USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1908-09 > Part 9
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On all services where two or more houses are now
211
ANNUAL . REPORT
connected through one service the owner shall not have 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 purposes 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.
212
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 line 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 interefence 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,
213
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 Committee on Soldiers and Sailors Monument
To the Citizens of Attleboro:
Gentlemen :- At the annual Town Meeting in March, 1906, on motion of Capt. Edward Caufy, it was voted that a committee of seven be appointed to consider the matters expressed in Article 33 of the warrant; viz. :
"To see if the Town will vote to erect a monumen" in memory of the soldiers and sailors who enlisted from Attleboro and who lost their lives in the War of 1861 to 1865, or will do anything in relation thereto."
That committee gave the matter careful consideration and at the annual meeting, March, 1907, reported recom- mending that the Town erect a soldiers and sailors monument on the common and that the sum of seventy- five hundred dollars be appropriated for the saine.
This report was recommitted to the committee with instructions "To take such action as may be possible to inform the public of the proposed model or design, by publishing the same, and that local parties be given an opportunity to present designs."
In pursuance to these instructions the committee ad- vertised in the local papers for designs, and exhibited the designs and models received for a number of days in the Town Clerk's office, and also at the special Town Meeting, June 13, 1907, at which meeting the committee recommended that the sum of eight thousand dollars be appropriated, which sum was voted by the meeting and the committee was authorized to select such design as they thought would be best suited to the Town.
1861-1865
ATTLEBOROUGH'S TRIBUTE
1908
ATTLEBOROUGH'S MEMORIAL TO HER SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
215
ANNUAL REPORT
After a number of meetings at which the designs al- ready shown, and others that were received afterwards were considered, it was unanimously voted to contract with J. W. White & Sons of Quincy, Mass., for their de- sign at a cost of eight thousand dollars.
As there was some question as to the proposed joca- tion of the monument, it was voted at the special Town Meeting held November 15, 1907-under Article 6- "That the proposed Monument be placed in the square on Park Street east of the steam railroad, and that the selectmen be authorized to give the use of such land as is necessary for that location."
The annual Town Meeting of March 2, 1908, appropri- ated five hundred dollars for the purpose of providing a suitable curbing for the monument when placed in the square.
At the meeting of the committee in April, 1908, it was voted that William A. Streeter Post, G. A. R., be invited to appoint a committee of six to assist this committee in carrying out a program dedicating the new monument. Emmons D. Guild, Everett S. Horton, William H. Goff, Edward Caufy, George R. Adams, F. L. LeBaron were appointed by the Post and assisted the committee on June 20, 1908, in the following program :
1. Music by Attleboro Band.
2. Prayer by Rev. John H. Applebee.
3. Unveiling of the Monument by Miss Gertrude E. Horton.
4. Presenting of the Monument to the Selectmen of the Town by Chairman of the Monument Committee.
5. Acceptance by the Selectmen, and request to the G. A. R. to dedicate the same.
6. Singing by the School Children.
7. G. A. R. services.
8. Recitation by Miss Gertrude Sweeney.
9. Oration by Comrade J. Willard Brown, Junior Vice Commander of the Dep't. of Mass. G. A. R.
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ANNUAL REPORT
10. Singing.
11. Flag Salute.
12. Benediction by Rev. J. Lee Mitchell.
The Town is to be congratulated in having been able to procure one of the finest soldiers and sailors monu- ments in the country, and at a cost within the appropria- tion. The total appropriation being eight thousand, five hundred dollars, and the total expenditures eight thou- sand, four hundred and ninety dollars and five cents, there remains an unexpended balance of nine dollars and ninety-five cents.
The monument stands as a fitting tribute of Attle- borough's loyalty to her brave sons, teaching a lesson of patriotism and good citizenship to thousands who daily gaze upon it.
EVERETT S. HORTON, WILLIAM H. GOFF, EDWARD CAUFY, EMMONS D. GUILD, GEO. A. SWEENEY, CHARLES O. SWEET, EDWARD A. SWEENEY,
Committee for Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
School Committee
ATTLEBOROUGH, MASS.
For the Year Ending December 31,
1908
TOWN OF ATTLEBOROUGH School Department, 1908
School Committee :
WALTER J. NEWMAN, Chairman ; HARVEY E. CLAP, Secretary ; BENJAMIN P. KING, THOMAS G. SADLER, MRS. EMILY RICHARDSON,
MRS. FLORENCE B. THEOBALD, MRS. EVANGELINE C. MERRITT, ALDRO A. FRENCH, HAROLD E. SWEET.
Superintendent of Schools:
LEWIS A. FALES.
Annual Report of the School Committee
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Receipts.
General appropriation $71,000.00
Insurance
1,750.00
Dog fund
1,602.01
Tuition 603.30
Sale of books, and supplies 30.00
Sale of bricks, old iron, etc. 68.13
Transportation paid by State 13.50
Rebate on insurance 11.25
Refunded by teacher
8.00
$75,086.19
Expenditures.
Teachers
$45,409.55
Superintendent and Clerk 2,569.52
Janitors 6,239.42
Fuel
4,337.54
Books and supplies
3.433.27
Repairs and furniture
3,448.83
Incidentals :
Committee expenses. . $ 566.85
Fire extinguishers. . 261.00
Telephones 150.48
Towels
97.24
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ANNUAL REPORT
Miscellaneous
1,250.86
2,326.43
Insurance
1,921.50
Transportation
2,885.00
Benevolence
240.7I
School physician
200.00
Evening Schools
897.46
Vacation schools
250.78
Truant school
78.72
Rent
156.68
Truant officer
550.00
Census enumerator
60.00
School Savings bank
60.37
Unexpended balance
$75,065.78 20.4I
Respectfully submitted,
HARVEY E. CLAP,
Secretary.
Examined January 27, 1909, and found correct :
BENJAMIN F. LINDSEY, FREDERICK L. LeBARON, WILLIAM L. ELLIOT,
Auditors.
221
ANNUAL REPORT
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE
.
To the Citizens of Attleborough :
We herewith submit the report of our doings as school committee for the year 1908. We realize that a large per cent. of the tax levy goes into our educational de- partment and we have endeavored to give the town the best results possible for the money expended; and we think our schools will compare favorably with those of other towns of our size in the state.
Ever since a special instructor of drawing has been employed in our schools, up to January first of the pres- ent year, the Trustees of the Richardson School Fund have paid $500 each year towards that teacher's salary. At that date, however, they deemed it wise to discon- tinue that payment, and during the present year the town will have to bear that extra burden.
Buildings.
Our buildings remain much in the same condition as one year ago, with the exception of the Robinson build- ing, which was destroyed by fire, January 15, 1908. Im- mediately after the fire the committee hired a room in the old Barrows Tavern, South Attleborough, and opened a school there for the lower grades. Transporta- tion was furnished to that place and to the South Attle- borough school for the pupils from the Robinson School district. At the end of the year we were notified by the State Inspector that if we continued a school in the tavern we should have to equip the building with a fire escape. but it being private property we did not deem it wise to do so, and another room has been added to the South Attleborough building. From the opening of the fall term, all of the Robinson school pupils have been transported to South Attleborough, and the same ar-
222
ANNUAL REPORT
rangement will continue until the opening of the new Washington school.
With the exception of the South Attleborough build- ing, where the new room was added, no large amount has been expended on any one building. As the financial statement shows, there has been expended for repairs and furniture $3,448.83, of which $2,946.56 was for re- pairs and $502.27 for furniture. Of the amount ex- pended for furniture $363.67 was for new furniture made necessary by the opening of new rooms and the in- creased attendance in other rooms. The new room at the South Attleborough school cost altogether, including the furniture, $965 ; and the changes made on the build- ings in order to bring them up to the requirements of the state-fire escapes on the Turner street building and the office building at Sanford Street, stair rails, new locks, doors opening outward, boiler repairs, fire extinguishers, etc .- cost over $1,100 more. These expenditures re- duced our appropriation to such an extent that only about $2,000 has been spent on the regular repair work. As a result many needful repairs have been left undone, as they could only be done by overdrawing the appro- priation.
During the coming year the South Attleborough school should have a new heater and be properly ventil- ated, and some move should be made looking toward ventilation for the Sanford Street buildings.
New Buildings.
The report of the committees appointed to erect the two new buildings will be found as separate reports. We expect to occupy the Washington school before the annual meeting of the Town in March and the Charles E. Bliss school by the first of September of the present year. With the opening of these new buildings the
223
ANNUAL REPORT
present crowded condition of our schools will be re- lieved, but if the town continues to grow in the future as in the past, new buildings will continually be required to meet that growth.
Insurance.
At the last annual meeting the Town voted and in- structed the School Committee to insure the school buildings, and appropriated the sum of $1,750 for that purpose.
The School Committee appointed W. J. Newman and Harvey E. Clap to attend to the same and the school buildings are insured as follows :
Number of Policies
Amount Insured $22,500
High School
II
Sanford Street Grammar building
4
10,000
Sanford Street Middle building
8
21,000
Sanford Street Office building
I
1,500
Richardson Brick building
IO
22,500
Richardson Frame building
4
3,500
Farmers
5
5,000
Capron
4
4,000
Pleasant Street
2
4,000
South Main Street
2
2,500
Carpenter Street
2
4,000
Dodgeville
6
7,500
Hebronville
3
7,500
South Attleborough
6
6,000
Turner Street
3
5,000
Briggs Corner
3
5,000
Washington (New)
2
10,000
Boilers. Sanford, Richardson and High
15,000
Total
$156,500
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ANNUAL REPORT
The insurance is placed as follows :
Through the office of O. P. Richard- SON
21
$60,000
Through the office of H. M. Dag-
gett, Jr.
33
45,500
Through the office of H. E. Carpenter 16 36,000
Through the office of A. C. Eddy . 7 12,000
Through the office of G. J. Kelley . . I 3,000
Total
$156,500
The 21 policies of O. P. Richardson are on nine build- ings and three boilers.
The 33 policies of H. M. Daggett, Jr., are on II buildings.
The 16 policies of H. E. Carpenter are on nine buildings.
The seven policies of A. C. Eddy are on seven buildings.
The one policy of G. J. Kelley is on one building.
A total of 78 policies on the 17 buildings amounting to $156,500.
Appropriations.
On account of the increase in pupils and the erection of new buildings the committee are obliged to ask for a larger appropriation for 1909, and we would recommend that the sum of $76,000 and the Dog Fund be appropriated for educational purposes to include Incidentals and Re- pairs, Text-books and Supplies, Benevolence, Trans- portation, School Physician, Evening Schools and Insur- ance ; provided, however, if the matter of insurance is placed in the hands of the Town Treasurer, that $1,200
225
ANNUAL REPORT
be taken from that amount for the insurance of the school property.
Respectfully submitted,
WALTER J. NEWMAN, Chairman ;
HARVEY E. CLAP, Secretary ;
BENJAMIN P. KING, EMILY L. RICHARDSON,
FLORENCE B. THEOBALD,
THOMAS G. SADLER,
EVANGELINE C. MERRITT.
HAROLD E. SWEET,
ALDRO A. FRENCH,
School Committee.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL
To the School Committee :
Having been appointed by you to purchase land, se- cure plans, and erect a four-room brick school house in South Attleboro, we wish to report as follows :
After carefully looking over the section where the new building was to be erected we decided that the proper place for it was on Washington street, just north of Mendon Road, and we purchased about one acre of land from Rebecca M. Guild for $1,000.00.
We then had plans submitted by nine different archi- tects, and accepted those drawn by R. C. N. Monahan of Pawtucket. The plans made were for a building with three entrances and large enough so that we could add on four more rooms at a cost of about eight thousand dol- lars. When we got in our bids we found that we would require $5,000.00 more to carry out our plans. We
226
ANNUAL REPORT
asked for this at a special Town Meeting and being re- fused, we were obliged to abandon these plans and get another set. We have built a building practically on the same lines as at first planned, only leaving out the front entrance, and reducing the cost on some minor parts.
The same was erected by R. G. & J. A. Munroe of North Attleborough for $10,360.00.
The plumbing was given to The Samuel Jackson Com- pany of Pawtucket for $567.00.
The heating and ventilating to The Fuller, Warren Co. of Boston for $1,730.00.
The electric wiring to Mullen Brothers of Pawtucket for $156.00.
The grading to Frank E. Shaw for $375.00.
The building has been built of the best materials and the workmanship is very satisfactory. Much credit is due the contractors and architect for the building which we have. We expect it to be ready to open school on February I.
Below you will find the amount of money expended to date :
Appropriation
$15,000.00
Bills paid as follows :
1908.
April 6. Sun Publishing Co., ad- vertising $ 3.00
Karl H. Hyde, surveying 5.75
May 4.
George K. Gridley, lot .. 1,000.00
Oct. 5. J. E. Judson, surveying. .
19.00
Sun Publishing Co., ad- vertising 2.85
R. C. N. Monahan
200.00
R. C. N. Monahan I 50.00
R. G. & J. A. Munroe, first payment 550.00
227
ANNUAL REPORT
Nov. 2. G. H. Snell, Water Regis- trar 44.98
Dec. 7. R. G. & J. A. Munroe, second payment .... 5,000.00
J. E. Judson, surveying. . 22.50
1909.
Jan. 4. Fuller & Warren, 40% of contract 670.00
Mullen Brothers, wiring .. 123.20
R. G. & J. A. Munroe, third payment 1,000.00
Frank E. Shaw 125.00
Robert C. N. Monahan . . 250.00
Samuel Jackson Co., first
payment 320.00
Total expended $9,486.28
Balance $5,513.72 THOMAS G. SADLER, W. J. NEWMAN, HAROLD E. SWEET,
Building Committee.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON CHARLES E. BLISS SCHOOL
To the Citizens of Attleborough :
The committee appointed at a special town meeting to erect an eight-room school house with an assembly hall on Park Street beg leave to submit the following report :
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ANNUAL REPORT
In accordance with our report to the town at the spe- cial meeting and our instructions at that meeting, we have purchased the Winsor lot for $10,000, and have se- cured a release from the two abuttors on Emory street, so that Winsor Street so-called has been abandoned.
The building has been placed nearly in the center of the lot, so that the town may, if it seems best, sell some of the front land and use the money for grading the main lot when the proper time comes.
The contract for the erection of the building has been given to William Williams of Providence, R. I., for $36,275, that being the lowest bid received. Mr. Wil- liams's contract includes everything about the building, except the heating, ventilating and sanitaries, and the contract for these has been awarded to the Fuller & Warren Co. of Boston for $3,996, the lowest bid received for that work.
Appropriation $55,000.00
Bills paid as follows :
May 4. H. F. Conant, surveying, levels and plans of lot 12.50
July 6. Sun Publishing Co., ads. architects and propos- als 4.25
Dec. 7. Sun Publishing Co., bids. . 6.00
Providence Telephone Co., to Cooper & Bailey .. .80
Dec. 16. Cooper & Bailey, 21/2% of contract 1,006.75
Jan. 4. Mrs. A. W. Winsor, lot ... 10,000.00 G. H. Snell, Water Regis- trar, water connections 23.63
229
ANNUAL REPORT
Jan. 5. William Williams, con- tractor's first payment 5,848.00
Total expended $16,901.93
Balance unexpended $38,098.07 W. J. NEWMAN, HARVEY E. CLAP, A. A. FRENCH,
Building Committee.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
To the School Committee of the Town of Attleborough :
I have the honor to submit my fourth annual report as Superintendent of Schools, it being the twenty-fifth in the series of such reports.
No startling changes or innovations have been made during the year in the work of the schools. Our aim has been, as in the past, to emphasize those subjects and phases of subjects that seem most important from a prac- tical point of view, and at the same time to give proper attention to those studies that have an ethical and cul- tural value. As it is every man's duty to earn his own living, so I consider it one of the functions of the public schools to give pupils the training that will directly aid them in fulfilling this obligation. To this end I am strongly in favor of the rapidly spreading movement to establish trades schools in connection with the public schools. That such a course will keep in school a few years longer many who now leave at the age of fourteen, and give them a better equipment for earning a living, there can be no doubt; and in doing this the welfare of the whole community will be greatly benefitted.
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ANNUAL REPORT
And yet, being in hearty sympathy with the idea that the education our pupils receive should be of direct help to them in earning a living, I feel that there is danger that the value of the so-called culture studies may be under-estimated. To be sure, we cannot measure the influence that these studies have on the lives of the pupils as we assume to determine the worth in dollars and cents of the "practical" subjects. But history and litera- ture and art and music open up to the pupils an illimit- able field of new and higher ideals of life, loftier aspira- tions and nobler ambitions than can possibly be found in the "bread-and-butter" subjects, and exert a more powerful influence in forming strong, sterling character and habits of upright living than can be equalled any- where outside the doctrines of the Church.
Remove these influences from our lives, and life be- comes a matter of simply existing, and is hardly worth the living. With the constantly increasing tendency in education to emphasize more and more the practical and the material, we should not allow ourselves to under- estimate the value of the culture studies, and should see that a desirable balance between the two is main- tained.
School Enrollment and Attendance.
Enrollment and attendance from September 2, 1907, to June 26, 1908:
Number of different pupils enrolled 2,549
Average membership 2,207
Average attendance 2,045
Per cent. of attendance 93
The following figures show the average membership of all the schools since 1901-1902 :
Average Membership
Annual Gain
Per cent. of Attendance
1901-1902
1948
79
93
1902-1903
. 2000
52 91
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ANNUAL REPORT
1903-1904
.2045
45
92
1904-1905
2070
35
93
1905-1906
2086
16
92
1906-1907
2109
23
93
1907-1908
2207
98
93
For the four months of the present year :
1908.
September
2361
99
October
. 2412
95
November
. 2428
95
December
. 2428
95
-
Average for fall term
2407
95
The most perplexing problem of the year has been to provide accommodations for the ever-increasing number of pupils, maintain the usual standard of scholarship, and yet keep our expenses from increasing disproportion- ately. For the year 1907-1908 we had an increase in the number of pupils over the preceding year of 91-two full rooms. This fall we had an increase of four rooms more, so that we were obliged to secure a number of extra teachers. These extra teachers were used as assistants in crowded rooms, and were only employed after many pupils had been transferred from one school to another to avoid the necessity of assistants if possible. We have at present assistant teachers in nine rooms, and the cost of instruction in those rooms is considerably above the average cost for the rest of the schools.
In October it was necessary to take some steps to re- lieve the Carpenter. Street school, which was badly crowded, and rather than put the pupils on half time a room was secured in the St. Jean Baptiste building on Pine Street at an expense of $25 per month, and thirty pupils were transferred to that school.
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ANNUAL REPORT
At the Sanford Street school the first grade became so large that not all the children could be accommodated, and no room being available without incurring very heavy expense, the school was divided and placed on half sessions January 6, 1909. With two teachers in the room we hope to give each pupil sufficient individual attention to enable him to accomplish fully as much in half a day as would be expected in a whole day under the crowded conditions that have existed during the fall term.
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