USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > Town annual report for the town of Duxbury for the year ending 1926-1930 > Part 32
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The Planning Board was represented at the Hearing held at the State House, relative to the State taking control of Duxbury Beach for a state reservation. It also approved the installation of the "Stop and Go" signal lights at Ryder's Corner, Millbrook, for the benefit of motorists, and recommends that the lights be kept in operation twenty-four hours a day throughout the year, to prevent accidents, and in case of accident to establish which motorist was in error. It also recommends that the bank on Mr. Shapleigh's side of the corner, be graded
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so as to permit a clear view of the roadway going towards Marshfield.
Respectfully submitted, FRANKLIN BRETT, Chairman. B. F. GOODRICH, CHARLES BITTINGER, MRS. JOSEPHINE H. SHAW, AGNES S. ELLISON, Secretary.
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Report of the Board of Health
To the Selectmen and Voters of Duxbury, Mass. Greeting :
The Board of Health herewith submit their report for 1929 with a few of their duties required by law. 18 Nuisances abated. Milk Dealers permits issued after ex- amination, 37. Milk from 45 dairies has been analyzed (some twice) for Butter Fat, Solids and Bacteria, show- ing conclusively what the cow is by Butter Fat and Solids and in one word (Bacteria) the value of the methods used by the Dairy man. The Standard is Butter Fat, 3.35% ; Solids, 12% ; Bacteria 750,000 per c. c. Only 5 cows showed less than 4% B. F. and relatively high in Solids, and but 3 samples showed over 500,000 Bac' per c. c. Per request 3 samples of water have been analyzed. Per order we have from April 15th to Nov. 1st examined and inspected all places where food was cooked and sold (States definition is Bakeries.) There were 3 in- spections by State Inspectors.
There were 70 reported cases of Communicable dis- eases as follows :
Chicken Pox 12
Dog Bite 4 (Pasteur treatment 2 furnished by us) 4
German Measles
4
Suppurative Conjunctivitis
1
Influenza 20
Lobar Pneumonia
2
Measles ยท
8
Mumps
1
Scarlet Fever
6
T. B. following Lobar Pneumonia 1
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Whooping Cough Veneral Diseases
3 8
70
5 cases (3 Scarlet, 1 Lobar Pneumonia and 1 Flu) were sent to Hospital. 1 case was fully paid by family, 3 partly, and 1 undecided.
4 cases of Settlement had to be looked up and deter- mined. 1 Commonwealth, and 1 out of town, 3 our own. It was necessary to fumigate 4 places, 3 the whole house ; 1 partly. 2 Veneral cases were being treated out of town at our expense which we refused to pay; 2 others were taken to their friends in another town, and warned if they returned they would be taken to Tewksbury.
We have collected and paid to Town Clerk :
6 Garbage Registrations, @ $2.00 $12.00
9 Denatured Alcohol Licenses, @ $1.00 9.00
1 Pasteurization License 10.00
1 Undertakers License .25
$31.25
After two or three conferences with the State Depart- ment, and the State Board of Agriculture and being urged by them, we made and adopted the following rule, that on and after May 31st, 1930, no milk shall be sold in Duxbury unless pasteurized, or from cows that have within the past five months passed without reaction, a tuberculin test, and found free from tuberculosis. On reactors, the State pays one half the value of the cow, the U. S. one third and the owner loses the rest.
Thanking all who have in any way aided us we remain,
Yours for better health,
GEORGE E. BELKNAP,
CHARLES W. EATON, JULIUS B. CHANDLER,
Board of Health.
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Report of Duxbury Beach Committee
To the voters of Duxbury :
Since the last annual town meeting your committee has held meetings on April 17, October 17, December 17, January 2, January 15 and January 27. Pursuant to the meeting of April 17 notices were posted asking the voters to submit plans of procedure, indicating a policy for the town to pursue, including the question of routes, financ- ing and other helpful suggestions. No considerable re- sponse was received.
A questionnaire was sent to the voters under date of January 2, 1930, asking fifteen questions with the idea of getting the latest thoughts of the people. There were one hundred and thirty-nine replies which are on file at the town office. These replies indicated (Question No. 6) an almost unanimous sentiment that the travel should not pass through our main streets if the State makes a recreation place of the Beach. It was also practically unanimous that the (Question No. 7) traffic should be kept out of Duxbury by a northern approach.
Question No. 8. showed that ninety-six did not use Gurnet Bridge at all as a foot bridge: Thirty-six used it either "few" or "many" times.
The replies to Question No. 9 showed that fifty-five people did not use it at all as a motor bridge while seven- ty-two used it as a motor bridge either "few" or "many" times.
The replies to Question No. 10 asking who should pay costs and maintenance if Gurnet Bridge were made a foot bridge showed : Town 37; State 25; County 8; State, County and Town 6; County and Town 6; State and County 2; Summer people 2.
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In reply to Question No. 11-"Do you believe Gurnet bridge should be retained as a foot bridge if the Town has to pay the entire expense ?" Ninety-five replied "No"; twenty-seven replied "Yes".
In reply to Question No. 12-"Do you believe Gurnet bridge should be retained as a foot bridge if the town pays little or nothing toward rebuilding and mainten- ance?" Sixty-eight replied "No"; Forty-three replied "Yes."
The hearing at the State House on January 22 was well attended. On a rising vote called for by the chairman of the Committee (Harbor and Public Lands) the meeting was strongly opposed to the idea of leaving the question of approaches, etc., in the hands of the State. No other very clear expression of opinion was made by the meeting as a whole.
SIDNEY C. SOULE, ALFRED E. GREEN, HARRY F. SWIFT, H. B. BRADLEY, F. B. KNAPP, P. L. WALKER.
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Report of the Trustees for Plymouth County Aid to Agriculture, 1929
The Plymouth County Extension Service cooperated with citizens in every town in the county this past year in bringing to them information about agriculture and home-making. Local and county-wide meetings were held for this purpose. Through the meetings and by means of correspondence, press notices, and by individ- ual service, thousands of men, women, boys, and girls, were instructed in the better performance of farm operations and home duties.
Duxbury dairymen, poultrymen, gardeners, and wood- land owners received the services of the county agent. Letters and bulletins are sent frequently to 40 farmers in the town.
During the last year the county home demonstration program has stressed nutrition, and clothing projects, and has also devoted time to problems of child develop- ment, home management, and home ground improvement.
Duxbury, through its local committee, carried through a successful nutrition project, and also participated in the county clothing program. The Duxbury garden tour brought visitors from the entire county.
STANLEY L. FREEMAN, County Agent.
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Report of Committee on Train Field Playground
When I started on the play grounds in the Spring I found everything in very bad condition.
I have fixed the doors on the toilets as well as on the shower-baths, set glass, put a heavy stringer under the toilets, put new steps up to Band-stand, straightened up roof, put new wire on back-stop, and several new planks' on benches, kept the grass mowed on the Baseball Diamond, filled in around the bases and base lines and have had some seeding done.
There is a great deal that should be done on the field.
Steps should be taken to make a parking place and build new benches in the near future.
Receipts
Appropriation $300.00
Expenditures
Walter Prince, Clay, labor and trucking
$110.00
R. G. Needham, mowing and raking 10.00
A. C. Greene, carpentering 17.55
P. B. Chandler carpentering 22.50
Philip G. Chandler, mowing
10.50
Duxbury Fire and Water Dist. water
12.00
Duxbury Coal and Lumber Co .. supplies
19.84
H. Mosher, labor
1.00
Bases
12.00
Extra keys
.70
Total
$216.09
Unexpended balance
83.91
$300.00
Respectfully submitted, PARKER B. CHANDLER.
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Report of the Librarian of Duxbury Free Library, Inc.
January 1, 1930.
To the Trustees of the Duxbury Free Library. Gentlemen :
I submit herewith my annual report for the year 1929. We have had a very busy year at the library. During the late winter months and the spring we re- organized it completely. Much obsolete and otherwise unusable material was discarded. Many books that are seldom used, such as bound sets of magazines and many duplicates, have been shelved in the storeroom. The whole collection, with these exceptions, has been reshelved so that the arrangement of books is from left to right and down the shelves. This work of re- shelving is the hardest single task of reorganization.
A small beginning was made on reclassifying the Juvenile collection in the spring, but the heavier work of the summer necessarily retarded our progress. This fall we have finished reclassifying and recataloging the Juveniles, and also the Reference collection. Now the main stacks will be taken.
Because of a special need of such material for Theme work, we started arranging the pamphlet material during December. That is now well under way.
With the time needed to keep current work up to date, the reclassifying and recataloging will probably take all of this year and may require longer.
During July and August there were two assistants, Miss Bolton and Miss Bradley, to help handle the sum- mer work. At times during the spring and fall Miss Bolton has assisted.
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Among our special activities I should mention the obtaining of a travelling library of Portuguese books from the State Division of Public Libraries for the use of our foreign born population. Its use has not been so general as I had hoped, because of the inaccessibili- ty of the library to the Bravas, but their children have taken some of the books home to them.
We have increased our basket service. Now we send a basket every other week to South Duxbury, North Duxbury, and Tinkertown. During the summer we sent one for a while to the Gurnet. A box of books goes to the Village and Tarkiln Schools.
In the summer we issued a bulletin of accessions dur- ing 1928 and to July 1929. It has been received by the public with evident enthusiasm. We hope it will be an annual publication. This work was done at no ex- pense to the library.
We have striven to develope the growing interest of the children in the good books on the State reading list by awarding "twenty-book" certificates twice, with appropriate ceremonies, at the High School. We also held exercises at the Smaller Schools, as well as at the High School, during Children's Book Week in Novem- ber.
I recommend (1), that we continue to develope our children's collection, since it is our weakest, and at the same time the most used single collection of books. (2) That we strive to popularize the library in parts of the town which do not have ready access to our book collections by planning some sort of regular library service for them.
The following is a list of donors of books to the library during the year 1929 :
Charles Bartlett
Stephen Gifford
Mrs. Emilie Battilana
Miss Alice Graham
John Bolton
George E. Green
Mrs. H. B. Bradley
Mrs. Helen Holmes
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Commonwealth of Mass.
Mrs. E. C. Hultman
Mrs. Gertrude Cunningham Mrs. Walter R. Hunt
Wilfred Cushing
Mrs. Byron C. Leavitt
Federal Government
Mrs. E. Clifford Potter
Maurice Foye
United Fruit Co.
Garden Club
Mrs. Louis E. Vose
Lydia Gifford
Fiske Warren
Books added during the year
691
Books discarded during the year
557
Gifts
248
Members registered
863
Attendance
12,272
Circulation :
Fiction
16,128
Non-fiction
4,100
Magazines
444
Total
20,672
Reference
128
Baskets
66
Inter-library loans
55
The gain in circulation over last year was 5,046.
Respectfully submitted, BEATRICE F. FISHER,
Librarian.
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Report of the Treasurer of the Duxbury Free Library, Inc.
For the year ended December 31, 1929 January 1, 1929 Balance on hand $1,363.37
Receipts
Income from invested funds :
Wright Fund
$2,836.72
Winsor Fund
255.00
Hathaway Fund
126.24
Duxbury Hall Fund
127.50
Harding Fund
45.50
Interest on deposit
10.52
Total Receipts
$3,401.48
Total
$4,764.85
Payments
Salaries and care of library and grounds
$2,400.72
Library supplies
308.40
Telephone
46.24
Electric Lights
144.14
Sundries
53.69
Books and magazines
880.62
Insurance
622.00
Coal and Wood
236.90
Water
30.00
Total payments
$4,722.71
December 31, 1929. Balance on deposit $42.14
B. C. LEAVITT, Treasurer.
January 22, 1930.
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I have examined the accounts of the Treasurer of the Duxbury Free Library, Inc., the income from invested funds and interest correctly recorded. Vouchers were on hand for the payments as reported and the balance on December 31st, 1929 was $42.14 as shown.
C. R. BELCHER, Auditor.
37
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Report of Cemetery Trustees
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and Citizens of Duxbury :
We would again make a report of the work accom- plished in this department during the year 1929. After the Annual March Meeting the work of removing the dead limbs from the trees and clearing the ground of branches was done and also the leaves in the various cemeteries in our care were raked and burned.
The avenues were put into shape and a chemical weed killer was used by the Superintendent to good advantage in removing the weeds from the walks thus saving quite a little expense in this particular work. The main avenue which was the old Mayflower Street and the main avenue in the new part of the cemetery as far as completed, were given a coat of gravel and oil thus putt- ing them in much better shape, the work being done from the special appropriation granted us for that purpose. Oak Avenue was given a coating of sand and oil.
The usual work of keeping the grass top lots mowed and trimmed and the sand top ones hoed was done. Twenty-one foundations and thirty-six new lots have been built and sixteen old lots rebuilt.
All Perpetual Care Lots and many of the others have been top dressed. A ton of commercial fertilizer was also used.
Fourteen lots have been added to the Perpetual Care list this past year making a total of 224 now being cared for by that fund.
There have been sixteen interments of those who died in town and thirty six from out of town during the year.
The casket lowering device which we purchased, to-
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gether with the grass mats for grave lining and sand covering have not only been greatly appreciated, but have been financially beneficial to the town, eighty-four dollars having been received for their use.
The fence around the new part of the cemetery has been painted as have also nearly all the fences around lots in the older part.
New lots are being taken so fast that it will be necess- ary for us to build a large number this coming year. We are planning to finish out the block in the new part which is partly built, not only making a large number of lots available, but beautifying the front along Tremont Street with evergreens and other shrubbery in keeping with our beautiful cemetery.
We appreciate the help given us this past year by our fellow townsmen and ask for your cooperation and help this coming year.
In order to carry out the work planned it seems neces- sary to ask for an appropriation of $6500 for 1930.
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT M. GOULDING, Chairman. JOHN SIMMONS, Secretary. THEODORE W. GLOVER,
ERNEST H. BAILEY,
THOMAS W. HERRICK,
Trustees.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN of DUXBURY
For the Year Ending December 31st 1929
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ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Alpheus H. Walker, Chairman
Term Expires 1932
Charles R. Crocker
Term Expires 1930
Miss Agnes Ellison, Secretary
Term Expires 1931
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
George E. Green, Duxbury, Massachusetts Office Telephone: Duxbury 346
STAFF
George E. Green, Bates College, Boston University, Prin- cipal, High School.
Leroy N. MacKenney, B. A., University of Maine, Sub- master, High School.
Milton A. Leonard, B. S. Ed., Rhode Island College, Latin, High School.
Kenneth O. Macomber, Gorham Normal, Manual Train- ing, High School.
Dr. Dennis Baptist, Ph. D., Oxford University, French, High School
Zaidee Green, A. B., LL. B., LL. M., Washington College of Law, William and Mary, Yale, University of Chica- go, Cornell, University of Virginia, English, High School.
Ruth Kramer, Plymouth Normal, Commercial, High School.
Mary E. Smith, Framingham Normal, Boston Univer- sity, Domestic Science, High School.
Ellen W. Downey, Partridge Academy, Seventh Grade, High School.
Minnie Gordon, Gorham Normal, Sixth Grade, High School.
Corinne Jewell, Fitchburg Normal, Fifth Grade, High School.
Mary Abbie Baker, Partridge Academy, Tarkiln Prim- ary School.
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Lena Peterson, Salem Normal, Tarkiln Primary School. Sarah Paulding, Partridge Academy, Columbia Univer- sity, Harvard, Village Primary School.
Gladys Pratt, Bridgewater Normal, First Grade, Point School.
Gladys Fulcher, Hyannis Normal, Village Primary School. Samuel Warner, Boston Art Club, N. E. Conservatory Art Department, Supervisor of Drawing.
May Blaire McClosky, Music Supervisor.
ENROLLMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS BY SCHOOL AND GRADE JANUARY 1, 1930
School
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ttl.
New School
37 41 26 33 29 28 14 14 1 223
Tarkiln
15 8 13 9
45
Village
20 26 17
63
Point
23
23
Totals
38 28 39 26 37 41 26 33 29 28 14 14 1 354
MEMBERSHIP BY AGE AND GRADE
Age 5 678
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Ttl.
Grade 1 12 18 7 1
38
2
6 18 4
28
3
10 14 13
1 1
39
4
18
5
26
5
1 9
9
8 5
4 2
38
6
8 20 6 5
41
7
2 11 4
26
8
6 12
8
3 5 5
1 1 5 8
1
29
10
6 14
1 4
1 1 14
12
5
9 14
13
1
1
12 24 35 23 40 22 31 30 30 39 28 20 16 3 1 354 Total
2 5 1
1 33
9
1 5 16
27
11
1
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Report of the School Committee
To the Citizens of Duxbury :
The School Committee herewith presents its report for the year 1929.
The various plans for the improvement of the Primary schools in Duxbury, as suggested in its report for the year 1928, by the School Committee, have been carried out and the Committee wishes to express its apprecia- tion of the support of the voters of the Town in voting the appropriation as suggested in their report, so that our school buildings could be improved and made com- fortable for both scholars and teachers.
In cooperation with the School Superintendent, various changes and repairs have been made. The Point School building has been improved by installing of inside sana- taries, and placing of the heating unit in the cellar, with fresh paint on both the inside and outside of the build- ing, making an attractive and comfortable building for the first grade children.
The school building at Tarkiln, also, has received at- tention, the roof on the north side has been shingled, a new furnace has been put in, and the room on the south side has been painted, both walls and ceiling, making a much lighter and attractive class room.
The School Committee feels that some changes will have to be made in the Village Primary school, as well, as the usual repairs to the other school property, during the present year, and hopes that the appropriation asked for in the Warrant for the coming Town Meeting, will be favorably received and acted upon by the townspeople.
The Committee feels that good schools are a great asset to the Town, and only by constant effort to keep the
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buildings in good order and to maintain the average sal- aries as paid by other towns of like size throughout the State, so as to secure good teachers, can our schools rank, as they should, to the credit of Duxbury.
For greater detail regarding the work done in our schools, the Committee would refer to the reading of the Superintendent's school report.
In closing, the Committee wishes to thank the members of the Duxbury Grange for its pleasant social gathering to welcome the teachers and School Committee at the be- ginning of the Fall term of the School year.
Respectfully submitted,
ALPHEUS H. WALKER, Chairman, AGNES S. ELLISON, Secretary CHARLES R. CROCKER,
School Committee.
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Report of Superintendent
To the School Committee :
During the past year the teaching force of Duxbury was unusually hard hit through the resignation of teachers at the end of the school term. Of the eight teachers who failed to return, five were married, and withdrew permanently from the teaching field, and three continued in their chosen field in towns much larger than Duxbury and at salaries beyond anything we felt we could pay.
In the matter of replacing teachers who withdraw from service in our town, we are faced with some difficul- ties which are beyond our abilities to control, but in other instances, it is possible to remove the unsatisfac- tory conditions. There is a desire, held by many people, to work in large towns. In the cities, the salaries of teachers are unquestionably higher, and because there are more positions, the opportunities for advancement are greater. The ever-present difficulty of obtaining desirable living quarters is somewhat less in the larger communities. On the other hand, I believe that the people of Dux- bury desire and are determined to offer the best possible opportunity for their children to acquire an education. This brings us into competition with towns much larger than our own. In the matter of salaries alone, which is somewhat within our ability to control, I have made a limited investigation and find the rather startling vari- ation in the average salary paid to teachers to be from about $1200, in some of our small neighboring towns, to over $2400 in the city of Boston. The list appended to this report gives an approximate average salary and the
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sal- the nk, ur of
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expenditure for support of schools for $1000 valuation of over twenty Massachusetts towns, ranging from the very small to the largest.
In spite of these difficulties with which we are always confronted in our selection of new teachers, I believe that we are unusually fortunate in our replacements this year. The French department has surely gained greatly under the guidance and direction of Dr. Baptist. The Doctor is a gentleman and a scholar, who came to America with an open mind, not only in regard to what he might learn from our methods, but also anxious to give us an insight into the best in the educational field of the Old World. The best testimonial to his success is the love and respect which pupils, fellow teachers, and parents bestow upon him. In English, Miss Green has brought a wealth of experience and training. She has assisted in a reorganization of the work of the two upper years in high school and has contributed materially to the success of every class in her department. Mr. Leonard faced a rather difficult problem in attempting to fill the vacancy in Latin, History, and Music, but I believe that he has succeeded in recording great improve- ment in the work of his various groups. Miss Gordon was elected to teach the sixth grade, and is carrying on the work with energy and enthusiasm. The fifth grade was placed in charge of Miss Jewell, who, I feel confident, is giving her best in the interest of the children coming under her control. Miss Fulcher, who has taken the second grade, comes to Duxbury from successful experi- ence in other towns and is continuing the successful work at the Village School. At Tarkiln, we placed Miss Peterson in charge of the first and second grades. The attitude of the children in her classes speaks in the highest terms of the contagious inspiration of her personality. Our lunch room at the new high school and the Home Econom- ics courses which were offered have been developing slowly. Last year, through no real fault of anyone, the
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unch department failed to meet expenses. Miss Smith, n taking up her new work, in this department, has been faced with the difficulty of correcting this fault. It was probably one of the most perplexing situations with which we were confronted, as we wish to maintain former policy of serving the lunch at a minimum cost to the pupil. In a project of this sort, there is no opportunity to make use of the left-over materials, and in a group of the size and character with which we are dealing, there is a very great fluctuation in the quantity and type of food desired from day to day. This results in two things : one day there may be a considerable amount left over which must be thrown away, and another day, there may be demand in excess of what we have planned, with a result that some of the children are not satisfied. Various schemes are being tried out in an effort to minimize these conditions, but the very fact that heretofore we have op- erated at a loss is throwing an unusually heavy burden upon the operation at present. I believe Miss Smith is handling the situation with wisdom and skill, and I have every reason to feel that there will be continued growth and improvement in the work of this department. The older teachers, those who have been with us from year to year, I believe have proved their worth to the satisfac- tion of everyone who comes into contact with the schools. As a group, I find them industrious, painstaking, and cooperative. It is indeed a pleasure to work with them. Let me repeat, that whenever a teacher leaves Duxbury to go to a better salaried position, the odds are very strongly against securing a person of equal merit to take his place. Our only safeguard against continually con- fronting this situation would be to maintain a salary schedule sufficiently high to eliminate this loss.
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