USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Merrimac > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Merrimac 1916 > Part 3
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The contract calls for a minimum amount of 170,000 K. W. H. per year, the price for this amount being 2.25 cents per K. W. H. The other prices are on a sliding scale to 1.85 cents for 450,000 K. W. H., and all over 450,000 1.80 cents.
It was very fortunate that this contract was made as there was a constant increase in the load and it would have been impossible for the town plant to have carried it.
The output at the station was 403,150 K. W. H. Power shows an output of 284,256 which exceeds our entire output for 1915 by 4291. Street lighting was 35,000, a ·decrease of 2120, commercial and domestic lighting 83,894, an increase of 22,969.
This will probably stand as the record for some time
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owing to the loss of our largest consumer by removal from town and other loses by fire.
The additions have been, sixteen domestic and two- commercial services; and there were in use January 1, 1917, 126 domestic, 61 commercial and 9 power services ..
The receipts from sales' of light and power were: $15,126.61, exceeding last year's receipts by $5703.65.
Under Section 114 of Chapter 742 Acts of 1914 the manager has furnished the Board with the following estimates of income and expense for. the fiscal year end- ing December 31, 1917.
Expense
Gross expense of operation, $8,303 16
Interest, 260 00
Depreciation 3% on $33,464.87,
1003 94
Note payments,
600 00
Bond payments,
500 00
$10,667 10
Income
From private consumers, $8,500 00
From municipal buildings,
215 00
Balance from earnings,
1,952 10
$10,667 10
No appropriation required.
Construction
Street Lines
Pettingell Andrews Co., wire and. supplies, $276 28
A. McInnis, freight and trucking, 4. 53
A: O. Nichol, trucking ;. 2'00
I. B. Little Co., supplies,
1 70
. ..
Geo. W. Sargent's Sons, poles,
56 00
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Town of Merrimac, express paid, 1 05
Westinghouse Co., supplies, 2 90
Payroll, 17 50
G. G. Davis, team, 3 00
Amesbury Electric Light Co., labor, 7 50
Water Dept., team and labor,
14 74
$387 20
Meters
Westinghouse Co., meters, $220 67
Amesbury Electrict Light Co., meters, 204 00
A. McInnis, freight and trucking, 89
P. H. Fernald, labor,
4 12
E. R. Tucker, labor, 3 66
$433 34
Maintenance
Fuel
Atkinson Coal Co., fuel, $3,378 79
Sargent Coal Co., fuel and teaming, 642 77
B. & M. R. R., demurrage, 4 00
Walker Carriage Co., fuel,
135 63
Northeastern Street Ry. Co., fuel,
174 27
$4,335 46
Oil and Waste
Water Dept., oil and waste, $ 96 82
Station Wages
A. J. Cottam, engineer, $564 80
W. A. Barbeau, engineer,
60 00
Geo. G. Hall, engineer, 213 60
Water Dept., account of engineer,
75 00
$913 40,
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Electric Current Bought
Amesbury Electric Light Co., 241,058 k. w. h., $4,730 49
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Renewals of Electric Plant
Westinghouse Co., labor and expense, $83 42
P. H. Fernald, labor and expense, 36 05
Sargent Coal Co., supplies, 1 00
W. A. Bailey, expense, 6 25
$126 72
Renewals of Street Lines
Payroll,
$30 11
Water Dept., team and labor, 2 00
G. G. Davis, team,
11 00
P. H. Fernald, labor and expense, 2 85
Amesbury Electric Light Co., labor, 16 97
$ 62 93
Repairs of Electric Plant
I. B. Williams & Sons, labor and expense, $ 44 79
Mrs. F. H. Hargraves, meals, 1 00
Town of Merrimac, express paid, 4 91
Condit Electric Co., supplies, 11 47
Repairs of Street Lines, etc.
Payroll, $ 64 14
Water Dept., team and labor,
89 21
G. A. Titcomb, team, 1 00
G. G. Davis, team, 76 80
Amesbury Electric Light Co., labor, 65 84
A. McInnis, trucking, 60
Condit Electric Co., supplies, 53
$ 62 17
$298 12
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Lamps, Etc.
Pettingell Andrews Co., lamps, etc., $1,516 50
Westinghouse Co., supplies, 101 12
Town of Merrimac, express paid, 1 09
A. McInnis, freight and trucking,
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$1,619 46
Distribution Tools, Etc.
Pettingell Andrews Co., tools, $1 70
J. L. Fales, ladder, 2 50
$
4 20
General Salaries
W. A. Bailey, manager, $399 92
W. H. Scott, collector and bookkeeper, 249 96
$649 88
Salaries Municipal Light Board
W. H. Scott, commissioner, $ 12 50
W. A. Bailey, commissioner, 12 50
W. A. Barbeau, commissioner, 12 50
$ 37 50
Office Expense
Merrimac Job Print, printing and supplies, $ 27 50
Water Dept., expense, 97 53
W. H. Scott, janitor, 20 00
W. H. Scott, carfare and expense, 5 00
$150 03
Insurance and Incidentals
Merrimac Insurance Agency, com- pensation, $205 77
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Water Dept., rent of station, 300 00
$505 77
Bonds, Notes and Interest
Bond payment, $500 00
Note payment,
600 00
Interest on bonds,
220 00
Interest on notes,
84 00
$1,404 00
Total,
$15,817 49
Balance Sheet
General cash on hand Jan. 1, 1916, $2,914 66
Depreciation fund in Savings Bank, 62 63
Depreciation fund in National Bank, 351 07
Interest on fund in Savings Bank, 2 50
Sale of power and light,
15,126 61
Sale of lamps, etc.,
1,061 49
Sale of fuel,
81 00
Sale of street line material,
9 45
Pole rentals,
24 50
Water Dept., fuel,
1,784 47
Appropriation from earnings,
1,963 63
$23,382 01
Expended and On Hand
Amount turned back to town,
$1,963 63
For construction and renewals 1,010 19
For maintenance, 14,807 30
General cash on hand Jan. 1, 1917, 5,205 82
Depreciation fund in Savings Bank, 65 13
Depreciation fund in National Bank, 329 94
$23,382 01
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Cost of Construction
?
'Steam plant,
$3,985 39
Electric plant,
4,481 01
Street lines,
17,744 80
Transformers,
4,162 78
Meters,
3,090 89
Assets
Steam plant,
$3,002 02
Electric plant,
3,077 ,51
Street lines,
14,571 24
Transformers,
2,830 27
Meters,
1,969 21
Due from light and power,
1,694 32
Lamps, etc., on hand and charged,
649,94
Tools and appliances on hand,
149 50
General cash,
5,205 82
Depreciation fund,
395 07
$33,544 90
Liabilities
Bonds outstanding,
$5,000 00
Notes payable,
1,800 00
Appropriations for construction,
5,053 16
Overdrafts for construction,
322 67
Appropriations, for bond payments, 4,500 00
Appropriations for note payments,
1,671 72
Unpaid bills for maintenance,
630 66
Interest accrued but not due, 126 67
Profit and loss surplus,
14,440 02
·
$33,544 90
WILLIS H. SCOTT, WILFRED A. BARBEAU, WARREN A. BAILEY, Municipal Light Board.
$33,464 87
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REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE
Centre School
To the Citizens of the Town of Merrimac :
The Committee appointed at the annual meeting last March to arrange for alterations and additions to the Centre School building, make the following report.
Plans and specifications were drawn by James A. Per- kins, Architect, of Haverhill, Mass., and after having been submitted to the State Police, Building Depart- ment, were finally approved. Bids were advertised for to carry out the work. N. S. Cole & Son received the con- tract, their bid being the lowest at $5,586, which included new floors for the class rooms in the rear building. This bid did not include the cost of the sewer to the brook. The contractor was also required to remove the outbuild- ing in the rear and grade the rear lot.
The work is completed and we believe is satisfactory. There has been some difficulty in heating the room occupied by the eighth grade when the weather is ex- tremely cold with a high wind blowing, but we believe that this difficulty has been overcome to a great extent.
The Centre School building as completed provides six class rooms with suitable halls. There are two exits from each room in case of fire. There is also a room for the Superintendent. The class rooms are heated by hot air, the halls by steam. An approved ventilating system has been installed. Adequate and modern toilet arrange- ments are in the basement where is also located the heat- ing apparatus consisting of three Brian heaters and a Gurney steam plant. There are also two toilets on the second floor.
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In September last the building was opened to the public for inspection and we feel that our citizens are familiar with what has been done in remodeling the building. It must be a satisfaction to all that we have a school building suitable to the needs of the children, with modern appliances, and that the unsanitary and unsatis- factory general conditions, before obtaining, have been eliminated.
Financial Statement
Appropriation by the town, annual
meeting, $3,500 00
Appropriation by the town, special
meeting, 2,500 00
$6,000 00
Expended
Haverhill Gazette, adv., $ 6 00
James A. Perkins, architect,
152 19
N. S. Cole & Son, two trips to State House, re plans, 20 00
N. S. Cole & Son, per contract,
5,586 00
N. S. Cole & Son, sewer to brook,
186 00
N. S. Cole & Son, extra windows in rear building, 49 81
$6,000 00
Respectfully submitted, FREDERICK C. GRANT,
WILLIAM S. TUCKWELL,
BYRON H. SARGENT, HARRY W. HALE,
FRED E. SWEETSER,
C. W. MORRILL,
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Committee.
1
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE 2
To the Citizens of the Town of Merrimac:
The School Committee make the following report and also submit herewith the reports of the Superintendent, Principal of the High School, Supervisors of Music, Drawing, and School Physician.
The Committee organized after the annual town meet- ing as follows:
Ellen M. Murphy, Chairman.
William S. Tuckwell, Secretary.
C. W. Morrill, Purchasing Agent.
During the year necessary repairs have been made and some permanent improvements added.
Centre building has been remodeled and put in good condition. We found more to do there than was antici- pated. From the special appropriations we have paid the remaining bills for the repairs at the Centre School. This expense will account for the overdraft shown in the Financial Statement.
Next year the Centre building needs shingling and all the buildings need painting.
The transportation question is an important problem with us this year. The extra cost of transportation will also account for the overdraft.
Of the finer details of the work you will learn by the reports of the heads of the various departments, in which you will find many comments and recommendations so fully and plainly outlined that we have felt it unneces- sary for us to call other attention to them. In making this report it is pleasant to say that the work being done in all the schools is of excellent quality.
We cannot overestimate the value of our public schools
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and the possibilities for increasing their direct benefits to the State and to our town are only circumscribed by limitations which the very training given in our public "schools will hasten to remove at a compound ratio.
We commend to your careful considerations the re- ports of the Superintendent of Schools, Principal of the High School, and Special Supervisors.
. Respectfully submitted, (Signed) ELLEN M. MURPHY, WILLIAM S. TUCKWELL, C. W. MORRILL,
School Committee.
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Financial Statement
Receipts
General appropriation,
$8,830 00
Transportation,
900 00
Superintendent,
375 00
Massachusetts School Fund,
903 28
Tuition State Minor Wards.
251 50
Tuition City of Boston,
56 00
State's Rebate on account superintendent,
500 00
County of Essex, balance on dog tax,
130 11
Town of Salisbury, tuition,
163 00
Town of Newton, N. H., tuition,
39 00
Sale of old stoves,
15 00
Sale of school tickets,
1 50
$12,164 39
Overdrawn,
$501 12
Expenditures
I. Administration,
School Committee,
Office expense,
$ 1 60
Superintendent', salary, Office expense,
19 07
Census and attendance officer,
10 00
II. Instruction,
Teachers' salaries,
High School Principal,
1200 00
High School Assistants,
1620 00
Elementary School Teachers,
4099 75
Text Books,
High, 127 33
680 00
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Elementary, 467 46
Stationery and supplies,
High, 88 99
Elementary, Supervisors' salaries,
209 47
373 00
III. Operation,
Janitors,
High,
270 00
Elementary,
460 00
Fuel,
High,
338 60
Elementary, 351 06
IV. Maintenance,
Repairs,
High,
49 14
Elementary, 337 80
V. Auxiliary Agencies,
Transportation,
1042 75
School Physician,
100 00
VI. Miscellaneous,
Tuition,
176 00
Sundries,
284 86
New Equipment,
358 53
$12,665 51
Janitors
High School
F. H. Trefethen, per month, $30 00
Elementary Schools
A. G. Flower, Center, to July, 1916, 30 00
F. H. Trefethen, Center, 30 00
Mrs. F. Dwinnells, Prospect, to July, 1916,
Roger Stanley, Prospect, 10 00
Mrs. J. Coleman, Merrimacport, 6,00
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Transportation
G. G. Davis,
$50 00
R. H. Sargent,
40 00
Mrs. E. A. Leslie,
28 00
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SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
To the School Committee,
Gentlemen :
Herewith is presented to you the annual report of the Superintendent of Schools, the Principal of the High School, and the Special Teachers. The report of last year commented on certain things in our schools which: deserve further notice and explanation here. Our great need of text books was noted; the eighth grade plan in our schools was mentioned, with a brief note of the fail- ure of the grades to meet the requirements of the plan in some respects; and the condition of the schoolhouses. received some attention. .
Regarding the need of books in the schools we have only to say here that this condition has been very much improved and by the close of the school year in June, 1917, if the present plan of procedure is adhered to the schools should have a fairly good equipment of the basal study books. By that time it is expected that each pupil will have a supply of books in sound and usable condi- tion and will not have to borrow from others; that the teacher's' desk will boast an extra copy or two for the use of visitors; and that there will be a few extra copies of each in the' supply room so that new pupils entering the schools will not have to wait for text books until more copies are ordered. At this time the schools have some sore needs in books but our plan of steadily replac- ing the old books month by month will soon supply those needs.
Eight grades of elementary school are amply sufficient to give a child all he needs to prepare him to go on to- high school or to take up a business life if he does not go
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to high school, i. e. the simpler forms of business. But in this report of last year one circumstance was men- tioned as making against accomplishing the required amount of work in eight years-the poor distribution of work among the grades. In an eight grade system each year must do fully an eighth of the total amount of work. As the plan has been worked out here each grade up to the eighth was doing a ninth or less and leaving the last grade to do two years' work in one.
A redistribution of the work has been partly accom- plished during the last year so that the third grade is held responsible for more thorough work in arithmetic and language; the fourth and fifth grades for a larger amount of geography, arithmetic, and history; the sixth grade for a larger amount of work in history; and the seventh grade for more work in English. This will in due course of time bring the pupils to the eighth grade with a better preparation for the work of that grade, and consequently for the work of the high school.
The school buildings, especially the Center School, have been greatly improved in accommodations but as this matter will be spoken of in another report it need not be described at length here. One thing, however, which is still sorely needed in the schools is modern seating. Most of the desks are of a very old type, they are not adjustable, and in several of the grades a part of the seats are not nearly large enough for the pupils who occupy them. The town should seriously face this pro- 'blem and in the very near future appropriate money to purchase new adjustable desks of a good type. Children forced to spend several hours a day in desks which com- pel a cramped position can hardly escape some serious injury from which they may suffer the rest of their lives. This matter of the seating is so open for public inspec- tion and so easy of proof that further discussion is hardly needed.
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School Appropriations
In estimating the school costs for any year it is not at all necessary to make merely a shrewed guess. Over- drafts, a well-meant but wasteful use of school moneys, surpluses (which mean an unnecessary tax levy) result from this way of raising money for the year ahead. It is not now excusable to raise money for the support of an important enterprise like public education, a business which absorbs a fourth or a third of the town's total tax levy every year by mere guess work however keen may be the guesser. Neither is it possible to foresee emergen- cies such as have met us during the past year and which have set school cost soaring, and a reasonable surplus should be provided for beyond actual needs. School estimates for the ensuing year have been made in accord with the budget system in use by the state departments and by most progressive business men in accounting any considerable expenditures. This budget figures out item by item the cost of next year's expenses at the present rate of expenditure, with due reference to our costs of the last year and allowing a proper margain for any forseen increases of the year ensuing. The budget has been figured out under the headings approved by the Bureau of Statistics,-such as School Committee and expenses, superintendent, teachers' salaries, supervisors' salaries, text books, etc. The result is the certainty on the part of the committee that schools will cost at least a certain amount of money and as much more as the town can afford to appropriate. This itemized budget also shows. the proportion of money to be expended for each item in its relation to the total cost, and should prevent any temptation to trespass on one department for the sake of making additional expenditures in another. For ex- ample, it is now pretty definitely figured out how large a proportion of the total amount raised for schools should be reasonably expected to go for teachers' salaries, how much we should reasonably expend for text books, and
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the like. It may be that many towns are paying alto- gether too large a proportion for salaries, or for fuel, or for repairs, or altogether too little for these things. It may be helpful to apply a few of these figures to our own school expenses. There are 117 towns in this state of less than 5,000 population which maintain high schools of their own, as Merrimac. There are 122 towns of the same class which do not maintain their own high schools but send their pupils to outside high schools for instruc- tion. In towns of the first class to which Merrimac be- longs the average proportion which teachers' salaries bear to the whole school expense, not considering new outlay and buildings, is 63% reckoning both high school salaries and those paid in elementary schools. The ratio of salaries to total expense in high schools alone is nearly 67% ; in elementary schools it is close to 60%. That means to say that on an average in these 117 towns the money paid for salaries of teachers and supervisors (not including the salaries and expenses of superintendent and school committee) is nearly two-thirds of the entire expense of schools. Therefore a town has from this fact a sort of rough measuring rule to guage its proportion of expenditures by, and in making up the budget for any year those who have charge of the schools may know how their own town compares with others. This after all is what we most wish to know.
In speaking of the particular instance of teachers' salaries I have been rather of the opinion that Merrimac was rather lagging behind many other towns of our class in that item of expenditures. Upon making a com- parison with the average proportion described above, viz. 63% of the total school expense after deducting the salaries and expense of the superintendent and school committee it actually appeared that a smaller sum was being expended for the teaching force and a larger sum for the other items than the average. Granting that the really important part of schools lies inside the classroom
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rather than in the buildings and accessories to instruc- tion Merrimac appears to be devoting none too large a portion of its school appropriation to salaries. This town is very generous in the total amount it raises for the sup- port of schools. In proportion to our valuation on which depend our ability to raise taxes there are but 41 towns in the state which expend more than Merrimac on its schools for every $1,000 valuation. Not a city in the state spends as much in proportion to its valuation. So that our problem of paying more money to our teachers is in the first place using a larger proportion of what amount we raise for this purpose and in the second place of raising a moderate amount of additional money to cover other items. For example if it costs $12,000 per year to operate our schools then about $7,560 of that should be considered proper for teachers' salaries. We do not apply that amount to teachers' salaries. The above statements are made to satisfy people that, in comparison with other towns, our teachers are not paid too highly, or even not enough.
In what has been said above it is not to be supposed that a slight redistribution of money will continue to solve all our problems of school support. It merely makes us think of the channels in which our money flows. Above all this there will be needed more money in the gross year by year. Ten years from now schools will cost more than they do now and the advancing cost will be very appreciable in much less time than that. Paper, books, pens, erasers, have sharply advanced in price. The kind of paper of which we use the greatest quantity in the schools has already increased nearly 300% over the price of last spring. And I believe it will never re- turn entirely to the former cost. As the cost of living continues to advance salaries and wages must rise with them or our schools will be left in the hands of the in- competent teachers who do that because they are capable of nothing better. So we might as well gird up our
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courage to face the increasing state taxes, the cost of roads and transportation, and the cost of schools as men meet the inevitable.
Teachers
Our corps of teachers remains substantially the same as last year with the exception of the high school, as mentioned in the principal's report, and the teacher of the sixth grade and of drawing. Miss Edna G. Smith of the seventh grade resigned at the close of last year and Miss Esther J. Woods of the sixth grade was advanced to take the position thus left vacant. The vacancy caused by the promotion of Miss Woods was filled by the ap- pointment of Miss Alice G. Warren, of Abington, a grad- uate of Bridgewater Normal School.
The drawing this year has been in charge of Miss Georgia L. Blaisdell, a graduate of the Normal Art School. Miss Blaisdell has had several years of experi- ence before coming to this position.
It will be noticed that the majority of our teachers are now graduated from state normal schools, this is as it should be, lawyers should ge graduates of special schools ; so should doctors, clergymen, civil engineers, draughts- men and all classes of highly skilled labor. Teachers with- out normal education will find it more and more difficult to compete with well-traine dteachers. Teachers who have secured special training have a preparation for their work which no amount of experience alone can give them, al- though education alone does not make the complete teach- er. Special mention should be made in this connection of one of our teachers who, lacking normal education, is helping herself over this deficiency by carrying on 'cor- spondence courses with one of our normal schools.
The High School
The report on affairs in the high school is made by the principal and matters discussed there need not be further referred to in this part of the general report. There are
-
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some things, however, about the high school, in common with most high schools, which I believe are not making for the greatest good of our pupils and at the risk of being severely criticized these things are here set forth. Possibly most parents who have thought on the subject will agree with me instead of criticizing the plan.
In the first place I do not believe in the one-session plan for high schools. The reasons are many but only 2 few of them can be dsicussed here.
The session of our high school as it now stands begins too early in the morning. All one-session high schools must needs begin earlier than two-session schools. It gives our boys and girls, just at the age when they are needed in the morning for errands and chores at home, no time to accomplish these things before starting for school.
Furthermore many girls (I mention these because they perhaps suffer more from it than the boys) do not get more than one respectable meal a day if they do that. They hurry off to school with a hasty breakfast, return at 1.30 after the principal meal of the day is over, snatch a few bites because they do not feel like eating alone and because dinner kept over in the oven is not tempting at best. A girl of high school age needs three square meals a day, eaten with the family, and with plenty of time to eat and digest.
But perhaps the greatest crime of all is the fact that under the one-session plan our pupils are not taught to study. There is not time for that. They hurry through recitations, one after the other, with perhaps not more than one or two periods in the day for preparation, some- times none at all, and no time for assistance from the teacher. Studying is supposed to be done at home, the worst place in the world to have it done. Studying ought to be done on the school plant in the same way that all kinds of work are done at the shop instead of being taken home nights. That is what schools are for and teachers
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