USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Milford, Massachusetts 1913-1914 > Part 12
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After the polls were declared closed the committee sorted and counted the ballots and announced the result of the vote as follows :-
Whole number of votes cast, 1006. Yes, 241. No, 765.
The moderator declared that it was voted : Not to re- scind a vote passed at a meeting of said town December 15, 1905, adopting the following town by-law :-
"Any person or persons, who in any of the public streets or squares of the town of Milford shall interfere with the free and uninterrupted travel in such streets or squares either by playing on musical instruments of any description, or by loud talking or singing, and who refuse to move on or
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disperse after having been requested so to do by any con- stable or police officer of said town, shall be subject to a fine of not more than Twenty dollars ($20.00).
Voted : To pass over the reminder of the article.
Article 3. Voted : To pass over the article.
Voted : To postpone consideration of the remaining ar- ticles in the warrant until Friday evening, July 25, 1913, at eight o'clock.
Voted : To adjourn until Friday evening, July 25, at eight o'clock.
A true record. Attest :
DENNIS J. SULLIVAN, Town Clerk.
A true copy of the records. Attest :
DENNIS J. SULLIVAN, Town Clerk.
ADJOURNED TOWN MEETING, JULY 25, 1913. COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. Worcester ss.
Milford, July 25, 1913.
In pursuance to a vote passed at a special town meeting, held July 21, 1913, the inhabitants of the town of Milford met in Town Hall and were called to order by John T. McLough- in, moderator, at 8 o'clock r M.
Under Article 4, the committee on street lighting, ap- pointed by the moderator at the March town meeting. sub- mitted its reports. The majority members of the committee through James H. Reynolds, chairman, and the minority members through John J. Quinlan.
The report of the majority members was a verbal one and the following letter from the Massachusetts Lighting Com- panies was presented :
Boston, Mass., April 17, 1913.
MR. O. F. CROUGHWELL, SECRETARY,
SPECIAL LIGHTING COMMITTEE,
Milford, Massachusetts.
Dear Sir ;- Confirming our conversation of last evening
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in regard to the prices of electricity for lighting the public streets of the town of Milford, would say the Milford Electric Light & Power company is prepared to enter into an agree- ment for a term of three years with the inhabitants of the town of Milford, as follows :
For 400 or more 40 candle power incandescent lamps at $21.00 per lamp per year.
For 20 or more 100 candle power incandescent lamps at $40.00 per lamp per year.
These lamps to burn all night every night from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise.
For 50 or more 100 candle power incandescent lamps at $32.00 per lamp per year.
These lamps to burn from one-half hour after sunset to midnight.
The above proposition contemplates the replacement of seventeen (17) arc lamps of 1200 candle power each and one hundred and eighty-six (186) gasoline lamps of 25 candle power each.
The above proposition contemplates the placing of addi- tional illumination in the identical location of each lamp now installed and additional illumination on Main street.
As it seemed to be the sense of your committee last even- ing to abandon the lighting of the poor farm by electricity we withdrew our offer of extending our lines to the poor farm and will make that the subject of a separate negotiation.
Hoping that I may have the pleasure of conferring further - on this subject with your Honorable Board, I remain
Yours very truly,
J. H. WATERMAN, General Superintendent.
The majority members presented the following vote,show- ing the result of their deliberations :
Voted: That it is the opinion of the street lighting com- mittee that the Town of Milford should authorize the select- men to make a contract with the Milford Electric Light & Power company to light the streets of the town for a term not
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to exceed three years, and at a price not to exceed that stated in the letter from said company, dated April 7, 1913.
The minority members of the committee presented the following report :
TO THE VOTERS OF THE TOWN OF MILFORD :
The undersigned members of the committee on lighting, appointed by the moderator at the March town meeting, are unable to agree with the recommendations of the other mem- bers of the committee, and respectfully submit the following report for the consideration of the voters of the town.
At the adjourned town meeting in March the following vote was passed :
Voted : That a committee of nine, and the selectmen, be appointed by the moderator to investigate the matter of street lighting, sit and hear evidence, ascertain what is paid in other towns, and report at a future meeting.
After the committee was organized and during the first or second meeting, it was suggested by one or more of the mem- bers who have signed this report, that the committee procure the services of an expert engineer, the same as has been done in many towns of the size of Milford, to help the investigation of the lighting problems that your committee was directed to. investigate. This work, according to our opinion, involved an examination of the various lights in the town of Milford, the candle power, the price per lamp, and various other questions- which would help the town in deciding its future course on the lighting question.
This suggestion was voted down because, among other reasons, there was no money available to pay for the services of such expert, although in our opinion such expense could properly come out of the incidental department.
We feel that the committee appointed by the town has not made a sufficient investigation into the questions which properly , come before them, and that they have not sufficient facts to warrant them in making a recommendation in favor of one company to the exclusion of another.
From our information we believe every town that uses. electricity in its street lighting system gets a cheaper rate-
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than the proposition from the Milford Electric Light company. We believe it will be bad policy for the town, at the present time, to allow any company a monopoly of the lighting system in Milford. Such a monopoly will put the town at the mercy of the company the same as it has been put when the Milford Gas Light company and Milford Electric Light company were purchased and controlled by the same Massachusetts Lighting company.
There is no reason why the town should pry such a high price for electricity when the company is declaring such enor- mous dividends on its stocks, and when other towns which are furnished electricity by the same company are paying less money for the service. The policy of the town has always been to have a dual system of lighting so as to prevent a monopoly, and so as to prevent the town from becoming de- pendent upon the service of one company only. In that way, any accident or anything else happening to one company, it still has the service of the other company to depend on.
In our opinion it is only a question of a short time when the Edison Illuminating company will enter this town, and if so it would be unwise for the town to enter into a long con- tract with any electric company because the Edison company will furnish a better quality of light at a much reduced figure than the Milford Electric Light company.
The Edison company charges ten cents per kilowat, the Worcester Electric company charges from 23 cents to 10 cents- per kilowat. All the surrounding towns pay only 10 cents per kilowat. Consumers in the town of Milford are charged 20 cents per kilowat.
It has been lately announced by the General Electric company that the efficiency of the tungsten lamp can be doubled without increase of cost. If we tie up for three years. with the Electric company we will be paying double what we need when the tungsten lamp has been doubled in efficiency. At present the town is fairly well lighted.
Under the proposition as stated in the other report. the town will have at least 14,000 candle power less than it has today and it will cost considerably more money than we are
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paying to light the streets today. Even with the increased price of gasoline, in accordance with the proposition of the Globe Gas Light company, the town would be paying more under the proposition as recommended by the other report than if the dual system is retained.
The voters should know whether there will be an electric light where the present Globe gas lights are, whether our streets are to be disfigured by poles and wires of this electric company, or whether they will be obliged to bury their wires out of sight. We believe that no company will erect poles and wires through 83 miles of streets of Milford on a three year or less term contract, and we believe that this term is merely a subterfuge to get the town tied up to an exclusively electric proposition, and then when they have a monopoly on the street lighting, we believe the company will insist upon a long term contract, which we believe to be unwise for the best interests of Milford, particularly when electricity is only in a progressive stage.
Therefore we recommend that the appropriation for in- vestigating the Milford Gas Light company shall be devoted to the investigation of the entire lighting question in the town of Milford, and that a committee be appointed to make said in - vestigation and to report their findings at a meeting within the next ensuing year.
We further recommend that the selectmen be authorized to retain the present dual system of lighting in the town of Milford, and that they be authorized to make a contract not exceeding one year with the Globe Gas Light company and the Milford Electric Light & Power company at a price not ex- ceeding $30.00 per lamp for the gasoline lamps and not exceed- ing the present price for the electric lights.
JOHN J. QUINLAN, JOHN E. BURKE.
Voted : To accept the majority and minority reports of the street lighting committee.
Voted : That the selectmen be authorized to retain the present dual system of street lighting and that they be author .
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ized to make contracts not exceeding one year with the Globe Gas Light company and with the Milford Electric Light com- pany at a price not exceeding $30.00 per light for the gasoline lights and not exceeding the present price for the electric lights. Yes, 200. No, 152.
Voted : That a committee of seven be appointed by the moderator to investigate thoroughly all lighting systems in the town of Milford, the respective prices of the same, the ser- vice rendered, the power, and all other questions pertinent thereto, said committee to report their findings at a town meeting not later than a year from this date.
The committee on contracting for the town's water supply made a verbal report through James HI. Reynolds, Chairman, .and submitted a letter from the Milford Water company which read as follows :
Milford, Mass, July 18, 1913. MR. JAMES H. REYNOLDS,
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN,
AND MILFORD WATER COMMITTEE. MILFORD, MASS.
Dear Sir: The Milford Water company has proposed to your committee to renew with the town the contract for water supply which has just expired, for another period of ten years and in other respects upon the same terms and conditions as that contract.
If the contract is thus renewed the company is willing as a condition therefor to agree to extend its water mains on South Main street to the Hopedale town line before July 1, 1914, provided two additional hydrants are located along the line of such extension.
This proposition we believe to be in line with the sugges- tions of your committee made at a conference between that committee and representatives of the water company some two or three weeks since.
In considering this matter the company has had in view the fact that the suggested extension will be a substantial drain on the income of the water company as a whole, that is
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that the income from that extension will pay practically no. net return upon the investment.
Further, this extension, in connection with the very re- cent expensive extension to North Purchase, which is also a drain upon the company's income becomes quite a serious- matter to be considered in any future contracts that the com- pany is to make.
Very truly yours,
MILFORD WATER COMPANY, By Frank J. Dutcher, Treasurer.
Voted : To accept the report of the committee on water contract.
Voted : To refer the matter to the committee for further consideration.
Article 5. Voted : To accept and allow the report of the selectmen on the laying out of West Walnut street exten- sion.
Voted : To raise and appropriate the sum of five hundred ($500) dollars for the laying out of said street.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 6. Voted : To raise and appropriate the sum of eight hundred and fifty ($850.00) dollars additional for gypsy moth suppression.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 7. Voted : To build a curbed sidewalk on Meade street, and raise and appropriate the sum of four hundred. ($400 00) dollars for the purpose.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 8. Voted : To locate two hydrants on South Main street, between the Grafton and Upton railroad tracks- and the Hopedale town line, under the supervision of the selectmen and engineers of the fire department, said hydrants. to be located before June 1, 1914.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 9. Voted : That the selectmen be authorized to. sell to the Board of Trade of Milford, all its land located in the-
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vicinity of the Lapworth factory, and sign proper deeds there- for. Said land to be used for industrial purposes only. The vote was unanimous.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
The moderator appointed the following committee, as authorized under Article 4 : John J. Quinlan, John A. Mc- Kenzie, John E. Burke, Jeremiah J. Comba, Ellsworth J. Nut- ter, Walter L. Collins, William E. Staples.
Voted : To dissolve the warrant.
A true record. Attest :
DENNIS J. SULLIVAN,
Town Clerk.
A true copy of the records. Attest :
DENNIS J. SULLIVAN, Town Clerk.
WARRANT FOR TOWN MEETING, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Worcester ss.
To either constable of the town of Milford in said county,
Greeting:
In the name of the Commonwealth aforesaid you are here- by required to notify and warn the inhabitants of said town, qualified by law to vote in elections and in town affairs, to meet at the Town Hall in said town, on Tuesday, the fourth day of November, A. D. 1913, it being the first Tuesday after the first Monday, punctually at 5.45 o'clock in the forenoon, at which time the polls will be open for said voters to give in their ballots to the selectmen of said town, for gov- ernor, lieutenant-governor, secretary, treasurer, auditor, attor- ney-general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a coun- cillor, (seventh councillor district), a senator, (fourth Worces- ter senatorial district), two representatives in general court, (ninth Worcester representative district), county commission- er, (Worcester county), district attorney, (middle district), re- gister of probate and insolvency, (Worcester county), all on one ballot designating the office intended for each person voted
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for, as provided for under the provisions of Chapter 835, Acts of 1913, also upon said ballots the voters shall give in their votes, "Yes" or "No," in answer to the following questions : --
Shall the proposed amendment to the constitution (Chap- ter 116, Resolves of 1913), authorizing the referendum be ap- proved and ratified?
Shall the proposed amendment to the constitution (Chap- ter 28, Resolves of 1913), making women eligible to appoint- ment as notaries publie, be approved and ratified ?
Shall Chapter 807, of the Acts of 1913, being an act to provide for compensating laborers, workmen, and mechanics for injuries sustained in public employment, and to exempt from legal liability, counties and municipal corporations which pay such compensation, be accepted by the inhabitants of this town ?
(The polls may be closed at four o'clock in the afternoon on said day of meeting).
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the above mentioned fourth day of November, at the same place, there will be a meeting of the above described inhabitants to act upon the fol- lowing articles, namely :
Article 1. To choose a moderator to preside at said. meeting.
Article 2. To hear and act upon the reports of any com- mittees of said town.
Article 3. To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of twelve hundred dollars ($1200.00) for incidentals, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer, or take any action in relation thereto.
Article 4. To see if the town will vote to appropriate the. sum of twenty-five hundred dollars ($2500.00) for salaries, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer, or take any action in relation thereto.
Article 5. To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of four hundred dollars ($400.00) for the purpose of in -
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stalling a new boiler in Town Hall building, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer, or take any action in relation thereto.
Article 6. To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for repairs to Parker Hill Avenue, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer, or take any action in relation thereto.
Article 7. To see if the town will vote to appropriate the sum of one thousand dollars ($1000.00) for the purpose of re- building a part of Daniels street, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer, or take any action in relation thereto.
And you are hereby directed to serve this warrant by posting up attested copies thereof at each of the public meet- ing houses and at the post-office in said town, also cause at- tested copies to be published in the Milford Daily News and Milford Daily Journal, newspapers printed in said town, two Sabbaths at least before the time set for said meeting
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this warrant, with your doings thereon, to the clerk of said town, at the time of meeting aforesaid.
Given under our hands at Milford, this twenty-third day of October, A. D. 1913.
JAMES H. REYNOLDS, JOHN B. HENDERSON, JAMES J. CONNORS,
Selectmen of Milford.
A true copy. Attest :
JEREMIAH J. O'NEIL,
Constable of Milford.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Worcester ss.
Milford, November 4, 1913.
Pursuant to the within warrant I have notified the inhab- itants of the town of Milford herein describe l, to m et at the
1
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time and place, and for the purposes within mentioned, by posting up attested copies of this warrant at each of the pub- dic meeting houses and at the post-office in said town, and I have likewise caused attested copies of this warrant to be pub- lished in the Milford Daily News and Milford Daily Journal, newspapers printed in said town, two Sabbaths before the time set for said meeting.
Attest :
JEREMIAH J. O'NEIL, Constable of Milford.
A true copy of the warrant and the return thereon.
Attest :
DENNIS J. SULLIVAN,
Town Clerk.
TOWN MEETING, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Worcester ss.
Milford, November 4, 1913.
In pursuance of the foregoing warrant, the inhabitants of the town of Milford, qualified by law to vote in elections and in town affairs, met in Dewey Hall in said town, on Tuesday, the fourth day of November, A. D. 1913, punctually at 5.45 o'clock in the forenoon, and were called to order by the town clerk, who read the warrant and the officer's return thereon.
In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 835, Acts of 1913, a sealed package said to contain 3000 official ballots, and a package containing specimen ballots, cards of instructions, penalty cards, and copies of proposed amendments to the con - stitution were delivered to James H. Reynolds, presiding elec- tion officer. The seal was then publicly broken, the package opened, and the ballots delivered to the ballot clerks, and their receipt given to the town clerk. One card of instructions and one penalty card, and copies of the proposed amendments to the constitution were posted in each voting comp irtment, and five specimen ballots, three cards of instructions and three
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penalty cards, and copies of the prop wed amendments to the constitution were posted in the hall outside the rail.
The ballot box required by law to be used in elections was then publicly opened and shown to be empty, the register of the box was set at 0000, th : box locked and the key deliv- ered to Jeremiah J. O'Neil, constable in attendance at said meeting.
Harold K. Bullard and Domnick J. Lang, appointed tel- lers by the selectmen to check voting list at the polls, and Gilbert C. Eastman and James Durmody, ballot clerks, and William G. Pond and Michael G. Lynch, deputy ballot ;lerks, also appointed by the selectmen, were sworn to a faithful per- formance of their duties by the town clerk.
The polls were opened at six o'clock A. M. for the recep- tion of ballots.
Voted: To close the polls at eight o'clock P. M.
Austin D. White, John F. Burke, Paul Doane, William McAvoy, George E. Stanley, Charles D. Rae, Leroy B. Brown, James E. Hogan, Batista Vitalini, William H. Barry, Walter A. Vant, Dennis P. Flynn, Joseph H. Doyle, James F. Baxter, Albert W. Jones, Edward D. Murray, William P. Brown, J. Warren Richardson, James J. Clancey, Charles A. Gould, William L. Ranahan, Thomas H. Coyne, William A. White, Edward J. Nelligan, Granger H, Libbey, Daniel F. McGrath, George L. Maynard, Thomas F. Waters, Ernest L. Schultz, Frank Cuddihy, William J. A. Keith, Cornelius L. Fair, ap- pointed tellers by the selectmen, were sworn to a faithful per- formance of their duties by the town clerk.
Due notice having been given, the polls, at eight o'clock p. M., were declared closed.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the above mentioned fourth day of November, at the same place the above de- scribed inhabitants acted upon the articles named in the war- rant, as follows : -
The meeting was called to order by the town clerk, who read the warrant and the officer's return thereon.
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Article 1. The meeting made choice of John T. Mc- Loughlin as moderator. The vote was unanimous.
The moderator was sworn to a faithful performance of his duties by the clerk clerk.
Article 2. The committee appointed by the town at an adjourned town meeting held March 7, 1913, to present at the November town meeting, for its consideration, the names of fifteen voters to serve as a permanent finance committee, sub. mitted the following list of persons to act upon said commit- tee : George S. Whitney, Joseph F. Hickey, Franklin P. Lee, William D. Leahy, Charles A. Claflin, Matthew J. Cirbary, S. Alden Eastman, Owen F. Croughwell, Allen A. Hartwell, John J. Quinlan, Lucius E Heath, Rudolph Mainini, Harris H. Lent, William A. Murray, Michael Judge.
Voted : To accept and adopt the report of the committee.
Voted : To pass over the article.
Article 3. Voted : To appropriate the sum of twelve hundred dollars ($1200 00) for incidentals, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 4. Voted : To appropriate the sum of twenty- five hundred dollars ($2500.00) for salaries, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 5. Voted : To appropriate the sum of four hun- dred dollars ($400.00) for the purpose of installing a new boil- er in Town Hall building, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 6. Voted : To appropriate the sum of five hun- dred dollars ($500.00) for repairs to Parker Hill Avenue, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
Article 7. Voted : To appropriate the sum of one thou-
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sand dollars ($1000.00) for the purpose of rebuilding Daniels street, said money to be taken from any unappropriated money now in the hands of the treasurer.
Voted : To pass over the remainder of the article.
During the voting, the ballot box was, by unanimous con- sent of the selectmen and town clerk, opened eight times for the purpose of taking out the ballots and sorting and count- ing the same, first at $.07 o'clock A. M, when it registered 417, then at 10.55 o'clock A. M, when it registered 812, then at 12.53 o'clock P M., when it registered 1217, then at 3 o'clock, when is registered 1637, then at 4.48 o'clock, when it regis- tered 1877, then at 6 20 o'clock p. M., when it registered 1951; then at 7.30 o'clock p. M., when it registered 2000, and at the close of the polls, 8 o'clock P. M., when it registered 2042. The ballot box count did not agree with the number of names checked at the polls and at the tables of the ballot clerks. The names of those on the lists of voters both at the polls and at the tables of the ballot clerks, which had been checked and audibly counted, were found to be as follows : List at the polls 2043 ; list at the tables 2043. The number of ballots cast was found to be 2043.
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