USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1954 > Part 9
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Type of Control Program
The project went ahead with its program of drain- age, chemical treatment of water found to be breeding mosquitoes, and insecticidal fogging to combat adult mos- quitoes present in housing areas. As before we have
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been aiming at the reduction of mosquito breeding areas at all times when spraying was not necessary. This is an attacking action which gets at the cause of the problem and will cut it down to such size that it can be efficiently dealt with, not a defensive action which can only give a measure of relief dependent on the weather conditions during the mosquito season.
Such a program also contributes to solving a problem always with the Town, that of storm drainage and reduc- tion of standing water which may present a hazard to health.
Aerial Spraying
The aerial spray program aimed at the April hatch of mosquitoes in fresh water swamps was begun on April 19 and completed May 1. As was the case last year in the original towns, the absence of proper spraying weather resulted in somewhat of a late start and pro- longed the work, however, the program was started about a week before that of last year and completed a week ahead of the previous year. 1,230 acres were sprayed in the Town of Braintree.
Ditching
Drainage and elimination of mosquito breeding places has been considered the keystone of mosquito con- trol by leaders in the mosquito control field from the very beginning.
Proper installation and maintenance of ditches will eliminate or reduce the majority of the breeding places, thus resulting in a smaller area to be covered by the ground crews or by aerial spraying. In addition to cut- ting costs, this results in more frequent checking of any given breeding place by the ground crews and thus in more efficient control.
With the above ideas in mind we have proceeded to drain all areas possible. In the Town of Braintree 3,850 ft. of ditches have been cleaned, 1,500 ft. re- claimed and 30 ft. of new ditch has been dug.
The above figures represent only a start on the work in Braintree. The majority of the work will be done in the winter and early spring since it concerns fresh water streams and ditches. Work can continue in these rela-
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tively protected situations throughout the winter at such times that the crew isn't doing prehatch dusting. In addition, cleaning at this time puts the streams and ditch- es in the best shape just before they are needed to carry off the melting snows and heavy spring rains.
The work areas were chosen firstly for intensity of mosquito breeding, secondly for difficulty of handling by spray programs, and thirdly for adaptability to hand ditching methods which are the only methods now avail .. able to this project.
Fogging
This past season the project has had in operation a Todd Insecticidal Fog Applicator, commonly called a Tifa. This machine emits a smoke containing small par- ticles of insecticide. This smoke is produced by intro- ducing insecticide in oil into a stream of hot gases por- duced in a generator by burning gasoline and propelled by a stream of air from a blower.
This fog drifts with the air currents over the area, wiping out all mosquitoes and other flying insects present.
The machine is of great value in cutting down in- vasions of mosquitoes from large breeding places and is our only means of control in areas where our chemicals may contaminate water supply.
Plans for Winter
Throughout the months between the past and com- ing mosquito breeding seasons much attention will be given to ditching. Work on the salt marsh will be done in the fall and early spring and the colder winter months will be spent in the more protected fresh water areas.
In addition when snow and ice conditions are right pre-hatch dusting, as was done last year, will be applied. The success of last year's work along these lines makes it feasible to expand this program to as much as help and weather permit.
Plans for Next Year
All operations above will be included next year ...
In addition a very necessary extension of our work will be started. This is treatment of catch basins, which
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breed enormous numbers of house mosquitoes. A survey made this past summer indicated that approximately sixty per cent (60%) of the catch basins in the three areas sampled bred Culex pipens, the house mosquito, at the rate of fifty (50) larvae per dipper or more and only twenty per cent (20% ) had no breeding in them. The rest varied from a few to almost fifty (50) per dip.
This work will be done with a Cushman truckster and motorcycle with a large spray tank mounted in the rear. A regular round of all basins found will be worked out for each operator in his area. These men will also treat small roadside pools and cellarholes in new develop- ments which are a temporary but important nuisance.
Outlook for Next Year
Considering that the project personnel and the peo- ple in the several towns have been adding more of the hidden breeding places to our maps and that a tre- mendous improvement has been made in our drainage system, particularly on the salt marshes, mosquito con- trol should continue to improve at an even greater pace than heretofore.
The above coupled with a normal or dry season should exceed even our greatest expectations.
Thayer Public Library
STACY B. SOUTHWORTH, Chairman
Mable S. Rogers, Sec.
Clara G. Wetherbee
Gordon W. Bryant Ralph B. Woodsum
The Trustees of the Thayer Public Library present for your consideration the report of the Librarian which follows :
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN
Miriam Hall, Libarian
1. EIGHTY YEARS OF SERVICE
The year 1954 marked the end of eighty years of library service to the Town of Braintree. In September
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SOUTH
BRAINTREE
1
-
4
BRAINTREE HIGHLANDS
/
EAST BRAINTREE
BRAINTREE
1874, the Thayer Public Library was officially opened to the citizens of the town. In what more fitting way could this anniversary have been celebrated than by giving the first full year of service to the townspeople in their new library building. The first half of the library's history was one of slow growth, more or less an experimental stage. A library was supposed to be a storehouse, where books were held in safe keeping for generations to come. People were not encouraged to take books home.
The second half of the library's history from 1914- 1954 has shown a different trend, one of rapid growth, due to new ideas of the place of the library in the com- munity. The following table of circulation figures for those years shows just one factor in this trend :
Year's circulation Largest single of books day's circulation
Average daily circu- lation
1914
34,200
241
117
1924
34,869
256
120
1934
164,453
567
1944
135,387
466
1954
* 261,215
1259 Nov. 16 900
Main Library only .
.989 Nov. 29
This figure is 7 1/2 times the circulation of 1914.
It is interesting to note that the circulation of the years 1934 and 1944 was influenced by events of tre- mendous import to the nation. In 1934 the country was
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CIRCULATION
1914
1924
1934
1944
1954
11
C
-
11 5 /1.
11
=
110
"
34,200
34,869
164,453
135,387
261,215
in the midst of the great economic depression : citizens were out of work and desperate for ways to occupy and improve their time. In 1944 the country was at war: citizens were working long hoours at gainful occupa- tions or in volunteer defense work. They had little time for reading.
In the decade since the war from 1945 to the present, we find a period of gradual settling down, good times with no great depression, the war in Korea, and the in- troduction of television to the mass population. All of these were influences which in former periods would have meant a decrease in library use. Population growth has accounted for some of the library increase, but only a small per cent.
Population growth
1945 1954 % of gain 20,279 approx. 25,000 23 %
Library circulation
143,866 261,215 81 %
The gain in library use has been more than 31/2 times the gain in population.
The effect of the new building on the circulation at the Main Library alone is shown in the following figures :
1953
1954
Adult
61,280
82,669 +21,389 +35 %
Juvenile
90,829
105,054 +14,225 +15.5%
Citizens have found a definite need for increased library services. Young people are showing the influence of being taught to use the library in their children's room days. Children have found that Reading is Fun, due partly to the new methods of teaching reading in the
114
schools. However, most of this increased use of the library is due to the more personal services offered by the library, and the personal interest taken by each one of the library staff in the problems of each individual borrower.
The Book Stock has not shown the same growth as the use of the library. The total book stock at the end of 1954 had increased only 19% over 1945 and the ac- cessions for the year 1954 were 38% more than those for the year 1945. This has been due partly to the in- creased cost of books, but especially to the lack of suf- ficient funds to purchase an increased number of books to meet the increased demand.
II. NEW TECHNIQUES
As a business increases in volume, it becomes neces- sary to adopt more modern, efficient methods. So at the library, with the steadily increasing amount of work to be done in all departments, we felt that for the bene- fit of the public as well as the staff, it was time to adopt some more accurate method of charging books at the Main Library. After investigating several methods used by different libraries, the Gaylord Charging Machine was chosen as the simplest method to operate, and yet was entirely accurate for the protection of the borrower. Be- fore beginning to use this machine, each borrower was asked to reregister, so that we might have a more ac- curate count of the names of persons using the library. As this reregistration is still continuing, we do not have a definite figure of the number of borrowers. It is for this reason that we have not appended to the report this phase of statistics as in previous years. Since July each borrower has been given a small card with a metal plate containing his number; this is very similar to a Charge Card of a department store. Now that the staff has be- come familiar with the new method, we know that we could not have accomplished the tremendous daily in- crease in charging books with the hand stamps without making a great many errors. The borrower's card is put into a slot in the machine, and at the same time that the date is stamped on the book card, the borrower's number is also stamped beside the date. No more messy inky stamps, and no more writing in pencil the borrower's number with the danger of transposing figures. Perhaps the only catch as far as the borrower is concerned is that
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he must present his card when taking out a book. How- ever, this is another reason why it gives him more pro- tection.
III. MUSIC IN THE LIBRARY
In the middle of the summer, we were finally able to open the Music Room to the public. Records were processed sufficiently so that they could begin to circu- late. The library now owns 106 records, including some suitable for children, some recordings of plays and poetry readings. Our collection is still small so that we must limit the number borrowed at one time. We should also like to stress the importance of the borrower's using great care when playing records at home, especially in using a good stylus or needle. While longplaying rec- ords do not break easily, they are very prone to scratches which can ruin the sound of good music. Except for the children's records, our collection is made up entirely of 33 1/3's, for 78's are no longer available. As more peo- ple acquire record players equipped for all speeds, the use of the records will increase a great deal.
IV. ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW BUILDING
The spacious and attractive new building has brought the library opportunities for many additional activities. During the year, 13 groups of Scouts, Brownies and School Classes with a total of 405 children in attendance have come for instruction in the use of the library. Spring and summer story hours brought a total of 873 children.
Another pleasant activity has been that of entertain- ing many libraries and library organizations. Braintree is now one of the few towns in Massachusetts with a new library building. Since the majority of libraries in the Commonwealth were founded earlier or about the same time as the Braintree library, and have not added space since the founding, they are in much the same position as Braintree was a few years ago. Building committees and librarians more and more are looking to Braintree for ideas in planning new buildings and additions: Putnam, Conn., Springfield, West Springfield, Marblehead, West- wood, Hingham, New Bedford, Weymouth, Milton, Dart- mouth, and others. Two of our most distinguished vis- itors were from foreign countries. In May we had the privilege of entertaining Mrs. Kaete Seibicke, Librarian
116
of the State Library Center, Hohenzollern District, Reutl- ingen, Germany. Mrs. Seibicke was in this country under the United States Educational Exchange Program visit- ing libraries and observing methods of this country. She was very attractive with a pleasing personality, and was so appreciative of all that we did for her. Her only regret was that in Germany they would not have the funds to put into practice most of the ideas which she was obtaining from her visit.
In late December, the library entertained Dr. Julio Arroyave, Director of the Pilot Library Project at Medel- lin, Colombia, South America. This pilot library is a project to encourage library development in Latin Ameri- ca under the auspices of UNESCO and the government of Colombia. The library is now situated in temporary quarters, but funds have already been made available for the construction of a new building. Dr. Arroyave is spending several months under a fellowship from UNESCO studying and observing library services and buildings in the United States. He made a detailed in- spection of our new library building, and with the as- sistance of an interpreter who accompanied him, he gathered much detailed information about the building, from the Chairman of the Trustees and the Librarian.
It was a thrill for the staff to be able to entertain two library organizations in the building. Heretofore, we have always had to refuse when asked to entertain a library group. In May, the Round Table of Librarians for Young Adults, a division of the Massachusetts Library Association, visited us; in June the Old Colony Library Club, composed of librarians from Quincy to Plymouth, held its meeting in our auditorium. Many were the en- vious remarks as librarians inspected the library from top to bottom. Just twenty years ago in 1934, Thayer Public Library entertained the Old Colony Club, using the facilities of Thayer Academy as a meeting place. We feel very proud that now we have a beautiful building of our own in which to hold such meetings.
Community organizations also have found the library ideal as a meeting place for small and medium groups. During the year 105 such gatherings have been held either in the auditorium or in the smaller rooms on the lower floor. The small Committee Room has been used regularly by a social caseworker from the Family So-
117
ciety of Greater Boston, as a convenient, out of the way place where people may come to receive counsel in solv- ing personal problems. A Red Cross Home Nursing Course and a First Aid Course for Boy Scouts have been held in a vacant room downstairs.
V. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES OF LIBRARY PERSONNEL
Braintree has a right to be proud of its library per- sonnel. In spite of the pressure of an increasing amount of work, they keep a professional attitude towards their job, and when possible attend meetings and hold posi- tions of responsibility on committees. Miss Isabel Handy is completing a two year term as Chairman of the Round Table of Librarians for Young Adults, and in this ca- pacity, has served on the Executive Board and the Nomi- nating Committee of the Massachusetts Library Associa- tion. She was in charge of a meeting for Librarians for Young Adults at the New England Library Assoc. meet- ing in October. She also took part in a panel at a work- shop for small libraries held at the East Bridgewater Public Library. Mrs. Marilyn Frazier, assistant chil- dren's librarian, also attended this workshop and at pres- ent is taking a University Extension Course in Reference work. Mrs. Edith Emerson served on the nominating committee of the Old Colony Library Club; she also at- tended Simmons College summer school. Mrs. Ruth Beach is attending Simmons College for the third year. Miss Hall is serving on the Committee on Federal Legisla- tion of the Mass. Library Assoc .; also the Program Com- mittee of the same association.
In connection with library personnel we should not fail to mention one of Braintree's Trustees. Dr. Stacy B. Southworth, Chairman of the Library Board, and Chair- man of the State Division of Library Extension, received a citation from the Massachusetts Library Trustees Asso- ciation, as Trustee of the year. Several of the Trustees and Miss Hall attended a Centennial Dinner as guests of the Boston Public Library in honor of the Centennial Anniversary.
VI. GIFTS
The library has been very happy to accept gifts pre-
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sented by several local organizations :
An American Flag for the auditorium given by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
A large Bible given by the Catholic Women's Club.
A set of books and a kit of Jewish ceremonial objects given by the Lodge of B'nai B'rith of Quincy.
Garden Books and a Record of Bird songs givenl in memory of deceased members by the Braintree Garden Club.
As the Thayer Public Library enters the 81st year of its service to the Town of Braintree, the Library Staff and the Librarian will continue to give their best in serv- ice, so that the citizens may continue to be justly proud of their community library.
LIBRARY STATISTICS 1954
Circulation
Main Library
Adult
82,669
+21,389
+35%
Juvenile
105,054
+14,225
+15.5%
Total
187,723
+35,614
+23%
Branches
Adult
39,321
Juvenile
34,171
Total
73,492
+5,719
Grand Total
261,215
+41,333
+19%
The juvenile circulation at the Main Library includes books which circulated over the desk at the library, and books which circulated from classroom deposits at the schools. 56,623 over the desk; 48,431 from school de- posits.
Circulation per capita : 11 books. Largest single day's circulation :
Whole system-Nov. 16 .... 1,259
Main Library-Nov. 29
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Book Stock
Adult Juvenile
Total
Volumes Jan. 1, 1954
33,978
12,748
46,726
Volumes added 1954
1,845
955
2,800
Volumes withdrawn 1954
480
392
872
Total volumes Dec. 31, 1954
35,343
13,311
48,654
Recordings Dec. 31, 1953.
30
Added 1954
76
Total recordings Dec. 31, 1954
106
Sewer Department Commissioners
BERNARD R. ANDREWS, Chairman
CHARLES C. TEMPLE EARL D. GILLIATT
GEORGE F. BROUSSEAU, Superintendent
New Construction :
A total of 2.3 miles of new sewers were added to the sewerage system. The following tabulation shows the extent and distribution of the year's work.
Street
From
From
Pipe Size Inches
Sewer Length Feet
Alfred Road
Joseph
End
8
937
Cindy Lane
Farm
End
8
309
Common Street
Pump. Sta.
Joseph
10
970
Easement
Joseph
Nicholas
8
238
Edgemont Road
Quincy
Summit
8
534
Farm Road
Arnold
Cindy
8
314
Francine Road
Walnut
Alfred
8
516
Hollingsworth Ave. Franklin
West
8
2,165
Hollis Avenue
Walnut
Summit
8
472
Joseph Road
Common
Francine
8
1,252
Marcia Road
Worthington
Easterly
8
156
Nicholas Road
Easement
Francine
8
660
Oakhill Road
Hollingsworth
Summit
8
786
Pleasant View Ave. Vinedale
Summit
8
1,046
Prospect St. North Abbott
Wellington End
8
240
Soper House Lane Washington
8
243
Vinedale Road
Audubon
Pleasant View
8
476
White Road
Hawthorn
Easterly
8
200
Worthington Circle Howie
Common
8
393
Total
11,907
120
Total 1954 Construction
2.3 Miles
Previous Construction 42.8 Miles
Total Constructed to Date
45.1 Miles
The sewers in Alfred Road, Cindy Lane, Easement, Farm Road, Francine Road, Joseph Road, Marcia Road, Nicholas Road, Oakhill Road, White Road and Worth- ington Circle were constructed by and at the expense of private developers. This work, totalling 5704 feet, was done under the supervision of the Sewer Department in accordance with current contract construction speci- fications.
The remaining 6203 feet were done under a unit price contract by Ralph Richard Company, theirs being the lowest responsible bid received from 11 contractors. Contract work started on May 5 and was completed by August 17.
The total cost of the year's work amounted to $92,- 298.60 and made the sewer available to 199 more build- ings. Of the 7347 buildings in the Town, the present sewer system can serve 3925, or 53% of them. During the past year 357 new buildings were erected in the Town.
Assessments :
Sewer assessments amounting to $53,243.76 were levied against 154 properties. Where work was done by private developers, an assessment equivalent to 60 % of the normal assessment was levied. During the year, The General Court authorized a change in the law which now makes it possible to finance sewer assessments and house connection charges over a maximum period of 20 years.
House Connections :
There were 275 sewer connections, totaling 14,333 feet, made by the department during the year, at a total cost of $42,787.94. There were 43 applications for con- nection on file at the end of the year, that will have to wait until spring before work can be started. New Per- sonnel Board regulations have made it extremely difficult to hire or keep suitable labor to do sewer connection work.
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Upon application of the owner, the department will make a sewer connection. The whole cost of the work is charged to the owner, but the Town will finance it at 4 per cent, over a maximum period of 20 years, if desired.
Maintenance:
There were no stoppages in any of the main or lat- eral sewers. During the regular cleaning and inspection, heavy root growths were found in a number of laterals which would have caused trouble if they had not been removed.
A total of 23 manholes were raised to conform to new street grades principally on Commercial and Wash- ington Streets. In the mains serving the three pumping stations 4 large leaks were dug up and repaired.
Once during the month of May, when rainfall was extra heavy, the 30-inch main sewer became surcharged and overflowed for several hours into Fore Rive. Most of the time this sewer flows not more than one-quarter full. The additional water that caused the sur- charge came from draining ground water out of cellars by removal of the clean-out cap from the sewer service. A letter was sent to all connected with the sewer warn- ing them about this dangerous practice. It has since been necessary to take court action to compel compliance with the department's rules and regulations.
During the two hurricanes all three sewage pumping stations were cut off from Town power for several days. One of the department's air compressors took care of emergency operation of the Pantano Street pumping sta- tion. The department's 40 kw. portable generator took care of the operation of both Common Street and Brook- side Road pumping stations during the first hurricane, but could take care of only the Common Street Station during the second hurricane.
The motors at Brookside Road station were par- tially flooded during the second hurricane, and sewage had to be pumped into Smelt Brook for about a day and a half while waiting for power to be restored and the motors dried out.
Late in December a pump casing split open at the Common Street pumping station, partially flooding the
122
motor floor. Fortunately, it was discovered in time to prevent serious damage to electrical equipment. It re- quired about four hours to de-water the station and close valves on the cracked casing before service could be re- stored. During this time sewage had to be pumped into Town Brook.
Pumping station operating experience this year has pointed up the urgent need for additional emergency equipment to provide adequate protection in the event of total power or mechanical failure.
The excellent cooperation received from other de- partments of the Town throughout the year materially aided the Sewer Department in accomplishing its work, and is greatly appreciated.
Airport Commission
WILLIAM G. BROOKS, Chairman
JOHN W. MURPHY
GEORGE T. WOODSUM
WILLIAM K. STEWART THOMAS C. CURRIER
The Braintree Airport Commission reports the com- pletion of eight years of activity and the seventh year of operation of the Braintree Airport.
The Airport is located near Great Pond, off Route 128, on Town-owned property of the Braintree Water Department; has a runway of 2500 feet in length and is 85 feet wide. The major part of the runway was con- structed through the efforts of members of the Braintree Airport Association, whose membership is open to Brain- tree residents who are interested in flying.
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