USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > Town annual report of Swampscott 1907 > Part 7
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The sum of $450 was spent in the raising of the cap stone and building the fence along Humphrey street. As this fence is in a very conspicuous place, the Selectmen decided on an iron fence which we think presents a very finished effect.
We wish to call attention to the Town Hall yard, and suggest that a two rail iron pipe fence be erected around the grounds. In summer it is impossible to keep people from crossing the lawn, and the result is that a path is worn through the grass, defacing the rest of the lawn. This appears to be the only solution, and we recommed an appropriation for the work.
New Flag Staff.
One noticable change about the Town Hall grounds during the past year has been the erection of a new flag pole deemed necessary owing to the unsafe condition of the old one which upon examination was found to be very much decayed and to delay the matter longer in its dangerous condition exposed to the high winds and storms of winter may have caused trouble at some time to the public.
Our new flag pole is some ten feet higher then the old one, and with the new flag of liberal proportions is something of a patriotic landmark to remind the passer-by of the seat of govern- ment of a good old New England town.
Humphrey Street.
It must be apparent to the average citizen that this street is quite too narrow for the principal thoroughfare of the Town. It certainly is very much conjested during the summer season from a point beginning where the boulevard leaves off and extending to a point opposite the Swampscott Club House. We cannot make any direct recommendations on this matter but would it not be advisable for the Town if in their judgment they think the time may come in the near future for a widening of this street to have some committee delegated to consult the State Highway Commission and report later as to how this commission could
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REPORT OF SELECTMEN.
1907]
advise and whether or no the State would ever consider extend- ing the boulevard beyond its present terminius towards the park- way of the town.
Pine Street School Building.
An appropriation of three hundred dollars was made at the last Annual Town Meeting and a Committee consisting of the Chairman of this board, Mr. Cole; one citizen the Rev. George A. Jackson, and the Commander of General, James L. Bates, Post 118, G. A. R. John R. Merritt to expend the money in fitting up the building for the exclusive use of the Grand Army, and its auxilliaries so long as they remain an organization.
We will say the work has been done so far as the money would go and the result is a really beautiful Memorial room which the old soldiers are taking much pride in. Three hun- dred dollars was hardly a large enough sum for the work, and the Grand Army has spent something over a hundred dollars in addition to the Town's appropriation a part of which was given by the Woman's Relief Corps.
The Auditor's report will show the Committee have expended of the Town's money about two hundred and ninety-eight dollars.
A record book the gift of four of our patriotic citizens is in this room and when fully written up will contain the name of every member of the G. A. R. his service and also the roster of the 208 men, who enlisted on the Town's quota in the Civil War, and in addition to this record the Grand Army expect to be able as they have to some extent to secure the pictures of a large num- ber of the men eventually to be handed down to the Town, for all time.
Board of Health.
The committee appointed by the Town, April 24, 1906, con- sisting of the Selectmen and two citizens for the purpose of examining the books, records and papers of the Board of Health, made several appointments with the Board for this purpose, which were not kept by the Board, and the Committee in order
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
to have access to the same were obliged to appeal to the courts for a writ of Mandamus to compel them to allow this, which was granted by the courts. The Committee made its investiga- tion and a report to the Town, with recommendations that the Board of Health be removed from office. The Board refused to abide bythe vote of the Town and Quo Warranto proceedings were begun by the Town to declare the office vacant. Judge Ham- mond decided that they could not be removed and an appeal was taken to the Full Bench, which sustained Judge Hammond's decision. We have refused to acknowledge the following bills approved by the Board of Health. W. H. Carroll, $193, W. R. Patten, $58 for fumigation, as in our judgment the charges are exorbitant for services rendered. The bill of Michael Mc- Donough for $550 for a pipe drain and filling between the estates of George T. Melzard and Mrs. Sarah Marshall, off Orient street, was also refused payment by advice of counsel on the ground that the Board of Health had exceeded its authority in ordering the work done. Suits have been entered against the Town for the collection of these claims.
Haley Claim.
The bill of Michael Haley for storage was refused payment. This bill had been before the Town at the Annual Meeting and the Town had voted not to pay same. Suit has also been entered for this claim.
Bids.
The following bids were received, and contracts awarded as follows :
Removal of ledge and grading on Orient street-M. Mc- Donough, $815; James T. Lyons, $560. Awarded to Lyons.
Concrete-J. B. Harris, forty-five cents ; J. H. Mclaughlin, forty-three cents; skimming, twenty-five cents. Awarded to McLaughlin.
Rail fence and wall Humphrey street-James C. Emerson, $517; James T. Lyons, $530; W. A. Delory, $440. Awarded to Delory.
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REPORT OF SELECTMEN.
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Curbstone-Dearborn Bros. & Co .- Straight, seventy-two cents per foot ; champered, seventy-five cents ; circle, ninety-two cents. No other bid.
Coal-B. O. Honors & Son-Egg, $6.50; broken, $6.25; Cumberland, $4.50. No other bid.
Painting Town Hall and Police Station-John C. Thomas & Son, $230; L. F. Kezer. $210; George H. Lampard, $197.50. Awarded to Lampard.
Removing ledge at Cemetery-Felix Marino-Blasting, $1.65 ; filling, forty cents per load ; James T. Lyons, blasting. $1.60 ; filling, twenty-five cents. Awarded to Lyons.
Flag pole-H. Pigeon & Sons, $255. No other bid.
Highway Building-Levi Hudson, $765; W. J. Waters. $700. Awarded to Waters.
Relaying stage floor-J. W. Butcher, $30; Peleg Gardner. $30; Gilbert Delano, $25 ; George H. Doane, $25. Awarded to Doane.
After consulting the various boards, the following appropria- tions are recommended for the various departments, for the current year :
Highway .
$11,000
School
33.000
Selectmen's
5,500
Poor
2,500
Police
5.800
Fire, receipts and
S.200
Library, receipts, dog tax and
500
Street lights
10,000
Cemetery
1,000
Sidewalks
Soo
Town Hall, receipts and
1.400
Crushing stone .
1.500
Catch Basins and Gutters .
1,000
Curbstone
500
Re-setting Curbstone
100
Memorial Day . .
200
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
Care of Monument Lot
30
Tree Warden
.
.
350
Street Watering
3,500
Water Rates
1,200
Health
4,500
Soldiers' Relief
2,400
Park
1,500
Care Brooks
300
Care Snow
1,500
State Tax (estimated)
12,000
County Tax (estimated)
11,000
Interest (estimated) .
5,500
Interest Sewer Bonds
7,500
Sewer Maintenance .
4,500
Sewer Bonds
4,600
Recommendations.
Few citizens are probably aware that the Town practically owns no sidewalk on either corner of Humphrey and Redington streets. The same condition exists at the corner of Burrill and Essex streets adjoining the estate of Ebenezer Burrill, although by kindness of the owners, the land has been occupied as such.
We have had plans prepared, which will be submitted to the Town meeting, so that conditions can be seen. We recom- mend that a Committee be appointed to investigate and report at an adjourned meeting and that an appropriation be made for the improvement.
We recommend that the sum of $100, be appropriated to repair the sea wall adjoining the estate of S. Vorenberg.
Respectfully submitted,
ALLEN H. COLE, ARTHUR C. WIDGER, JOHN R. MERRITT,
Selectmen of Swampscott.
III
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1907]
Report of the School Committee.
To the Citizens of the Town of Swampscott :
The School Committee began the last fiscal year with an inadequate appropriation to meet with the constantly growing expenses of the School Department. Notwithstanding the fact that a new eight-room school building was to be equipped and opened and the Department sustained for a period of thirteen months instead of twelve the appropriation was not increased.
The School Committee began the year with constant efforts to keep the expenses down without placing any obstacles in the way of the proper development of the schools. Whenever an opportunity presented itself to lessen expense without injury to the educational system it was . promptly accepted. The lack of funds necessitated much neglect in the direction of repairs, and work which should have been done last summer was postponed to another year.
The most important feature of the work of the past year was the opening of the new Clarke School, a modern eight-room structure which has very satisfyingly met the needs for which it was built. It was expected that but six of the rooms would be occupied at the opening of the fall term but such was the in- crease in registration that the use of the remaining two rooms was demanded and they were consequently occupied.
The opening of the new school entailed a large amount of expense for which no provision had been made outside of the regular appropriation. New seats and desks costing nearly $1, 100 were a part of this expense. Previous to the opening of the school the grades which were transferred there had been
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[Jan. 31
exchanging books with other grades. The transfer to the new building demanded almost all new books, another expense of an unusual nature. Clocks, teachers' desks, settees, and a large amount of other paraphernalia had to be purchased in order to properly equip the building. The services of a janitor holding an engineer's license and many more tons of coal than had hitherto been used were still further expense. All this was paid from the appropriation of $26,000 granted by the Town. The grading of the school yard was nearly all paid from a special appropriation of $300.
In years past the supplies of the school have been bought more or less promiscuously. This year the school committee determined to secure an estimate of the needs for the year and invite bids. Never having been done before the work of secur- ing a list was very arduous and several weeks elapsed before it was in proper shape to submit to the firms dealing in school supplies. Bids were invited from a number of them and the contract was awarded to J. L. Hammett Co. of Boston. A large saving was made and this method will be followed during the coming year.
With the hope of bringing the educational system up to the highest possible standard the School Committee secured the ser- vices of Prof. William J. Pelo as superintendent of schools. He had been highly recommended by many leading educators and although the salary he demanded was somewhat in excess of what the School Committee had been paying it felt that the educational system would be more than proportionately improved.
The work of Mr. Pelo during the past six months has been closely watched by the school committee and it believes that a few years of his services will show most satisfactory results. Re-organization along modern lines is necessarily slow and will take some time for development. No radical departures have been made, the School Committee and Mr. Pelo deeming it advisable to improve gradually and with thoroughness.
After seeking and obtaining advice from men who have made a business of school work the committee decided that it would be of incalculable benefit to the department to maintain a system of
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1907]
bookkeeping of its own and Mr. Stubbs of the committee was elected secretary with instructions to open a set of books. The accounts of the department have therefore been carefully kept with much benefit to the committee the members of which are now able to know just what the financial condition of the school department is at any moment. This system will prove of incalculable benefit in the future, if continued, for every bill is copied in detail, making comparisons a very simple matter. Mr. Stubbs' report is given elsewhere in the reports of the school department.
With the population of Swampscott constantly increasing it must be plain that within a very few years the question of still another new school building will arise. There is a possibility that it will be needed two years hence and it would therefore be well for the citizens to have this matter in mind and be in some- what of a state of preparedness when we are face to face with the proposition.
Following the instructions of a law passed by the legislature last year the school committee had the pupils of all the schools examined by physicians and the results obtained reported to the Superintendent. The School Committee believes that medical examination in the schools should be continued at regular inter- vals and will go further with the matter as soon as its position with relation to the law has been more clearly defined.
When Miss Bill, the music and drawing teacher, resigned after sixteen years of meritorious service it was decided to separate the two positions believing that much better results could be obtained. Next year there will therefore be supervisors of drawing and of music, the incumbents in these positions to devote two days each week to the Swampscott schools.
In taking account of stock of the supplies on hand last summer the rather careless method of caring for the supplies was observed and rectified. It had always been the custom to store supplies in the basement of the Phillips school building but not under lock and key. In consequence a considerable quantity of paper in packages and loose, had been strewn about. Large closets were constructed with locks and the accumulated paper of
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
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several years was used up before the new supplies were touched.
No supplies are now given out to any of the schools without a written order from the superintendent. Heretofore there had been more or less of a help-yourself plan which to say the least was unbusinesslike.
Although every effort was made to prevent an increase in the teachers' staff at the opening of the fall term it was found utterly impossible and one teacher was added to the regular staff. If the registration next fall increase in a like proportion to last year it is probable that another will have to be added.
One of the pleasant features of the year was the presentation to the Clarke school of a magnificent oil painting of the late Jonas Bowen Clarke by surviving members of his family. Exercises were held at the school building of an appropriate nature and they were much enjoyed by a large gathering of the people of the town.
S. PERRY CONGDON, A. W. STUBBS.
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1907]
REPORT OF SECRETARY OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
To the Members of the School Committee of the Town of Swampscott :
During the early part of last year the members of the School Committee took under consideration a proposition to open a set of books, believing some system of keeping the accounts abso- lutely necessary in order that the committee should at all times be familiar with the financial conditions of its department. In past years recourse to the books of the clerk of the Selectmen had been necessary if any information concerning payments was desired. The cost of school supplies in detail could be obtained only with considerable difficulty and comparison of prices in different years was a work of much research.
Late in April the committee took action by instructing the secretary to open such books as he should deem necessary to keep the committee thoroughly informed upon all matters per- taining to the receipts and expenditures of the School Depart- ment. Although the work was started several months after the opening of the fiscal year its usefulness has been fully demon- strated and as years pass its value will be more and more enhanced.
To Clerk Rowell of the Board of Selectmen the Secretary is much indebted for assistance. Mr. Rowell placed the select- men's accounts of the School Department at the disposal of the Secretary and he was thereby enabled to secure the figures of all the payments from the beginning of the year to the time of opening the books.
It is the belief of the School Committee that the citizens of the town should be thoroughly informed upon the disposition of the
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
school appropriation and that every possible means should be taken to clearly explain financial conditions. As servants of the town it is the duty of the members of the School Committee to give the widest possible publicity to its acts.
The books of the School Committee were closed on February I for the year and every detail of expenditure since they were opened is on record for future use. These various expenditures have been classified and it is the purpose of the Secretary to here- with present such figures as shall give the citizens of Swamp- scott a general understanding as to the various uses of the appro- priations granted the School Committee during the past year.
Financial Statement of School Department for Year Ending January 31, 1907.
RECEIPTS.
March appropriation
$26,000 00
December appropriation . ·
8,000 00
Total
$34,000 00
EXPENSES.
Salaries .
.
$22,916 12
Books
.
.
1,374 31
Supplies
1,328 74
Light
23 09
Miscellaneous .
322 12
Repairs and cleaning
894 87
Furniture and furnishings
1,396 63
Fuel
1,976 35
Printing .
149 55
Insurance
541 00
Water
262 00
Rent
450 00
.
31,634 78
$2,365 22 Balance on hand February 1, 1907
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1907]
The salary item includes all money paid to employees of the school department, regular and substitute teachers, principals, su- perintendent, janitors and secretary. Beginning in September last the School Committee inaugurated the practice of dividing the salary list into ten payments instead of twelve as heretofore. This change was made because of the fact that the work of the employes of the School Department ends the last of June and is not again taken up until the first of September. Previous to last September it had been the custom of the School Committee to pay the July salaries in June and the August salaries in Sep- tember. This led to a large number of complications and much inconvenience for many teachers wanted both July and August for use on their vacations. Nearly every city and town pay their teachers on a basis of ten months or forty weeks. The salaries of all the regular employees of the department will be found elsewhere.
The books item of $1,374.31 is a trifle larger than it would have been had it not been for the opening of the new Clarke School. Grades were transferred to this building which had been exchanging books with the pupils of other grades in the same building. This made the purchase of an unusually large amount of new books necessary.
The item of supplies is probably nearly if not quite normal and will probably increase as the schools continue to grow larger. The item of light needs no explanation.
The miscellaneous account of $322. 12 contains $150.00 paid to the city of Lynn for tuition. A large portion of the remain- der is for express, telephones and cleaning vaults.
The item of repairs and cleaning includes all carpentering, plumbing and mason work done during the summer and at other odd times during the year. The Committee ordered only such work as was absolutely necessary and this item is therefore somewhat lower than it should have been.
All but a few dollars of the item of $1,396.63 for furniture and furnishings was for new desks, chairs, curtains, etc., for the new Clarke School.
The item of $1,976.35 for fuel includes coal and wood for
9
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TOWN DOCUMENTS. [Jan. 31
all the schools. The School Committee does not buy the fuel merely approving the bills after ascertaining if they are correct.
The printing item is not large and that of $262.00 for water is paid to the Town for the faucets in various school buildings. An unusually large amount of insurance ran out during the past year and this item is therefore a little larger than it will be next year. The item of $450.00 for rent was for the room in the Odd Fellows' building used by the School Department during the erection of the Clarke School.
In a general way this tells the story of the expenditures of the School Department. Complete copies of the detailed bills are in the possession of the Secretary and any inquiries will always be cheefully answered.
In conclusion it ought to be mentioned that the total appro- priation of $34,000 granted the School Committee was to cover a period of thirteen months and not twelve as many have seemed to understand. The School Committee asked for an appro- priation of $31,000 last March for the use of the department for a year. This report shows that during the year the sum of $31,634.78 was spent and this includes the extraordinary expense entailed in opening the new Clarke School. The balance on hand February I of $2,365.22 will come within a compara- tively small amount of cleaning up bills of the Department to March I.
ARTHUR W. STUBBS,
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1907]
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the School Committee of the Town of Swampscott :
I have the honor to submit my first annual report for the fiscal year ending February 1, 1907.
School Accommodations.
At the time of the completion of Clarke School it was thought by the Committee that only six of the eight rooms would be occu- pied this year. But when the schools opened in September the increased enrollment necessitated the use of all the accommoda- tions which that building provided. The old Pine Street school has been abandoned and the temporary school at Elmwood Road has been discontinued. One teacher (Miss Gregg), was taken from the Redington Street school and placed in charge of a room comprising second and third grade pupils in the new building. Thus by closing four old rooms and using all the space in the Clarke School, we have increased our accommodations by four rooms. In spite of this increase in rooms we have overcrowded conditions and have been obliged to burden the work of several · of our teachers by compelling them to take two grades, as is the case in every building except the Essex Street school. The Farm and Beach schools still continue with three grades in one room. This plan is entirely inadequate for effective school work. The teachers must divide the time of each session among three classes, when it should all be given to one grade. It is surprising to me that we have as good results as obtain in these schools, under such adverse conditions.
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 3[
The High School is overcrowded, and next year at least one of the grades now housed in the Phillips building will have to be moved in order to make room for the increased work of the High School, occasioned by the addition of one year to the program of study.
The most conservative will agree that the growth of Swamp- scott is likely to continue. It will, therefore, be necessary for the Committee to plan continuously, persistently and effectively, to increase the capacity of the school buildings; and in doing this care must be exercised to afford not merely temporary relief in limited localities, but as far as possible, permanent relief to as much of the town as possible. Already the parents of the chil- dren who attend the Farm and Beach schools, are talking about a new building, and it is only a matter of a few years when the town will have to erect a building conveniently situated to accommodate both these districts.
Repairs.
It always happens when a new school building is opened that comparisons are drawn with the older structures, and hitherto unthought of disadvantages are brought to light. Sometimes these are trifling matters, and occasionally they are conditions which should be corrected. I shall call your attention only to those conditions at the various buildings which should have your earliest attention, and which in many cases are unsanitary, and therefore are a menace to the health of the children.
Now that the town has laid a sewer along Essex Street the old cesspool closets should be replaced with a modern system of plumbing. I need not dwell on the conditions arising from a closet located so closely to the building, and directly in front of the entrance. There is room in the cellars for two closets, and an appropriation should be asked from the town to make this change possible.
The boys closet at the Phillips school needs your immediate attention. Complaints are made by teachers and pupils, and were it not for the untiring efforts of the janitor of the building
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