due to withdrawals for war industries during years 1916 to 1918.


+ Increases.


# Membership reduced by increasing entrance age.


Due to double promotion of bright group in Balch School.


School, however, Norwood has 4.6% larger attendance than for the country at large, and in the Senior High School, Norwood has 15.1% as compared with 9.1%-a difference of 6%. This means that we have 180 more pupils in the Senior High than would be if we followed the average for the systems reporting. It seems probable that this percentage will continue to increase until a normal has been reached-having in mind the fact that we have been gradually approaching that normal over a period of years. After that normal has been reached it is not to be assumed that the increase in the Junior and Senior High Schools will be any more rapid than in the elementary grades. Therefore, we may assume that very soon we will strike a dead level, so to speak, in the secondary schools-as we have already done in the elemen- tary school-where the percentage of increase in the school pop- ulation is almost the same as the percentage of increase in pop- ulation.


Reasons for Leaving School: Last year a study was made of losses in going from grade to grade. The result is shown in Table III.


188


Table III. Showing Reasons for Losses in Going from Grade to Grade, December 1925 to December, 1926


Senior High:


Gone to Work 89




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