USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of Plymouth, MA 1906-1908 > Part 6
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We recommend that an appropriation of two thousand dollars be made to cover expenses of the Board of Health for the coming year.
The Inspectors of Plumbing are Messrs. M. D. Welch and A. L. Bailey. They have issued one hundred and sixty- nine permits, and have made three hundred and nineteen in- spections.
The Board of Examiners of Plumbers, consisting of Messrs. Thomas Harney, William Brown and Percy Lothrop have examined four applicants.
The following were given Journeymen Plumbers' Li- censes :
Thomas Harney,
Henry Reinhardt,
Fred Sampson,
Albert Rich,
Fred P. Bailey.
Robert Gay,
Fred R. Spates,
Sykes Hey,
The following were given Master Plumber's Licenses :
John E. Sullivan,
Hathaway & Sampson,
Arthur Bailey, Ernest Bassett,
W. W. Myrick,
Philip Mayler.
WVm. Carr. Reginald Morton,
H. P. Bailey & Sons,
John A. Harris, Wm. F. Brown, Plymouth Hardware Co. John E. Jordan,
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The following were given licenses to slaughter cattle and swine :
William Pierce, Morris Resnick, Armaldo Ardizzoni, John Kingsley,
Alton Wood, Josiah Beckford,
Sabastiani Cavicchi,
Fred Wood, Eben Jordan.
The agent of the Board has submitted the following re- port of cases which have come to his attention. We will suggest that all persons having complaints to make will ad- dress them in the first instance, so far as possible, to the agent of the Board, Hermon Tower, 38 Russell street, and they will receive prompt attention.
Piggeries, 12
Unclean Barns,
9
Unclean Yards, I6
Privies, 49
Dumps,
8
Unclean Houses,
9
103
Besides other visits which did not amount to anything.
Statement of the Expenditures of the Board of Health for 1906.
Agent and Inspector, Salary and Expenses, $262 50
Secretary, Salary, 25 00
Physician to Board, 100 00
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Inspection of plumbing.
888 10
Expenses of contagious diseases ( nurses, physi- cians, supplies, etc. ) 325 87
Labor on Public Dumps,
130 00
Medicines and Supplies,
35 97
Horse hire,
17 00
Examination of Plumbers.
12 00
Wooden signs,
6 00
Printing,
17 75
Advertising,
7 70
Carting,
7 00
Express,
I 85
Serving notice,
1 00
$1,838 74
Received for license fees and from sale of For- maldyhyde, 32 00
$1,806 74
HARRY B. DAVIS, PERCY LOTHROP, FREEMAN MANTER,
Board of Health.
TENTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE
FOR THE
Town of Plymouth
For the Year Ending December 3Ist
1906.
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Plymouth, Mass., Jan. 31, 1907.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of Plymouth, Mass.
Gentlemen: I hereby respectfully submit a report of the doings of the Police Department for the year ending Dec. 31, 1906.
Number of Arrests.
Males
Females. Total
January,
20
2
22
February,
28
5
33
March,
II
2
13
April,
23
23
May,
II
3
14
June,
17
I7
July,
12
3
15
August,
6
I
7
September,
19
19
October,
23
I
24
November,
II
I
12
December,
25
I
26
206
19
225
Offences for which arrests were made :
Males
Females. Total
Assault,
19
2
2I
Assault on Officer,
I
I
Assault with knife,
I
I
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Bastardy,
6
6
Breaking and entering,
4
4
Breaking Glass,
5
5
Cruelty to Animals,
2
2
Crime against nature,
I.
J
Disturbance of the Peace,
20
I
2I
Disorderly House,
2
2
Drunk,
72
2
74
Feeble Minded,
I
I
For out of Town Officers,
I
I
Idle and disorderly,
I
I
Insane,
8
2
JO
Indecent Assault,
I
I
Interfering with Officer,
I
I
Illegal Keeping Liquor,
5
3
8
Larceny,
I7
I7
Lewd and Lascivious,
I H
I
2
Liquor Nuisance,
7
I
8
Malicious Mischief,
I
Non Support,
I
HHO I I 2
Neglect to send child to school,
2
Obtaining money, false pretence,
I
I
On Capias,
I
I
2
Peddling without license,
2
2
Reckless driving Automobiles,
I
I
Resisting Officer,
I
· I
Ringing False Alarm Fire,
2
2
Selling short measure,
3
3
Stubborn Child,
I
I
Tramp,
2
2
Trespass,
3
3
Violation Lord's Day.
2
I
3
Violation Town by-laws.
IO
IO
Violation School laws.
I
I
2
208
17
225
.
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Applied for Lodging,
8
Males,
208
Females,
I7
Adults,
210
Minors,
I5
Resident,
162
Non-resident,
63
Number of Fines imposed,
I28
Amount of Fines collected,
$1,405.70 20
Committed to jail for non-payment,
State Farm, Bridgewater,
3
State Dipsomaniac Hospital, Foxboro,
I
State Hospital, Westboro,
3
State Hospital for Insane, Taunton,
3
State Home for Feebleminded, Waverly,
I
Women's Reformatory Prison, Sherburne,
I
State Reformatory, Concord,
I
Appealed Cases,
I2
Discharged,
I5
Placed on File,
I3
Put on probation,
2
Released without arraignment,
I8
Ordered to Superior Court, sum of $1,000,
2
Ordered to Superior Court. sum of $500,
6
Ordered to leave Town,
I
Nationality of Persons arrested :
Canada,
I2
Finland,
H I
Germany,
9
Greece,
2
Ireland,
20
Italy,
37
Portugal,
I4
Russia,
17
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Scotland, Sweden, United States,
5
4
104
225
Respectfully submitted, BENJ. F. GODDARD, Chief of Police.
Roster of Police Force-
Benjamin F. Goddard, . Michael Casey,
Samuel Ferguson,
Augustine J. Hogan,
Edward Manter,
Freeman Manter.
-
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
School Committee
FOR THE YEAR
1906.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
INCREASE ROBINSON, 1907
WILLIAM W. BREWSTER,
1907
JOSEPH T. COLLINGWOOD, 1908
ELIZABETH THURBER, 1908
J. HOLBROOK SHAW, 1909
EUGENE P. ROWELL, 1909
Chairman, William W. Brewster.
Secretary, Elizabeth Thurber.
The committee meet regularly at their rooms in Town Square on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:15 P. M.
Superintendent of Schools, FRANCIS J. HEAVENS.
Office hours, 4 to 5 p. m., each school day.
Truant Officer, A. J. Hogan.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
Finance-Messrs. Shaw and Brewster.
Repairs-Messrs. Collingwood and Rowell.
Janitors and School House Supplies-Messrs. Rowell and Robinson.
Heating and Ventilation-Messrs. Robinson and Brewster. ter.
Text Books and Course of Study-Miss Thurber and Dr. Shaw.
P
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SCHOOL SESSIONS.
High School-8 a. m. to I p. m.
North Schools, Grammar and Primary-Morning session, 9 to 12 o'clock; afternoon session, 1 :30 to 3 :30 o'clock. Centre Schools-Morning session, 9 to 12 o'clock; afternoon session, 2 to 4 o'clock (except from Nov. I to Feb 15, when the afternoon sessions are from 1:30 to 3:30 o'clock.)
The sessions of the other schools are as prescribed from time to time by the committee.
CALENDAR FOR 1906 AND 1907.
Winter term began Wednesday, Jan. 2, 1907. Summer term begins Monday, April 8, 1907. School year ends Friday, June 21, 1907. Fall term begins Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1907. Fall term ends Friday, Dec. 20, 1907.
VACATIONS.
March 29, 1907, to April 8, 1907.
June 22, 1907, to September 3, 1907. December 21, 1907, to January 6, 1908.
HOLIDAYS.
Every Saturday, Washington's Birthday, Patriot's Day, Memorial Day; from Wednesday noon before Thanks- giving, the remainder of the week.
Plymouth 8
-
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
The School Committee present their annual report for the year ending December 31, 1906, also the report of the Superintendent of Schools.
Credits-
Unexpended balance of preceding year, $240 02
Appropriation,
49,600 00
Reimbursements,
20 00
From Murdoc Fund,
18 25
$49,878 27
Expenditures-
Salaries,
$33,266 73
Books,
1,699 33
Supplies,
1,652 37
Fuel and Light,
4,518 19
Repairs,
3,066 95
Janitors and care of School houses, 3,245 36
Building Supplies,
234 14
Freight and Teaming,
256 44
Night Schools, 736 24
Transportation,
528 50
Truant Officer. 100 00
Furniture and Furnishings,
164 94
Printing, 109 60
Incidentals,
224 46
Census,
42 88
Tuition,
II 25
$49,855 38
Unexpended balance,
$22 89
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Mt. Pleasant School Building.
Undrawn balance,
$5,321 82
Payments-
S. Harlow,
$10 50
C. T. Holmes, 629 18
W. N. Snow,
70 00
Norton Door Check Co.,
31 50
J. F. Waters,
23 25
B. D. Loring,
30 00
Robert Wilson,
3.118 50
C. T. Harris & Son,
393 23
Gay & Proctor,
426 30
Road Department,
21 88
E. E. Babb & Co.,
749 00
J. D. Jewett,
175 00
A. A. Raymond, et al.,
47 25
A. E. Morton,
58 50
Overdrawn,
462 27
$5,784 09
$5.784 09
By an act which took effect on the first of September last, the School Committee are required to appoint one or more school physicians and to assign one to each public school.
They are also required to cause every child in the public schools to be separately and carefully tested and examined at least once in every school year, to ascertain whether he is suffering from defective sight or hearing or from any other disability or defect tending to prevent his receiving the full benefit of his school work, or requiring modification of the school work, in order to prevent injury to the child or to secure the best educational results. It is provided that the expense incurred under the act shall not exceed the amount appropriated for that purpose, and that the appropriation shall precede the expenditure.
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Therefore, we have at the present time, been able to have only the examinations for sight and hearing, which are made by the teachers without expense.
It is expected that the medical examination in the schools will benefit not only the scholars who are found defective. but also the community, by limiting the spreading of con- tagious disease.
We have not been able to find any satisfactory data upon which to base an estimate of the expenditure required to faithfully carry out the intent of this law. The Massa- chusetts Civic League, in agitating the medical inspection in the public schools, says that the cost in places where the doctor comes only when he is sent for, as will probably be the practice except in cities and the largest towns, the ex- pense is about $II per thousand inhabitants, and they re- commend an appropriation of about three times the amount needed, so as to provide for possible epidemics.
We ask: That the Town appropriate the sum of $300 to be applied in carrying out the purposes of Chapter 502 of Act of 1906.
We have repeatedly directed attention to the matter of the insuring of the school buildings, but have never received from the town instructions as to its wishes. At this time the High School building alone is protected, being covered in the sum of twenty thousand, five hundred dollars, by poli- cies which expire this year. We believe it is not the duty of the School Committee, or other departments of the town, to determine the policy in this matter, but that action should be taken to learn the wishes of the voters, and that all buildings owned by the town, without regard to their use or nature, should, in this matter of fire insurance, come under one board, or committee, who shall be authorized and in- structed as to the policy that they shall pursue. Then we shall not have, as now, the safer buildings insured, while those more exposed to danger have no insurance. With
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the small isolated buildings of past years, the town was not likely to suffer much loss or inconvenience by fire, but with nine schools in the Knapp Building, and twelve schools in the adjacent Cornish and Burton buildings, the conditions have become changed. We therefore ask the town to de- fine its policy in this matter, and to make provision for such insurance as it may deem to be needed.
A prosperous town with a growing population will ever have before it the question of increasing its school facilities. The increase in the number of pupils in our schools, and the difficulties met in arranging for them, are clearly shown by the Superintendent in his report. The data which he pre- sents indicate that, in the near future, we shall be forced to open new schools. All the rooms in the large buildings are now occupied, and we have three small school houses which are not in use; the buildings on South street, Oak street and Spring street. The building on South street should be kept in repair and retained for use in case of need. The single room building on Oak street has been unoccupied since the new two room building was completed, and we are not like- ly to have in that vicinity such an increase of population as will make it expedient to open a new school there. The building on Spring street is in good condition, and well adapted for school use, but a prejudice has been established which will cause great objection to be made to its use in its present location. The two latter buildings can be moved to some point on, or near, Standish avenue, not far from the railroad bridge, and joined to permit the use of one modern heating and ventilating apparatus, while provision may be made for the addition of more rooms, if the need should de- velop.
The accommodations provided for the two schools in the Hedge building are not creditable to the Town, and the lo- cation is unsuitable. The ground is low and the situation unattractive. The system of sewerage recently put into
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that part of the town will not accommodate this building. It may be found practicable, and thought to be desirable, to remove the building to a new situation adjacent to the sewer, and to fit it with proper sanitaries.
The accompanying report of the Superintendent of Schools presents his views of the condition and needs of his department, and it has the full endorsement of the commit- tee. We ask the voters of the town to give it a careful con- sideration.
We recommend an appropriation of forty-nine thousand five hundred dollars for the coming year, in addition to the special appropriation of three hundred dollars for medical inspection.
WILLIAM W. BREWSTER, ELIZABETH THURBER. JOSEPH T. COLLINGWOOD. INCREASE ROBINSON, EUGENE P. ROWELL, J. HOLBROOK SHAW,
Committee.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the School Committee of Plymouth :
The report of the Superintendent of Schools for the year 1906, is hereby respectfully submitted. The table of sta- tistics and other data that usually accompany the report are given below. They show an increased number of pupils over last year, a more regular and a more punctual attend- ance, more teachers in the service, and a somewhat larger expenditure for each pupil in the average membership.
The school census, taken September 1906, gave the fol- lowing :
Children between 5 and 15 years of age-
1906
1905
Boys,
919
893
Girls,
949
920
1858
1813
Children between 7 and 14 years, the compulsory school
age-
1906
1905
Boys,
654
654
Girls.
66c
645
I323
I299
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Attendance record for school year ending June 22, 1906:
1906
1905
Whole number pupils enrolled for year,
1987
1906
Number under 7 years of age.
369
354
Number btween 7 and 14 years,
I353
I326
number between 14 and' 15 years,
109
94
Number over 15 years of age,
156
I32
1987
1906
1906
1905
Average membership of all the schools,
1880
1776
Average daily attendance,
1759
1651
Per cent. of Attendance,
93.6
93
Number days absence of pupils,
23,766
24,299
Number cases of tardiness,
3,755
5,626
Number dismissals before close of school,
1440
1495
Number of cases of truancy reported,
62
72
Number days teachers absent from school,
249
225
1906
Number school buildings in use,
22
Number school rooms in use, including
High school,
56
Number teachers regularly employed,
57
High school,
6
Grammar school.
18
Primary school,
29
Ungraded school,
4
Special teachers, one each for
music, drawing and sloyd,
3
60.
To meet the requirements of the State Board of Educa- tion the following statistics cover the period of the school year, from September to July, 1905-1906, and are com- pared' with the same items for the preceding school year :-
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1905-1906
1904-1905
Whole number of pupils enrolled for the year
1,987
1,906
Number under 7 years of age
370
354
Number between 7 and 14 years
1,353
1,326
Number between 14 and 15 years
109
94
Number over 15 years
156
132
Average membership of all the schools
1 880
1,776
Average daily attendance
1,758.7
1,651
Per cent. of attendance
93.5
93.
Number days absence of pupils
23,766
24,299
Number cases tardiness
3.755
5,626
Number of dismissals before close of school session
1,440
1,495
Number of cases of truancy reported by teachers
62
72
Number of days of teachers' absence from school
249
225
Number of visits made by superintendent
892
1,066
Present number of pupils enrolled January 4, 1907, 1947.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
The items given below are based upon the expenditure for school purposes during the financial year 1906. The financial and attendance periods are not therefore identical, but since each covers a full year, the one period being only a little in advance of the other, the returns they furnish are fairly reliable.
I. Assessed valuation of real and personal property in Plymouth, May 1, 1906, $9,848,138
2. Per cent. of valuation expended for cur- rent expenses of schools in 1906, .00465
3. Expense per pupil on average membership, 24 37
4. Expense per pupil on same for schools, of State, 1905-1906,
28 79
5. Expense per pupil on average member- ship on total expenditure for schools in 1905-1906, 26 12
6. State average on same basis, 1905, 37 07
7. Average monthly wages of men teachers in Plymouth in 1906, 95 00
8. Average monthly wages of men teachers of the State, 149 02
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9. Average monthly wages of women teachers in Plymouth in 1906, 48 62
IO. Same paid women teachers in the State, 1905-1906. 57 07
In this statement the items are based upon the average membership of the schools, 1880. Items 2 and 3 are based upon the whole amount ($49,855.38) which the Committee has spent, less the cost of repairs ($3,066.95) building sup- plies ($234.14) and expense of evening schools, ($736.24.) The items which make up this amount are pay- ments for salaries, transportation, fuel and care of schoolhouses, text books and supplies, incidentals. The sum thus expended ($45,818.05) is by the act of the Legislature, to be regarded as the current expense of the schools, and is the sum to be certified to the State authorities as having been raised by taxation and expended "for the support of the public schools." This sum shows that dur- ing the past year the town raised by taxation, and expended for the school support of each child in the average member- ship (1880) of the schools, the sum of $24.37. The State average on the same basis was $28.79. While the town, in the total expense for its schools paid an average of $26.12 for each pupil in the average membership, the State average for each child on the same basis was $37.07.
There are 354 cities and towns in Massachusetts. Dur- ing the past year there were 140 of these cities and towns which imposed upon themselves a heavier tax for the school support of each child in the average membership of their schools than Plymouth did, and 213 that imposed upon themselves a lesser tax. There were 221 of these same communities which paid a larger percentage of their as- sessed valuation for school purposes than Plymouth paid, and only 131 of them that paid less.
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SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
Theoretically the schools have been in session forty weeks during the past year. This time has been lessened to thirty- eight and one half weeks by legal holidays coming in term time. During the entire year we have been free from children's diseases and storms and other untoward circum- stances which frequently cause serious interruption to the work of the schools, or make it necessary to close them a part of the time.
Nineteen hundred and eighty-seven pupils have been connected with the schools for a longer or shorter period during the year, while the average, the number which shows the constant membership of the schools for the same period, has been 1880. This in an increase of 104 pupils-about six per cent .- over the number in attendance the preceding year, an increase sufficient to fill three school rooms, and to require the employment of three additional teachers. The average daily attendance was 93.6 per cent. of the number in the average membership; which marks a substantial gain in regularity of attendance over the preceding year.
There has also been a lessening of the number of tardi- nesses by 33 1-3 per cent. over the number recorded the previous year. This gain is encouraging; but yet there are far too many cases of tardiness, an average of nearly two marks during the year for each pupil in the average mem- bership. This number should be lessened again one half; and this could readily be done if only the pupils themselves were at fault, but the trouble lies much oftener with parents, especially the parents of the younger children, who, for trivial reasons or through carelessness fail to send children in season to reach school on time. It is such parents, too, who cause the number of dismissals before the close of the school session to remain so large. There was a somewhat smaller number of such dismissals the past year, but the number should be decreased still more. Teachers properly
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wish to meet the request of parents for all necessary dismis- sals; but they have a right to expect that such requests for shortening the school hours for a pupil be made only when unavoidable.
Regular and punctual attendance is a virtue which teach- ers work hard to inculcate, not primarily to make a good showing on the school records, but that the habit of being on hand promptly when and where and as long as he ought, shall become so firmly fixed and so deeply rooted in the pu- pil, that when he is older and sees the practical value of the habit, he will not depart from it.
SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS.
It has not been possible during the past year, to accom- modate all the pupils in those districts where they belong. The Knapp school has nine rooms, eight of them built to seat forty-two pupils each. We cannot fairly or legally provide for more than that number in each room. The most that can be seated comfortably in the whole school is 360. Yet about 450 pupils who belong in that district ap- plied for admission to the Knapp school last September. Some of the younger children were sent to Cold Spring, and the rest for whom places could not be found at the Knapp school were accommodated by opening the school on Alden street.
The larger number of pupils at the Knapp school repre- sents the normal increase, and is likely to be permanent. It is probable that a still larger number will apply for admis- sion to that school next year. The parents living near the Knapp strenuously object to having their children sent to the Alden street and Cold Spring because of the distance the children must walk. There is reason for their objection
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in the cases of the younger children who must go to these more distant schools. But it seems that these children must attend there until increased accommodations be provided for them nearer home.
The 3rd, 4th and 5th grades at the Cornish and Burton schools have more children than could be provided for in those schools. Accommodations for the overflow in those grades were found by grouping them with the Knapp pupils at Cold Spring and Alden street. But the 4th grades at the Burton school are yet much too large, and no way of re- lieving them is evident. The increased number of children in attendance at the Centre this fall is caused, in part, by the larger force of employees at the Puritan Mills. The con- ditions indicate that there will be a yet larger number of children of school age in this part of the town who will ap- ply for admission next fall.
It seems evident that some provision to relieve these two localities will have to be provided in the near future.
A building placed in the vicinity of the Knapp school, and on or as near Court street as possible, would convenient- ly provide for the children in that region, and give oppor- tunity to relieve the schools at the Centre by sending child- ren to Cold Spring and Alden street in the places now oc- cupied by the Knapp school pupils.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
Children five years old, or who will reach that age before the end of the fourth week of school, are admitted to the primary schools during the first four weeks of the fall term only, if they have never before attended school. Children of the legal school age are admitted to school at any time in the districts where they live, if there is room; otherwise, they are sent to the nearest school where there is room.
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The whole number of children enrolled in the schools at present is 1947. Of this number 1083, about 55 per cent. of the total number, are in the primary schools, grades one to four, inclusive, distributed in twenty-nine school rooms, making an average of thirty-seven pupils to each teacher. The smallest number in any one room is sixteen, and the largest, forty-eight.
These 1083 pupils are enrolled in the four primary grades as follows :
Grade I. 249
Grade II. 267
Grade III, 243
Grade IV. 324
Two of the seven first grade schools have at present an unusually small enrollment-one twenty-five and the other thirty, pupils. If these two schools were within convenient distance of other schools of the same grade, it would be possible to discontinue one or both of them for the present.
I think it is worth while considering whether our present practice of admitting children to school when they are only five years of age is the wisest one, and whether it would not be better to make the earliest age of admission six years instead of five, and reduce the elemen- tary school period from nine to eight years. Such a change would require us to do the work in eight years which we now do in nine. Outside of New England, and perhaps outside of Massachusetts, the eight year elementary period is the rule. In Massachusetts it is becoming the rule. Many towns and cities maintaining good schools have taken up this question, and recently have provided for an eight year in place of the nine year course, and have decided that child- ren under their jurisdiction shall be allowed to enter school not earlier than at the age of six years. One of the im- portant questions to be decided in considering this change
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