USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1907 > Part 9
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198
ANNUAL REPORT.
Sec. 9. The water rates and meter rents shall be payable semi-annually in advance on the first days of January and July of each year. All charges for specific supplies or supplies for fractional parts of the year shall be payable in advance and before the water is let on. In all cases where the consumption of water is ascertained by meters, any excess of the minimum rates shall be payable annually, quarterly or monthly, as may be re- quired by the Water Board. Bills for the same shall be due when rendered.
Sec. 10. If any person shall turn on or turn off the water in any public water pipes or reservoirs without the license of the Water Board he shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $3 nor more than $20 upon conviction thereof before a trial justice or court having jurisliction of offenses arising under town by-laws.
Report of the Inspector of Wires
Honorable Board of Selectmen, Town of Attleborough, Mass. :
Gentlemen :- The superintendent of Wires, in sub- mitting his fourth annual report, would respectfully call the attention of our townspeople to the fact that this de- partment was established for the protection of their in- terests in connection with the installation of all electrical apparatus throughout the town, so that electrical work of all description would be done in a first-class manner, also all fittings, apparatus and material furnished would have a large factor of safety and at the same time meet the requirements of the National Board of Fire Under- writers. The inspector, in discharging his duties, must have the co-operation of the consumers of electricity in order to faithfully discharge them. It has come to my attention in several cases, when new work and repairs have been done, that the customer has refused to allow the contractor or electrician to do such work as the in- surance rules require. The past year there has been a request made to the insurance companies for a reduc- tion on commercial insurance rates, and one of the rea- sons that the request has not been granted has been ex- plained to you in our daily paper by the committee ap- pointed by those interested for this purpose, was defec- tive wiring and appliances. We have had two inspec- tions made by the New England Insurance Exchange, and on the completion of the first inspection the proper- ty owners were notified on their regular notices of the several defects on their premises and made a request to have them attended to within 30 days. At this time, owing to the amount of such work to be done in various localities and when skilled labor was at a premium owing to the great prosperity throughout the country, an additional 30 days was granted to complete its work. On the second inspection made by them it was found that not 25 per cent. of the defects had been remedied, in fact, apparently no attention had been given the notices as the contractors in town had received no re-
200
ANNUAL REPORT.
quests to proceed with the work. This, of course, means an increase over and above the present rates rather than a reduction. The mere fact that an installation was made in 1905 and passed inspection at that time does not signify that it will last indefinitely, but to the contrary, better system, wire and apparatus prevail now than formally and, consequently, reduces the fire hazard, therefore, insurance companies demand their use.
The advantages derived from the use of electricity is constantly bringing it into public favor, and it is incum- bent on the public to realize that there are many dangers arising from poor transmission, caused by bad connec- tions and faulty application to the various appliances. It should be borne in mind that work of this nature should not be done by novices, but by skilled workmen in the art. Persons having work done by unskilled work- men not only cause annoyance to themselves but danger to life and property of others. Some of the various de- fects mentioned in the complaints from the New Eng- land Insurance Exchange were loose connection, bare joints, wire not properly supported, pendant cords with defective insulation, cords hitched to steam, water and wind pipes. These should not occur, as they are within sight of those in charge, who should have them attended to in a proper manner.
During the year a vast amount of work has been done by the several electrical companies in improving their property on the highways, and at the present time the outside construction is in good condition.
The interior inspections for the year have been nu- merous, owing to the large amount of building and ex- tensions, and the class of work done by the several con- tractors as a whole has been satisfactory. The rules and regulations governing the installing of electrical appara- tus in the Town of Attleboro will be mailed on appli- cation or a copy can be obtained by applying at 40 North Main street. Respectfully submitted,
EDGAR TREGONING,
Superintendent of Wires.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
School Committee
ATTLEBOROUGH, MASS.
For the year ending December 31.
1907
TOWN OF ATTLEBOROUGH School Department, 1907
School Committee :
WALTER J. NEWMAN, Chairman ; HARVEY E. CLAP, Secretary ; BENJAMIN P. KING,
GEORGE K. ROBERTS, M. D.,
MRS. EMILY L. RICHARDSON, MRS. FLORENCE B. THEOBALD, THOMAS G. SADLER.
MRS. EVANGELINE C. MERRITT, HAROLD E. SWEET,
Superintendent of Schools :
LEWIS A. FALES.
-
Annual Report of the School Committee
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FINANCIAL ACCOUNT.
Dr.
General appropriation $69,100.00
Dog Fund 1,853.08
Tuition 765.00
Duplicate bill
5.5I
Sale of old rubbers
10.50
Sale of sundry articles, old iron, etc.
33.07
Total funds available for educa- tional purposes
Overdraft
$71.767.16 175.60
Educational.
Cr.
Lewis A. Fales, Superintendent ... $1,875.01
Alice I. Wetherell, Superintendent's
Clerk 496.00
Truant School 25.29
Fuel 4.961.41
Teachers' pay roll 41,639.56
Janitors' pay roll
6,144.50
$55.141.77
204
ANNUAL REPORT.
Text Books and Supplies.
Oliver Ditson Co., music $ 5.00
Orville Brewer Pub. Co., music. 6.00
American Book Co. 94.34
Lilly & Morgan, chemicals 2.70
Sun Pub. Co., printing and letter heads 58.88
E. E. Babb & Co., books and sup- plies 2,393.84
Bobbs, Merrill & Co., books
13.00
Combined Tool Co. 20.92
R. B. Magaveny, freight and cartage
49.87
N. E. Pub. Co., printing 1.75
Central Scientific Co, chemicals ...
34.39
T. E. Perrin & Son, cartage.
7.50
F. H. Perry Co., ink
12.00
L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., paper. .
1.25
Palmer & Parker, wood ..
3.75
Thompson & Brown Co., books 7.10
San Souci Dept. Store, supplies. . .
3.90
Akerman Co., books 36.50
J. A. Welch, typewriter ribbons . .
7.00
E. L. Freeman Co., diplomas
10.00
E. C. Newman Co., cartage 6.00
C. C. Birchard, supplies 24.96
F. J. Barnard, supplies II7.73
L. A. Fales, summer school supplies 25.60
S. D. Angell Co., supplies 5.40
Smith Premier Co., supplies 8.00
Remington Co., supplies 12.09
Allyn & Bacon, books 24.4I
Suffolk Ink Co., ink 4.00
Chas. Scribner's Sons, books 113.06
C. A. Watrous 82.67
Carpenter Coal Co. 3.90
Attleboro Press, forms 23.25
205
ANNUAL REPORT.
Ginn & Co., books 82.13
D. C. Heath & Co., books 37.50
B. P. King, expenses and salary ... 53.35
Aldrich-Chipman Co., supplies ...
.75
Kinyon's Commercial School, di- plomas 24.05
A. H. Sweet & Son, supplies 13.65
$3,432.19
Incidentals and Repairs.
John Eden, labor and materials .... $ 72.50
Chas. R. Fish, shrubs. IOI.II
Attleboro Highway Department ... 2.40
Geo. A. Sweeney, supplies.
71.86
J. A. Thayer, stamped envelopes. . . 21.22
Emma B. Tucker, frieze, Richardson school 3.05
Attleboro Furniture Co.
7.30
Expenses incurred by Committee. .
366.44
J. L. Tobitt, labor and material. ... 424.40
W. A. Small, school census and re- pairs 86.75
Pope & Read, labor and material. 973.31
Attleboro Gas Light Co.
42.93
Aldrich-Chipman Co., supplies 8.88
S. Collins, labor 2.00
Malcolm Currie, labor and material 372.85
Dodgeville Store, supplies 6.56
W. D. Gilpatric, postage
9.3I
San Souci Dept. Store, supplies ... 3.66
Ballou, Johnson & Nichols, supplies
6.00
A. I. Atwell, tuning pianos
47.00
Geo. H. Herrick, clock repairs. .
2.50
Kenney Bros. & Wolkins, repair- ing desks and supplies. 263.00
Geo. A. Monroe, supplies
2.10
206
ANNUAL REPORT.
W. K. Toole Hardware Co., sup- plies II.64
E. E. Babb Co., supplies 18.87
Chas. F. Damon, labor and material 74.28
C. S. Dexter, sharpening mower ... 1.00
French & Brownell Co., supplies ...
22.20
J. W. Gifford Co., labor and mate- rial 863.65
Boston Regalia Co., flags
9.50
Warren Parker, truant officer
531.52
Attleboro Steam and Electric Co. ..
14.50
Sun Publishing Co. 87.23
Lester E. Moore, services 10.00
Mrs. S. Perry, washing
1.36
Thos. Sadler, shrubs
57.76
E. C. Newman Co., cartage
50.35
D. H. Smith, chairs
5.00
R. H. Jones, blackboard.
24.65
T. E. Perrin & Son, cartage
12.20
S. C. Wilson & Son, repairs
2.85
Reuben Coffin, supplies 14.00
Dickinson Team Co., ashes 18.60
A. J. Jillson, supplies. 3.65
L. A. Fales, express, expenses, postage, etc. 115.32
R. B. Magaveny cartage 34.20
Providence Telephone Co. I13.67
N. E. Towel Co. 119.06
Benj. Treen Co., baskets 4.00
L. Z. Carpenter Co., supplies 14.86
A. R. Macomber, supplies 40.98
N. Perry & Co., labor and material. 90.49
J. L. Hammett Co., supplies
45.69
Rochester Germicide Co.
42.88
American Seating Co., school furni-
ture 1,075.63
E. A. Briggs Co., supplies .75
207
ANNUAL REPORT.
C. T. Clark, supplies. 1.15
Geo. B. Reynolds, supplies
1.50
J. J. McCaffrey
15.00
D. Young & Co., labor and material 24.80
G. H. Snell, labor
4.05
H. F. Lull, cement walks, Pleasant street 234.00
Roberts Iron Works Co., supplies .. 2.40
Grant Bros., material
1.87
Wholey Boiler Co., labor and sup- plies 360.10
J. E. Post, supplies 18.00
M. A. Tierney, supplies .70
David Harley Co., window shades. 15.68
J. T. Collins, supplies 5.00
Attleboro Water Dept., labor and supplies 10.35
A. F. & F. Bray, supplies
1.02
H. A. Smith, supplies 16.00
N. Roy & Son.
2.50
Hebron Store, supplies
1.30
Lina M. Bassett, supplies
5.00
J. W. Bullock, labor and material. . 5.60
52.82
N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Co., freight F. E. Goff, labor and material, paint- ing 505.65
C. L. Chase & Son.
11.65
W. H. Slater & Co., labor and ma- terial, floors 323.50
McKinnon & Nicholson, labor and material, floor
503.83
Frank E. Shaw, grading
226.00
O. P. Richardson, insurance
25.00
F. A. Clark, labor and supplies
5.24
E. E. King, flowers 4.00
Ideal Ventilator Co.
19.50
Auto Electric Co., labor and mate-
208
ANNUAL REPORT.
rial 50.00
Millian & Taeger, painting
287.00
E. M. Fuller
50.00
Benevolence. $9.219.68
Aldrich-Chipman Co. $242.37
$242.37
Transportation.
Interstate Con. St. Ry. Co., tickets.
$200.00
Norton & Taunton St. Ry. Co.,
tickets
187.50
Taunton & Pawtucket Ry. Co .. tickets
292.50
Wm. C. Richardson, barge
37.50
G. R. Field, barge
360.00
E. E. Mott, barge
262.50
Seneca Cole, barges
720.00
T. E. Perrin & Son, barge
360.00
$2,420.00
School Physician.
G. K. Roberts, M. D. $200.00
$200.00
Evening Schools.
Teachers' pay roll $735-75
Auto Electric Co., wiring Hebron-
ville and Dodgeville schools 350.00
Sun Publishing Co. 9.25
Attleboro Steam and Electric Co ... 55.20
Attleboro Gas Light Co. 68.75
A. R. Macomber, supplies 13.50
209
ANNUAL REPORT.
F. H. Perrry Co., pencils
1.80
Janitors' pay roll
52.50
$1,286.75
Total expenditures $71,942.76
Respectfully submitted.
HARVEY E. CLAP,
Secretary of Committee.
Examined January 20, 1908, and found correct.
BENJAMIN F. LINDSEY, WM. L. ELLIOT, FREDK. L. LeBARON,
Auditors.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of Attleborough :
We submit the following report of our doings as School Committee of the town of Attleborough for 1907. We have finished our labors for the year, and trust that this report will be read by every parent in town. Our aim is to make our schools second to none in the state, so that our boys and girls, when they go out from them, will be as well equipped educationally with the sinews of war as the best, and be able to meet and battle with competition successfully.
During the year the teachers have received a sub- stantial increase in salary : a great deal of long-needed repair work has been done upon the buildings; a num- ber of rooms have been equipped with new furniture ; and
210
ANNUAL REPORT.
new sanitaries have been installed at the High School. Had it not been necessary in October, after all the re- pair work contemplated for the year had been finished, to place new tubes in the boiler at Sanford street, which had been examined the middle of August by the inspec- tor of the insurance company and pronounced in good condition, we should have been able to keep within our appropriation. The expense of retubing this boiler, how- ever, together with the increase in the number of teach- ers caused by the large increase in the number of schol- ars in September, has caused us to use all of our appro- priation and to overdraw to the amount of about $175, instead of being able to turn back to the town a good balance, as we had planned.
Buildings.
Our buildings today are in better condition than for a number of years and with a few exceptions are equipped with modern furniture. A larger amount than usual has been expended for repairs, made necessary by the fact that until within the last year or two the amount allowed for repair work has been insufficient to keep the build- ings and furniture in good condition, and a large outlay was considered advisable. New floors have been laid in rooms 7, 8 and II at Sanford street; rooms I and 2 at Hebronville, and rooms 1 and 2 at South Attleboro, in- cluding cloak rooms and adjoining halls in each school. New adjustable desks and chairs have been installed in rooms I and 3 at the Richardson school ; rooms 1, 2 and 3 at Hebronville, and rooms 1, 2 and 3 at South Attle- boro. Also the furniture in rooms 7 and II at Sanford street, and rooms 2 and 4 at the Richardson school have been refinished, the total outlay for school furniture be- ing about $1,250.00
On account of the crowded condition of some of our schools we need more room at once and we would recom-
211
ANNUAL REPORT.
mend that the town build and equip a new eight-room modern building on the east side of the town.
Your Committee was authorized at the last annual town meeting to prepare plans and specifications for an ele- mentary school building, and with that idea in view we asked, at a special town meeting held in the fall, for att- thority to purchase a lot and erect a building thereon. But financial conditions were such that it was deem- ed best not to do anything in relation thereto; and not knowing the size or surroundings of the lot which might be purchased, your Committee did not think it advisable to go ahead with plans and specifications, as the same would depend largely upon the size and the shape of the lot.
Teachers.
We believe that we have an efficient corps of teachers well equipped for the work, and our aim is to secure the best that the money at our disposal will secure. Al- though we have increased our maximum salaries for grade teachers about 20 per cent., yet some of our best teachers have gone elsewhere, as other towns and cities have increased their salaries and still lead us in the. salary list.
Transportation.
Over $2,400.00 has been expended in this depart- ment this year. We have been carefully over the ground covered, and measured distances. We have used our best judgement in placing limits from which children shall be carried, and have tried to be fair in solving this knotty problem, over which a great deal of complaint is made. We do not furnish transportation for the pupils at the High School, and we still believe that the town should not do so.
212
ANNUAL REPORT.
Telephones.
Telephones have been installed in the following school houses: High School, Richardson, Dodgeville, Hebron- ville, South Attleboro, Turner street and Briggsville, thereby saving a large amount of travel and assisting in the handling of the ever increasing detail connected with our schools.
Appropriations.
We had hoped to get along next year on the same ap- propriation as this year, $69,100, and could probably have done so had not additional teachers been required in Sep- tember. But the number of scholars increased so much -there were 143 more scholars when the schools opened in September than there were when the schools closed in June-that three more teachers were required. After carefully estimating our expenses and cutting down the amount for incidentals and repairs to $5,000, we find that to provide for the present number of teachers we shall be obliged to ask for an increase of $1,900, making $71,000; and we would recommend that that sum, to- gether with the Dog Fund, be appropriated.
Respectfully submitted,
WALTER J. NEWMAN, Chairman ;
HARVEY E. CLAP, Secretary ; BENJAMIN P. KING, GEORGE K. ROBERTS, M. D.,
EMILY L. RICHARDSON.
FLORENCE B. THEOBALD.
THOMAS G. SADLER. EVANGELINE C. MERRITT, HAROLD E. SWEET,
School Committee.
213
ANNUAL REPORT.
CHARLES E. BLISS
In the spring of 1907 Mr. Charles E. Bliss, for twelve years Chairman of the School Committee, refused to become a candidate again for a position on the school board, and the committee, realizing the value of the services rendered by him, unanimously adopted the fol- lowing resolution and caused the same to be spread upon the records of the school committee.
Whereas, Mr. Charles E. Bliss has voluntarily re- tired from the Attleboro School Committee, of which he has been a member and chairman since 1895 :
Resolved: That the present members of the commit- tee, while regretting his retirement, fully appreciate his untiring interest, faithful and unselfish service, keer judgment and rare wisdom, as evidenced in his success- ful conduct of the affairs of the Attleboro schools.
His record of twelve years of continuous service, with only three business meetings not attended, is un- precedented in the school department.
214
ANNUAL REPORT.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee of the Town of Attleborough :
I submit herewith my third annual report as Superin- tendent of Schools, it being the twenty-fourth in the se- ries of Superintendents' reports.
The work for the year has been continued along the lines spoken of in my previous reports. No important changes have been made during the year. New outlines of study in reading and language have been placed in the hands of the teachers for trial. An amplified outline in arithmetic to supplement the one now in use, is nearly ready for distribution. New outlines in geography and history will be prepared as soon as possible. In view of the crowded conditions in many of the schools, I be- lieve the work is being done as thoroughly as can be ex- pected.
School Enrollment and Attendance.
Enrollment and attendance from Sept. 3, 1906, to June 21, 1907.
Number of different pupils enrolled 2,465
Average membership 2,109
Average attendance 1,966
Per cent. of attendance
93
The following figures show the average membership of all the schools, and for the High School, for the last six years :
Sept .- June
Average Membership of all schools.
Gain.
Average High School Membership.
Gain.
1901-1902
1948
79
I36
-2
1902-1903
. 2000
52
163
27
1903-1904
. 2045
45
188
25
1904-1905
2070
35
201
13
1905-1906
2086
16
224
23
1906-1907
2109
23
228
4
215
ANNUAL REPORT.
For the four months of the present year :
1907.
September
223I
22I
October
2239
224
November
2227
217
December
2214
214
These figures show that since 1901-1902 the member- ship of the schools has increased-up to October of this year, the month of the largest enrollment-291 ; and this number would be nearly a hundred greater but for the fact that a parochial school was opened at Hebronville two years ago. The Richardson school building was oc- cupied in April, 1901, and although it was intended to have the building large enough to care for the constantly growing number of school children for several years, yet the building was practically filled as soon as it was ready for occupancy. In the following fall it was necessary to open the room made vacant at Sanford Street by the transfer of scholars to the new school. Since that time, the only new building that has been provided to care for the large increase in numbers, has been a three-room building at Briggs Corner in place of the small over- crowded two-room building then in use. All of the rooms of this new building are now occupied, the third room being opened in October of this year. But the school at Briggs Corner has gained only 32 out of the total of 291 for the town. The greater part of this increase is in the center of the town, and the rooms here are becoming more and more congested each year. The average num- ber of scholars in each room in the center schools is now 48. Several rooms have more than 60 scholars. One first grade room has 64 scholars with seats for only 60; and another first grade has been crowded nearly as badly. One sixth grade room has 67 scholars, and extra seats have had to be placed in a number of rooms. I believe if parents realized how much it would mean in the educa-
216
ANNUAL REPORT.
tion of their children to have the number of scholars in the grammar grades reduced to 42 to a room, and in the primary grades to 25 and 35 to a room, they would not hesitate to provide the additional school rooms needed. The number of scholars assigned to a room ought not to depend upon the number of seats that can be crowded into it, but only upon the number that one teacher can efficiently instruct. When we crowd 60 or 65 scholars into a room we place a great handicap upon the teachers, even although there are two in the room; for the teach- ers must necessarily spend a great deal of time in the management and discipline of the room, that, with a less number of scholars, could be much more profitably em- ployed in giving instruction to the class. Educationally and financially the present system of having assistant teachers in so many rooms-there are nine of them-is wasteful, and additional school rooms should be pro- vided as soon as possible. As it is, unless the number of children wishing to enter school in September is greatly below the average, it will probably be necessary either to place part of the pupils on half time, or to limit the number of children entering school by raising the age of admission to six years.
More rooms are needed also at the Turner Street School. Since 1899 this school has increased more than 225 per cent., as the following figures show :
Sept.
Enrollment
Membership
Membership Gain
1899
3I
29
One room.
1900
53
37
8
Second room in October.
190I
56
52
15
1902
63
57
5
1903
72
69
12
Assistant in February, 1904
1904
77
75
6
1905
93
87
12
1906
87
82
5
1907
IOI
98
16
217
ANNUAL REPORT.
It will be seen that this school has increased in eight years from a membership of 29 to a membership of 98, a gain of 69. The room that had only 22 scholars in 1900, at present has 57, and in October had 63. The capacity of the building has been reached, and an addition to the building seems imperative.
Teachers.
In my report of that year I spoke of the constantly in- creasing demands being made upon teachers, both in education and general culture, and urged that teachers should receive a salary sufficiently large to enable them to meet these demands. By a vote of the town at the annual meeting there was added to the amount asked for by the Committee the sum of $2,500, to be used to in- crease the teachers' salaries; and that amount, in addi- tion to the increase already contemplated by the Com- mittee, permitted the maximum salary for grade teachers to be raised from $500 to $600. Nothing that the Com- mittee has done for a long time will have such a benefi- cial effect upon the schools. We may have magnificent buildings, elaborate equipment, splendid decorations, and everything that money can buy for teachers to work with and pupils to use, but we cannot have good schools without good teachers. "Our boys and girls cannot get their education from school furniture, and after all the most critical and important thing to them is whether their particular teacher is a person of inferior ability or whether she is a woman of marked brains and capacity. If your child spends five hours a day with an inferior teacher, the education he gets is just as surely an iit- ferior article as that a bad cook means a poor dinner, with the difference that many of us can stand a poor din- ner because we expect to have other and better dinners, but a child only gets its education once." The best teach- er will not only do her school work well, but she will
218
ANNUAL REPORT.
possess those qualities which will secure for her the goodwill and respect of her pupils, and will enable her to exert a strong and lasting influence for good in their lives. It is this kind of teachers to whose care we wish to entrust the education of our children, and the higher we are able to raise our salaries the more of such teachers shall we be able to secure.
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