USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1908-09 > Part 25
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
IO. In all cases of non-payment of water rent in thirty days after the same is due, or violating the above rules the water may be shut off. The sum of $I will be charged for letting it on.
II. Since January 1, 1902, no person or persons are allowed to connect two or more houses together through one service connection with the main water pipe unless by special permit from the Water Board; and if any are so connected in the future without permission the water may be shut off from the service in use until a new service connection is made with the connecting house.
On all services where two or more houses are now connected through one service the owner shall not have
247
ANNUAL REPORT
the benefit of the sliding scale of water rates until the average of each house so connected amounts to the same as allowed by the same rates for a single house.
12. The Water Board reserves to itself the right to shut off the water at the street service from the property of any person or persons disconnecting or taking out a water meter on their premises without permission, and water so turned off shall not be let on again until a satisfactory settlement for same offense is made with the Water Board.
13. All persons or firms wishing to have private hy- drants or sprinklers connected with the town water supply shall make application to the Water Board and sign an application for same, by which they agree to comply with the by-laws of the department, and also file a plan of piping for the entire system and the water will not be turned on until the system is inspected by the Board or their representatives.
The Water Board shall inspect the system as often as they deem necessary, and if any repairs are necessary they shall be made by them at the expense of the owner.
All outside piping connecting with the Town system shall be laid by the Water Department at the expense of the owner.
All valves and private hydrants shall be sealed by the Water Department.
14. All persons or firms having private fire connec- tions for sprinklers and private hydrants on the premises or in buildings are forbidden to use the water for any purpose excepting fires, and shall not open any private hydrant in or out of the building for any other pur- poses, excepting fire, unless by permission of the Water Board.
For any violation of this by-law the Water Board may impose a fine of not less than $5.00 and not more than $20.00.
248
ANNUAL REPORT
If water is used for any other purposes than for fires the Water Board shall estimate the amount so used and shall charge regular rates.
If the fine or bill for water is not paid when presented the Water Board may shut off the water furnished the private hydrants or sprinklers from the town supply until such fine or bill for water is paid and the sum of two dollars shall be charged for turning it on.
15. All services shall be laid by the Water Board from the sidewalk to the cellar at the expense of the owner. The Water Board may make an estimate of the cost of the owner's part and may demand a deposit for the same before laying the pipe.
Applicants wishing a service pipe laid when there is frost in the ground shall pay the extra expense caused by the frost, on the part laid by the town.
16. Applications for extensions of mains through private ways or grounds shall in no case be granted un- less the owner thereof executes a proper instrument securing to the town the right of permanent occupation, free from any acts of interference that shall affect the safety of the pipe, and securing to the department free right of entrance for purposes of inspection and main- tenance.
17. The town pond, South Attleborough, shall be open for fishing, Tuesdays and Fridays, to residents of the Town of Attleborough only, upon application at the water office for permission. No fishing through the ice will be allowed. There shall be no dead fish left around the pond or thrown into the water. No nuisances shall be committed around the pond or from boats, and every care shall be taken by persons fishing not to contaminate the purity of the water. Persons having permits shall show them to any officer of the Town or Water Depart- ment when called upon to do so. Anyone caught fishing without a permit, or in any way violating this by-law,
249
ANNUAL REPORT
will be refused permission to fish and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Sec. 9. The water rates and meter rents shall be pay- able semi-annually in advance on the first days of Janu- ary 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 jurisdiction of offenses arising under town by-laws.
Report of the Sealer of Weights and Measures
Scales, Etc., Adjusted and Condemned or Sealed.
Adjusted-Sealed-Condemned
Platform Scales over 500 lbs ... 2 9
I
Platform Scales under 500 lbs 22
67
3
Computing Scales
33
6
All Other Scales
19
227
14
Weights 57
676
4
Dry Measures
4 454
6
Liquid Measures
285
I3
Milk Bottles
6400
98
Linear Measures
I5
. . Total
. TOO
8166
I45
Cash Account.
Dr. Cr.
By 181 hours at 30c.
$54.30
By 182 1-2 hours at 50c 91.25
By Supplies
1.90
$147.45
To Cash from Town Treasurer .... $147.45
Sealing Fees.
Fees for Sealing outside of Office
$89.10
Cash Paid Town Treasurer 87.10
Uncollected 2.00
$89.10
Respectfully submitted,
W. J. NEWMAN,
Sealer of Weights and Measures.
.
Report of the Inspector of Cattle, Provisions and Milk
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of Attleboro :-
Gentlemen :- I herewith submit my ninth annual report as Cattle and Milk Inspector for the year ending December 31. 1909:
I made my annual inspection of all the cattle and swine in town in October as usual.
Visits have been made to 159 stables, where 880 cows. 109 young cattle, 699 swine, 16 bulls, 4 oxen, were kept.
The number of cattle quarantined and killed this year having the disease known as tuberculosis was 6, against II last year. The quality of the cattle in town never was better since I have had the inspection of them. I have had some complaint of poor milk, but invariably it has been the fault of the persons in charge. Keep the barn and cattle strictly clean. Do not use milk from a new milch cow until the ninth milking, and not then if it will not scald without thickening.
There has been no cases of glanders in town this year. There was one case of rabies in town this year.
I have sold 133 milk licenses this year-13 more than last year.
Respectfully submitted, C. E. PARMENTER,
Inspector.
Report of the Gypsy Moth Inspector
To the Citizens of Attleborough :
I herewith submit by second annual report as Inspec- tor of Gypsy Moths for the year ending Dec. 31, 1909:
I burlapped the three colonies found last year and got 95 larve.
With two assistants, I gave them thorough scouting in the fall, discovering two new colonies of gypsy moth, containing 32 egg clusters. I also cut 276 webs of the brown-tail moth.
Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM E. S. SMITH,
Inspector of Gypsy Moths.
Report of the Chief of Police
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Attleborough :
I herewith submit my first annual report as Chief of Police for the year ending December 31, 1909.
Since my appointment as Chief of Police on the 23rd day of March, I have had nine months in which to do a year's work.
In the first place, I wish to thank the Board of Select- men for their hearty support and co-operation with me in the performance of my duties. I wish to thank the police officers of Attleborough, both regular patrolmen and special officers, for the efficient manner in which they have performed their duties. I wish to thank the citizens of the town and the press who have rendered their aid and support toward the enforcement of the law.
My first step was to investigate the condition of the officers as to their equipment. I found many of the men to be without any equipment which would aid them in the protection of lives and property. Supplies were pur- chased, and at the present time our officers are as well equipped as any in the Commonwealth.
At the time of my appointment, there were many per- sons who became partly intoxicated and then created disturbances on the streets and street cars. With the ready aid of the police officers, who were instructed to give everyone a chance, to deal equally and impartially with all, and to see that the laws should be enforced, I have been able to suppress all disturbances on cars, trains, and upon the streets.
It is well at this time that I should take space to thank the managers and employees of the various railway
254
ANNUAL REPORT
companies for their timely aid and support, which have been of great value to us upon many occasions.
I feel that we have a sufficient number of regular pat- rolmen at the present time; and, that with the appoint- ment of a few efficient special officers to take the places of those resigned, it will be possible to perform the next year's work without additional numbers.
Taking into consideration the established rule that there should be at least one regular patrolman for every 1,000 inhabitants, and the proximity of our town to sev- eral licensed cities, I feel that the town should compli- ment itself upon the fact that it has only one regular officer to every 5,000 inhabitants, and that it is rated as one of the most peaceable and law abiding towns in the Commonwealth.
The following figures will well show what has been done during the past year :
Amount received from fines in 1907 $ 917.46
Amount received from fines in 1908 1,072.62
Amount received from fines in 1909. 2,784.64 Amount received from Clerk of Court
since December 31. $ 811.50
Amount in Treasury at end of year. . .. 1,907.02
In addition to the above, $485.00 worth of stolen pro- perty has been returned to the owners.
It will easily be seen that this increase in receipts will serve to make the police department an aid rather than a burden to the town.
I would recommend that the salary of patrolmen be raised to $3.00 per day from the first of October to the first of April. My reason for this is that men are obliged to go to a great expense to provide themselves with over- coats and other clothing to keep warm during the winter months. To maintain a neat and respectable appearance, such as our officers do maintain. entails no little expense
255
ANNUAL REPORT
during the summer months, and I approve and recom- mend an increase in salary to defray the additional ex- pense of the winter months.
I recommend the appropriation of $500.00 to be deposited with the Town Treasurer and to be drawn up- on by the police department for the suppression of the illegal sale of intoxicating liquor, the illegal sale of cigarettes and the detection and prevention of other crimes. I believe an appropriation of $6,000.00 will be sufficient for the ensuing year. I believe that it is time for the people of the town to think about a site and an appropriation for a police station. Our present quarters are inadequate, our cells are in a room which is sometimes damp, sometimes poorly heated, and always dark. I believe that a place should be provided where men held as prisoners could be held in dry, well-venti- lated and well-heated rooms.
During the past year we have had no fatalities, very few breaks and these of minor consequence, and with a successful year behind us and the changes in the Inter- state commerce law in effect, the prospect of a more suc- cessful one ahead.
JOHN H. NERNEY,
Chief of Police.
Report of the Park Commissioners for 1909
To the Citizens of Attleboro :
The most important feature of construction during the past year was the building of the most difficult sec- tion of the main road around the park. On account of the heavy grading it has always been put over for an- other year, hoping that the funds available would be more liberal. This particular section was impassible for carriage travel and the gaining use of the park by the public made it imperative to improve it, and this has been accomplished almost exclusively with material found on the grounds. In addition to this section of road a considerable work has been done on the roads and walks, the walks being dug down to a depth of two feet and filled in with stone and top dressed with crushed stone.
An acre of bare land near County Street was regraded, covered with loam and seeded down, and before the sea- son closed this piece, which had never seen a lawn mower was obliged to have the grass moved several times. Two of the dry wells at the Casino building were found to be defective and these were rebuilt.
About two weeks was spent in trimming trees and cleaning up leaves, etc. A fire would do comparatively little damage now.
A handsome fountain now adorns the basin which was installed a couple of years ago, this being made possible through the generosity of the widow and children of our late beloved fellow townsman, John W. Wolfenden, and is erected by them to his memory.
257
ANNUAL REPORT
We wish to express an appreciation for many other gifts. The grove of trees donated to the park two years ago by the ladies of the Pierian Club, have thriven won- derfully well, all but one of the original trees having lived and done well, and the space reserved for planting by this club will soon be one of the beauty spots of the park.
Mr. Dexter O. Newell, the florist, donated this year over 400 potted plants which enabled us to make a num- ber of handsome beds.
'Mr. J. D. Mowry contributed 15 rock maples this spring which are all living and thrifty, and Mr. Hiram Chase has given a number of shrubs which we have planted.
Mr. William Small furnished a lot of running vines which went to ornament the tool house, and before the summer was far along they quite effectually hid the un- attractive building which later on will be moved to the rear of the park.
Mr. Walter Newman gave enough summer cypress to completely line on both sides the new path from the Casino to the main driveway, and its beautiful green in summer and brilliant red in the fall made it extremely attractive.
A large repair bill on lawn mowers was saved through the use of the chairman's factory repair shop.
The gifts to the park are extremely pleasing to your Commissioners for aside from their aid in the work, they show the gaining interest in the park.
Very little water has been running in the fountain basin in the past, but now that a fountain is installed. more water will be used and this will necessitate a line of drain pipe which we think will be wise to run to the skating pond, as this will not only take care of the over- flow from the basin, but will help to keep the pond full.
There is need of a shelter building near the pine grove.
258
ANNUAL REPORT
Many parties come prepared to enjoy the park for a con- siderable portion of the day, and in case of sudden showers, have no shelter in which to eat their lunch, and find it a long way to go to the Casino in the rain. An adequate building will neither be large nor expensive, and should be built the coming season.
In years gone by the town provided band concerts through the summer months, and a return to this good custom would be pleasing to a very large number of the citizens. There is a bandstand at the park, and the cars make it easily accessible from almost every point in town.
The growing cost of the maintenance of the park has been mentioned in all of the late reports of the Park Commissioners, and the cost of keeping up the portions of the park which have been worked over is fast passing the cost of constructive work, and we, therefore, recom- mend that Two Thousand Dollars in addition to the reg- ular appropriation be appropriated for maintenance pur- poses so that the regular appropriation may be used for the much needed constructive work which has been mentioned.
Following are the disbursements for the year :
Dr.
Appropriation $ 2,000.00
Sale of loam 1.00
Sale of grass 3.00
Overdraft
20.32
Cr.
$2,024.32
Trees, shrubs, nursery stock, etc .... $ 75.31
Coal
27.00
Painting
6.00
Building seat
2.15
259
ANNUAL REPORT
Lime, pipe and cement
25.52
Cementing fountain basin.
9.30
Lumber
2.50
Signs
5.50
Gravel
17.95
Surveying
6.50
Seed and fertilizer
81.90
Tools and repairing
19.80
Lawn sprinkler
7.00
Labor
1.356.II
Lawn mowers
19.50
Teaming, freight and express
333.26
Hose and pipe.
16.12
Incidentals and supplies
12.90
$2,024.32
CAPRON PARK. Financial Statement. Dr.
Appropriation
$ 2,000.00
Sale of loam . 1.00
Sale of grass
3.00
Overdraft
20.32
$2,024.32
Cr.
Trees, shrubs, nursery stock, etc .... $ 75.31
Coal
27.00
Painting
6.00
Building seat
2.15
Lime, pipe and cement
25.52
Cementing basin 9.30
Lumber
2.50
Signs
5.50
260
ANNUAL REPORT
Gravel
17.95
Surveying
6.50
Seed and fertilizer
81.90
Tools and repairing.
19.80
Lawn sprinkler
7.00
Labor
1,356.1I
Lawn mowers
19.50
Teaming, freight and express
333.26
Hose and pipe.
16.12
Incidentals and supplies
12.90
$2,024.32
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES E. BLAKE. Chairman. KARL H. HYDE. Secretary. SOLON D. BUSHEE. Treasurer.
Park Commissioners.
Examined January 28, 1910, and found correct.
BENJAMIN F. LINDSEY, FREDERICK L. LeBARON. WM. L. ELLIOT.
Auditors.
Report of the Trustees of the Public Library
The admirable report of the librarian, appended here- to, leaves little for the trustees to say concerning the work of the library during the year 1910.
We desire, however, to call the attention of the public to the wider scope of the work done, in an educational and technical way, than has been accomplished in for- mer years. With this object in view, lectures on literary and scientific subjects have been given in the Assembly Hall by men eminent in their line of work, and it has been most gratifying to the trustees to note that the lectures have been well attended.
As in former years, a generous amount of the money available for the purchase of new books, has been ex- pended for books of reference; also many books of a technical value to those employed in the leading industry of the town have been purchased. We desire to call especial attention to this fact, in order that all interested in designing, coloring, or in any other departments of jewelry manufacture, can avail themselves of the really valuable works on these subjects, now on the shelves of the library.
Through the generosity of one of our citizens, a be- ginning has been made on what we hope will result in a large endowment fund for the use of the library. His gift of $2,000 was accepted with a vote of the trustees, that the principal should be kept intact, and known as the "Daniel H. Smith Fund," the interest to be expended for the purchase of books.
The library is under obligation to Mr. Sheffield for his gift of a flag staff and two flags for the building ; also
262
ANNUAL REPORT
for the beautiful large globe that has been placed in the main room of the library. Among other gifts the library received during the year, more than fifty valuable scien- tific works from Mr. Edward A. Sweeney.
The library extension work has proven more popular during the last few months of the year ; and if the people in the outlying districts evince sufficient interest to war- rant the outlay, the work will be expanded and con- tinued.
A financial report will be found below. The trustees ask for an appropriation of $7,000, the same as last year, although a larger amount could be very wisely spent for the purchase of new books.
Respectfully submitted,
J. L. SWEET, President,
M. E. ROWE,
C. H. WHEELER,
ALICE M. WALES,
IRENE T. HILL,
ELEANOR S. CARPENTER,
G. ST. J. SHEFFIELD,
P. E. BRADY,
C. S. HOLDEN, Secretary.
Financial Report.
Dr.
Annual appropriation $7.000.00
Library Aid Association
300.00
Duplicate bills 18.75
Telephone credit 1.00
$7,319.75
263
ANNUAL REPORT
Cr.
Salaries
$2,032.86
Janitor
956.28
Electric light
437.52
Fuel 289.76
Printing
138.15
Binding
329.63
Supplies
272.0I
Books, magazines and newspapers ..
1.716.4I
Sundries
125.69
Repairs
206.53
Insurance 128.50
Library extension work
171.50
New stack and electric fixtures
450.00
Catalogue case
60.00
Unexpended balance
4.91
$7,319.75
Examined Feb. 1, 1910, and found correct.
BENJAMIN F. LINDSEY, W. L. ELLIOT, FREDERICK L. LeBARON,
Auditors.
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN
To the Trustees of the Attleborough Public Library :
I herewith submit the librarian's annual report. Be- low is a statement somewhat in detail of the work done in the various departments of the library during the past year.
Accessions.
During the year, 1550 new volumes have been added to the library: 1337 by purchase; 105 by gift; 108 by
264
ANNUAL REPORT
binding periodicals. Besides these 127 lost and worn- out books have been replaced; 80 books have been dis- carded entirely as not worthy of replacement.
It is most gratifying to compare the book purchases and the book gifts of this year with those of other years and to be able to note an increase in both instances. Among our accessions this year we note stereographs of Palestine, Italy, Ireland and Greece.
Binding.
Number of books rebound. 599
Number of periodicals bound. 108
707
The number of books rebound this year, the number replaced and the number discarded, all go to show that the general condition of the books in the library is bet- ter than it has been for some time past. This is un- doubtedly due to the fact that the books can be better taken care of in the new building, and that a good deal of useless material which it was hard to get at in the old building has been disposed of.
Book Lists.
Among the list of books printed during the year in the Attleboro Daily Sun and in the Pawtucket Times are lists on the following subjects: Forestry, Music, Mendelssohn, Darwin, Lincoln.
At the time the publication of a quarterly Library Bulletin was begun, the lists of new books which had appeared in the newspapers were discontinued. At the request of a number of borrowers, the publication of such lists has been resumed. They now appear every two weeks, just before the new books are put on the
265
ANNUAL REPORT
shelves. The Bulletin is a cumulation of these lists; it contains besides a short note on the character of the books. Specal lists have been printed in separate num- bers of the Bulletin, viz .: A list of the periodicals sub- scribed to by the library ; a list of stories to read aloud ; and a list of books of interest to jewelers.
Books, Care Of.
The number of books lost from the shelves during 1909 has been 7 from the children's department; II from the adult.
In October the Board of Health began to send to the library notices of cases of contagious diseases. It is now possible to keep books from being returned from families where cases of such illness have occurred.
Books Lent.
The library was open for circulation of books 307 days in 1909. The number of volumes lent for home and school use during the year was 48,262, divided as follows :
Adult department
39,147
Children's department
9,115
Outlying schools 1,818
South Attleboro
905
Dodgeville
177
Hebronville 266
Briggs Corner
470
Divided according to classes the circulation was as follows :
General works
1,715
3.55
Philosophy
459
.95
Religion
514
1.06
Sociology
1,753
3.63
Philology
52
.IO
266
ANNUAL REPORT
Natural Science
734
1.52
Useful Arts
789
1.63
Fine Arts
979
2.28
Literature
2,288
4.74
History
1,246
2.58
Travel
864
1.79
Biography
988
2.47
Fiction
35,881
74.36
Total
48,262
100.00
While the total circulation for the year falls about 1,000 below that of last year, the general improvement in the class of books read is encouraging. There is a marked increase in the number of books read on reli- gion, sociology and the fine and the useful arts. The two latter classes dealing as they largely do with sub- jects pertaining to the trades, will probably be more and more read as the library increases its collection of books along these lines. The percentage of fiction read was three per cent. below that of last year.
Catalogue Department.
The recataloguing of the children's department, begun a little more than a year ago, has practically been com- pleted. A catalogue case has been purchased and placed in the children's room. The adult fiction catalogue is now being recatalogued, the simplicity in the form of the new card is a great advantage. The installation of a new typewriter has greatly facilitated the work in this department.
Children's Work, see School Work.
Exhibits.
There have been 12 exhibits of the Library Art Club during 1909. In addition to these a tuberculosis exhibit
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.