USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of Plymouth, MA 1939 > Part 2
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Article Fifteen :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town appropri- ate the sum of $2,000.00 for the employment of one or more district nurses.
Mr. William H. Barrett moved to amend by appro- priating the sum of $1,500.00 for the employment of one or more district nurses, but the motion was lost.
The motion of Mr. Brewer was then put before the meeting and carried.
Article Sixteen :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town appropri- ate the sum of $1,450.00 for the cultivation, propagation and protection of shellfish, to be expended under the direc- tion of the Board of Selectmen.
This motion called for a two-thirds vote, and as it was not unanimous, a count was taken by show of hands. 1,122 voting in the affirmative and 20 in the negative, more than two-thirds having voted in the affirmative, the motion was carried.
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Mr. James T. Frazier moved to reconsider Article 11, but the motion was lost.
Mr. Frankland D. Miller moved reconsideration of the Police appropriation under Article 5, but the motion was lost.
Article Seventeen :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $1,250.00 to be used in construc- tion on the Federal Furnace Road in conjunction with the State Department of Public Works and the Plymouth County Commissioners.
Article Eighteen :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $3,500.00 to be used in construc- tion on Water Street in conjunction with the State De- partment of Public Works and the Plymouth County Commissioners.
Mr. Milton R. Millman moved to consider Article 27 at this time, but the motion was lost.
Article Nineteen :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town vote to authorize the Selectmen to sell, after first giving notice of the time and place of sale by posting such notice of sale in some convenient and public place in the town, fourteen (14) days at least before the sale, property taken by the Town under tax title procedure, provided that the Selectmen or whomsoever they may authorize to hold such public auction may reject any bid which they deem inadequate.
Article Twenty :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $300.00 to be used for making
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monthly payments of fifty dollars, to June 30, 1939, to the widow of Herbert R. Benton and the parents of James H. Devitt, under authority of Chapter 13 of the Acts of 1938.
Article Twenty-one :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the name of the Town way laid out by the Selectmen and accepted by the Town in April, 1936, running in a southwesterly direction from Standish Avenue, be changed from Moning Terrace to West Street.
Article Twenty-two :
To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of seventy- two hundred and fifty (7,250) dollars for the purchase and installation of a Diesel engine pump at the Pumping Station as recommended by the Water Commissioners.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article twenty-two.
Article Twenty-three :
To see if the Town will acquire by purchase for school purposes, the land known as the Grace A. Pope property lying on the south-westerly side of Union Street and ad- joining other land of the Town of Plymouth, and make an appropriation not exceeding two thousand (2,000) dollars therefor.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article twenty-three.
Article Twenty-four :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved : That the Town hereby in- structs the Selectmen to petition the General Court to au- thorize the Town to borrow fifty thousand (50,000.00) dol- lars to be expended for alteration of the old High School and for the installation of heating equipment and for the equipping of said old High School, and the addition, for
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the purpose of establishing and maintaining a trade school therein, provided the loan so authorized is duly voted by the Town at some subsequent town meeting, and that the Moderator appoint a committee of seven to investigate the desirability of establishing a trade school in Plymouth and report to the Town at the next annual Town Meeting.
On motion of William H. Barrett, Voted: That the vote be taken by ballot.
672 voting in the affirmative, and 895 in the negative, the motion was lost.
Article Twenty-five :
To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of five hun- dred (500) dollars for portable seats on Cole's Hill.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article twenty-five.
Article Twenty-six :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town make no appropriation for the purchase of a new truck, but that a committee of ten be appointed by the Moderator to re- port to the Town on the advisability of combining the Forest Warden's Department with the regular Fire De- partment.
Mr. James S. A. Valler moved to substitute: That the Town appropriate the sum of Three Thousand Dollars to purchase a new forest fire truck and the equipment for same, but the motion was lost.
Mr. Brewer's motion was then put before the meeting and by show of hands, 487 voted in the affirmative and 285 in the negative, and the motion was carried.
Article Twenty-seven :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town appropri-
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ate the sum of $14,500.00 for the purchase of a ladder truck.
Mr. Barrett moved that the vote be taken by ballot.
Mr. Philip Jackson moved a substitute motion: That a committee to consist of the Honorable Board of Select- men, the Fire Commissioner, and nine other citizens of the Town of Plymouth to be appointed by the Moderator, be hereby authorized and requested to make a study of the needs of the Town in new apparatus for the Fire Depart- ment and report their findings and suggestions to the Town at the next Annual Town Meeting, and the motion was carried.
Mr. Brewer's motion, as amended by Mr. Jackson, was then put before the meeting and carried.
Article Twenty-eight :
On motion of John D. Brewer, it was unanimously voted : That the Board of Selectmen is hereby authorized to lay out and construct, as a W. P. A. Project, an inter- cepting sewer from the Kingston-Plymouth town line at Seaside south to Lumber Lane, so-called, and to acquire by purchase, gift or eminent domain the lands and ease- ments necessary therefor, and that the sum of $100.00 be appropriated for damages and expense of acquiring titles.
Article Twenty-nine :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $500.00 for the purpose of main- taining, during the ensuing year, the mosquito control works as estimated and certified to by the State Reclama- tion Board.
Article Thirty :
To see if the Town will vote to purchase for ranges for
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small arms practice, drill or parade grounds, two adjoin- ing parcels of land containing fifty (50) acres more or less, situated in Manomet near the Beaver Dam Road, now owned by John H. Murray and under lease to the Town for said purposes; and appropriate, for the purchase and improvement of said land, the sum of eighteen hundred and thirty-eight (1,838) dollars, now in the Town Treas- ury, received by the Town from sale of the Brooks prop- erty at Manomet Point in 1935.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted : That the Town take no action under Article Thirty.
Article Thirty-one :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $40,000.00 from money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the purpose of providing co-operation with the Federal Government in unemployment relief and other projects, of direct or in- direct benefit to the Town or its inhabitants. Said appro- priation to be subject to transfers only on orders of the Board of Selectmen for the several projects and for nec- essary administration.
Article Thirty-two:
Mr. John D. Brewer moved : That the Town hereby in- structs the Board of Selectmen to appoint a committee of fifteen (15) to further study the sewage disposal question and report their findings at the next annual town meet- ing; and that the sum of $250.00 be appropriated for expenses of said committee.
Mr. Philip Jackson moved to substitute: That the Town hereby instructs the Honorable Board of Selectmen to appoint a committee of fifteen to further study the sewage disposal question excepting that part that applies to filter beds in the North Part of the Town and also that part that proposes to dispose of the sewage through pump- ing it into the waters off Rocky Point as proposed in the plans of Metcalf and Eddy, but the motion was lost.
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Mr. Brewer's motion was then put before the meeting and carried.
Article Thirty-three :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town appropri- ate the sum of $4,500.00 for the purchase of a new grader for the Highway Department, but the motion was lost.
Article Thirty-four :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted : That the Town appropriate the sum of $150.00 to defray the expenses of "Old Home Day" on Thursday, November 30, 1939, Said appropriation to be expended under the supervision of the Board of Selectmen.
Article Thirty-five :
To see if the Town will accept the Act as provided in House Bill No. 1687 and reading as follows : An Act rela- tive to the appropriations by the Town of Plymouth for certain municipal purposes.
Section 1. The town of Plymouth may for the pur- pose of maintaining an information bureau, replying to requests for information by mail or otherwise, defraying the cost of printing and publication of historical and in- formative material, participation in events of an historical or civic nature, entertainment of visiting dignitaries, ac- comodation for conventions of veterans or other patriotic and civic organizations, appropriate a sum not exceeding five thousand (5,000) dollars per year.
Section 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage and upon acceptance by vote of the town, at its annual or any special meeting held within two years of enactment.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article thirty-five.
Article Thirty-six :
To see if the Town will appropriate a sum not exceed-
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ing three thousand (3,000) dollars, to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen for the purpose set forth in Article 35.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article thirty-six.
Article Thirty-seven :
To see if the Town will appropriate a sum not exceeding eleven hundred (1,100) dollars to be expended under the direction of the Selectmen, under Section 6A, Chapter 40 of the General Laws, for the purpose of advertising its resources, advantages and attractions.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article thirty-seven.
Article Thirty-eight:
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $1,000.00 in accordance with the provisions of Clause 37, Section 5, Chapter 40 of the General Laws, for providing proper facilities for the hold- ing of conventions and the reception of distinguished guests. Said appropriation to be expended under the di- rection of the Board of Selectmen.
Article Thirty-nine :
On motion of William H. Barrett, Voted: That the Town be recorded as requesting the resignation of Park Commissioner Arthur L. Morse.
Article forty :
To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of three hundred and fifty (350) dollars, including two hundred (200) received from insurance on tool house destroyed by fire, to be used for purchase of a road scraper for the Park Department.
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article forty.
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Article Forty-one :
To see if the Town will accept and allow as a town way, Off Savery's Avenue, from Standish Avenue westerly ap- proximately two hundred (200) feet on Savery's Avenue, thence northerly and easterly to land owned by Augusto Giovanetti, as laid out by the Selectmen and reported to the Town, and appropriate the sum of one hundred (100) dollars for land and property damages and expense of acquiring titles. (By petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article forty-one.
Article Forty-two :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved : That the Town accept and allow as a town way, Ocean View Road, westerly from Priscilla Road, approximately five hundred (500) feet, as laid out by the Selectmen and reported to the Town, and appropriate the sum of $100.00 for land and property damages and expense of acquiring titles. 359 voting in the affirmative and 12 in the negative, the necessary two- thirds having voted in the affirmative, the motion was carried.
Article Forty-three :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town vote to permit the material dredged from Plymouth Har- bor to be deposited on and adjoining Long Beach in the event that either the United States of America or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or both of them in cooperation, undertake the dredging of a mooring basin in Plymouth Harbor, and direct the Board of Park Com- missioners to make the necessary arrangements therefor in co-operation with the proper Federal and State en- gineers and officials.
Article Forty-four :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $5,000.00 from money in the
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Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be paid over to the State Treasurer for certain improvements in Plym- outh Harbor, in accordance with a plan prepared by the State Department of Public Works and the United States Army Engineers.
Article Forty-five :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $500.00 for purchasing and erect- ing a chain link fence at Veterans Field.
Article Forty-six :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate from money in the Treasury received from sales of cemetery lots and graves, the sum of $500.00 to be used for hard-surfacing roads in Vine Hills Cemetery.
Article Forty-seven :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town appropriate the sum of $150.00, to be expended under the direction of the Plymouth Committee on Agawam and Halfway Pond Fisheries and in addition to a like sum to be appropriated by the Town of Wareham, in rebuilding the fish house on Agawam River.
Article Forty-eight :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town take no action under Article forty-eight.
Miss Alice Barnes moved: That the Town name the junction of Main Street Extension, Sandwich and Water Streets, "Governor Carver Square," and that no appro- priation be made, and the motion was carried.
Mr. Brewer's motion, as amended by Miss Barnes, was then put before the meeting and carried.
Article Forty-nine :
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town authorize the transfer of the sum of $5,000.00 from the
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Reserve from Overlayings of Taxes to the Reserve Ac- count in the hands of the Advisory and Finance Com- mittee.
Article Fifty :
To see if the Town will instruct the Board of Selectmen to take all necessary action in the name of the Town to cause to be reopened that section of the public way known as Nicks Rock Road lying in that part of the Town known as Braunecker's Farm and crossing property reputed to be owned by one Joseph Teixeira, and to appropriate the sum of one hundred and fifty (150) dollars to defray the expenses incurred. (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty.
Article Fifty-one :
To see if the Town will approve of a minimum wage for all regular town employees of five (5) dollars a day for an eight (8) hour day. This increase in wages not to affect anyone who receives a salary of more than one thousand three hundred and fifty (1,350) dollars a year.
(By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-one.
Article Fifty-two :
Mr. John D. Brewer moved: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-two.
Mr. William H. Barrett moved to amend by substitut- ing: That the Town approve the purchase for each indi- vidual department head in the Town, who at the present time receives four hundred (400) dollars per year for the use of his or her private automobile, a new automobile, to be town property and used as such. Each new auto- mobile not to exceed eight hundred (800) dollars in cost, but the motion was lost.
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Mr. Brewer's motion was put before the meeting and carried.
Article Fifty-three :
To see if the Town will approve to request the present school committee to turn back to the Town the old high school building on Lincoln Street and to be disposed of as the present Board of Selectmen see fit. (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-three.
Article Fifty four :
To see if the Town will approve of three (3) voting dis- tricts in the Town of Plymouth, as follows :
District 1: To include residents who reside north of what is known as the Cold Spring railroad bridge to the Plymouth-Kingston town boundary line, and these to vote at the Cordage Auditorium.
District 2: To include residents who reside south of said bridge to Hotel Pilgrim, said residents to vote at the Plymouth Memorial Building.
District 3 : To include all other residents south of Hotel Pilgrim to the town line at Bourne and these to vote at the Bartlett Memorial Hall in Manomet. (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-four.
Article Fifty-five :
To see if the Town will approve printing in the back pages of the Plymouth Town Report annually, an alpha- betical list of individuals, companies, corporations, etc., and the amounts paid each by the town and for what pur- pose. (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-five.
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Article Fifty-six :
To see if the Town will approve the eliminating of all items listed in the Plymouth town report as "All Others" or "Miscellaneous." (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town take no action under Article fifty-six.
Article Fifty-seven :
To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of two hundred and fifty (250) dollars annually for medical ex- aminations for every civil service employee of the Town of Plymouth for the purpose of determining his or her physical fitness. (By Petition)
On motion of John D. Brewer, Voted: That the Town make no appropriation under Article fifty-seven but that a special committee of three be appointed by the Moder- ator to consider the subject matter of this article and re- port at the next annual town meeting.
On motion of Herbert K. Bartlett, Voted : To adjourn.
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REPORT OF ADVISORY AND FINANCE COMMITTEE ON THE ARTICLES IN THE TOWN WARRANT
March 25, 1939
Before considering the articles in the warrant, it may not be amiss to run back for ten years and note the trend of expenses from the days of the New Era through the de- pression and the New Deal.
Below, in Table I, we show the appropriations back to 1929; in the first column, the total, excluding major ex- penditures that were financed by bond issues; the next column, the relief costs ; in the third column, the other ex- penses for the operation of the town; and in the last col- umn, the dollars per thousand of valuation these "all other" expenses call for. It should be pointed out that these figures cover the town expenses only and do not take into consideration state or county assessments or any receipts. As there are substantial receipts from the state and federal governments, to help finance relief, the effect of these on our tax rate is not available from these figures. The right hand column is a measure of the effect on the tax rate of expenses other than welfare. The actual tax rate each year was quite different because of the other factors that entered into it.
Interesting points in this table are :
1. The tremendous increase in Relief costs.
2. The course of the other expenses of the town, start- ing and finishing at practically the same point, but showing considerable shrinkage from 1932 to 1937, caused largely by the pay reduction in effect at that time.
3. That the shrinkage in valuation from $25,124,000 in 1929 to an estimated $21,400,000 in 1939 causes an increase of $4.90 per thousand of valuation for a budget of practically the same size.
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TABLE I Comparisons of Appropriations-1929 to 1939
Total Appropriations Excluding Those Financed by Bond Issue
Welfare W. P. A. Old Age Asst. Soldiers' Relief 207,493
Balance of Appropriations
Dollars 708,160
Per Thousand of Valuation 33.10
1939
915,653
(recommended)
1938
937,469
233,590
703,879
32.80
1937
857,615
169,720
687,885
32.20
1936
811,612
173,020
638,692
28.65
1935
784,118
156,367
627,751
28.00
1934
848,130
218,253
629,877
27.70
1933
777,333
173,588
603,745
26.30
1932
769,235
115,000
654,235
27.30
1931
811,089
102,471
708,618
28.50
1930
876,656
62,143
814,513
32.20
1929
745,503
44,054
701,449
28.00
Table II is a comparison of the recommendations of the Advisory Committees for the March meetings of 1929 and 1939. The 1929 total is slightly less than the 1929 appro- priation figures in Table I, because there was a small ap- propriation at a special town meeting in the summer that is not included in Table II.
A comparison of the two schedules shows increases in many departments, which the voters will recognize as caused by services they have voted for in the interim. They will note departments getting along with small increases or gratifying reductions, while doing very much more than ten years ago.
TABLE II
Recommendations
1939 Budget
1929
1939
More 750
Less
Selectmen's Dept.
3,250
4,000
Accounting Dept.
2,550
3,450
900
Treasury Dept.
2,050
3,050
1,000
Tax Collector's Dept.
3,200
4,200
1,000
Assessors' Dept.
7,000
6,500
500
Law Dept.
1,200
1,500
300
Town Clerk's Dept.
1,700
1,550
150
Engineering Dept.
1,000
900
100
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Recommendations
1929
1939
Less
Planning Board
150
1939 Budget More 150
Election and Registration
800
2,600
1,800
Maintenance of Town House
3,000
2,950
50
Maintenance of Town Hall
11,000
6,000
5,000
Police Dept.
30,000
37,000
7,000
Fire Dept.
34,500
46,000
11,500
Inspection of Buildings (Sp. Art.)
800
300
500
Sealing Wghts and Measures
2,700
2,625
75
Moth Suppression
5,000
5,700
700
Tree Warden's Dept.
2,500
3,000
500
Forest Warden's Dept.
3,500
2,500
1,000
Inland Fisheries
300
300
Ply. Cty. Hospital Maintenance
8,947
10,987
2,040
Health Dept.
18,000
18,000
Piggery Maint. and Garb. Disp.
8,000
8,000
Inspector of Animals
200
200
Public Sanitaries
3,400
2,600
800
Sewers
6,000
3,000
3,000
Street Cleaning
5,000
4,500
500
Roads and Bridges
40,000
43,500
3,500
Hwy. Const. and Reconst.
(Sp. Art. 1929)
20,673
26,150
5,477
Hard-Surfacing Streets
7,500
4,500
3,000
Land Damages Warren Ave.
6,000
6,000
Gurnet Bridge Tax
977
2,122
1,145
Sidewalks
7,000
5,000
2,000
Granolithic Sidewalks and Curb.
5,000
2,000
3,000
Snow and Ice Removal
5,000
10,000
5,000
Street Sprinkling
6,000
1,000
5,000
Street Lighting
19,000
20,000
1,000
Traffic Lights
300
300
Harbor Master
450
150
300
School Dept.
248,000
237,500
10,500
Park Dept. (Sp. Art. 1929)
15,850
9,700
6,150
Pensions for Town Laborers
1,325
3,280
1,955
Contributory Retirement System
8,501
8,501
Insurance on Town Property
8,158
8,158
Sexton
200
200
Misc. Account
3,200
3,000
200
Water Dept. Maintenance
28,000
24,500
3,500
Water Dept. Construction
5,000
3,450
1,550
Town Wharf Maintenance
960
960
Town Forest Maintenance
(Sp. Art. 1929)
1,600
900
700
Oak Grove and Vine Hills Cem.
12,000
10,000
2,000
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Recommendations 1929 1939 1,800 2,000
1939 Budget More Less
Burial Hill Cem.
200
Chiltonville, Manomet, Cedarville and South Pond Cems.
300
750
450
Town Debt and Interest
78,000
52,000
26,000
Ply. Public Library
9,000
8,850
150
Loring Reading Room
3,000
3,000
Manomet Library
750
750
County Aid to Ag.
250
150
100
Rifle Range
125
325
200
Memorial Day
550
400
150
Armistice Day
250
250
July 4
750
500
250
District Nurse
2,000
2,000
Shellfish Protection
1,450
1,450
Pensions Benton and Devitt
300
300
Fire Alarm (1929) New Ladder Truck (1939)
7,000
14,500
7,500
Sewer Intercepter
100
100
Mosquito Control
500
500
Sewer Com. Exp.
250
250
New Hwy. Equipment
6.050
4,500
1,550
Band Concerts (1929) Old Home Day (1939)
500
150
350
Convention Exp.
1,000
1,000
Harbor Imp.
5,000
5,000
Park Fence
500
500
Agawam Fish House
150
150
New High School Bldg.
2,000
2,000
Buy Plymouth Mills
200
200
Water Tank at Manomet
500
500
Total Excluding Relief
698,149
705,610 94,486 87,025
Public Welfare
35,554
80,000
44,446
Soldiers' Relief
8,500
12,493
3,993
Aid to Dependent Children
10,000
10,000
Old Age Assistance
65,000
65,000
W. P. A.
40,000
40,000
Total Including Relief 742,203 913,103 257,925 87,025
The town is faced this year with substantially higher costs for state and county government, large additional state tax for 1938 and considerably lower estimated re- ceipts. All this results in an estimated tax of $33.60, $2.80 above last year.
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TABLE III
Recommended 1939
1938
Town Appropriations (To come out
of tax levy)
882,957
853,154
State Tax
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