USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > Town annual report of Swampscott 1914 > Part 13
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 22nd day of January, 1915.
CLARENCE B. HUMPHREY
ELIAS G. HODGKINS,
Selectmen SEAL| of SEAL [SEAL]
JAMES F. CATON.
Swampscott
LYDIA A. FARNHAM,
[SEAL ]
LYDIA A. WARDWELL,
[SEAL]
JOHN A. CULLEN, [SEAL]
JOHN HALEY,
[SEAL]
MAUD MEDLAR,
[SEAL ]
PELEG GARDNER,
[SEAL ]
CHARLES H. KETCHEN,
[SEAL]
NATHANIEL R. MARTIN,
[SEAL]
CHARLES E. PHILLIPS,
[SEAL ]
EFFIE J. LAKE,
[SEAL]
EDITH M. NOWELL.
[SEAL]
The owners with whom no agreement has as yet been made are :
George E. Noyes,
Anna M. Spencer,
Reuben H. Goodwin,
Mary E. Redfern,
The Real Estate Associates,
Francis E. Galloupe, and
Mary A. McFarland.
III
SELECTMEN'S REPORT.
1914]
XII. Humphrey Street Widening.
The story and details of this large undertaking have been previously told in the various reports heretofore published, the last one being the special report of the joint committee, consisting of the Selectmen and Weston K. Lewis and Amos R. Little. It is reprinted with the Town Clerk's records in this report.
The work was started March 25, 1914, at 9 A. M., and has continued under the direction of the Massachusetts Highway Commission, with the results now apparent to every one. We are of opinion that the Town made no mistake in constructing the approaches in conjunction with the other work.
At the time of writing this report, the Highway Commissioners have not accepted the street, but we understand that a provisional acceptance is shortly contemplated, which will put the care and maintenance upon the Town.
The total amount appropriated for the work was $70,000, which has been expended to January 15th, as follows :
1913 LAYOUT
Water construction .
.
$9,789 79
Sewer construction . . 120 00
Miscellaneous bills .
1,545 27
Value of work done on McDonough contract, 37,123 57
$48,578 63
LYNN APPROACH
Value of work done on McDonough contract, $7,866 22 7,866 22
EAST APPROACH
Value of work done on McDonough contract, $2,219 12 Sewer work 228 16
2,447 28
$58,892 13
II2
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
FINANCE.
I. Town Accounting.
The present system of Town accounting was installed February 1, 191I, since which time the budget each year is made up with the same classifi- cation, and is easily followed for comparative purposes. The system itself enables the Selectmen to systematically study the various expendi- tures, and, with the trial balances, published each month, the department heads, as well as the public, can follow the expenditures. The audit each six months by state officials is a healthy procedure, and their yearly bal- ance sheet conclusive. There are details outside of the system, being administrative duties, that can be improved upon, among which is the purchase of supplies, on which, at present, there seems to be no counter check.
While the auditor's report does not show to whom monies in each department were paid, as classified, it is something that could be done if the Town so desires. We recommend the system to all our sister Towns who have not adopted it.
II. Town Debt.
On Dec. 31, 1913. the net bonded debt was
$667,380 16 Added during the year $109,700 00
Paid during the year .
56,184 76 .
Increase during the year ·
53,515 24
On December 31, 1914, the net bonded debt is . $720,895 40
III. Bonds.
All bonds issued this year have been authenticated by the Bureau of Statistics, and the premium realized amounted to $1,669.80.
They are made up as follows : $50,000 00 Swampscott Humphrey St. Loan, Act of 1913 .
Swampscott Miscellaneous Loan of 1914 15,000 00
Swampscott Sewer Loan, Act of 1913 . 1,600 00
Swampscott Sewer Loan, Act of 1913 . 20,100 CO
Swampscott Sewer Loan, Act of 1913 . 1,000 00
Swampscott Additional Water Loan Act of 1912 . 2,000 00
Humphrey Street Widening, Act of 1914 20,000 00
$109,700 00
IV. Notes in Anticipation of Taxes.
$100,000 due November 15, 1914, 4.00 per cent. 25,000 due November 15, 1914, 3.90 per cent. 15,000 due December 20, 19:4, 3.59 per cent. 35,000 due April 10, 1915, 3.62 per cent.
$175,000
113
SELECTMEN'S REPORT.
1914]
V. Amounts Appropriated by the Town in 1914, of which $107,700 was Raised by Issue of Bonds.
General Government .
$14,908 99
Protection of Life and Property
. 33,919 00
Health and Sanitation .
12,675 00
Sewer Construction
22,700 00
Highways and Bridges .
120,460 10
Charities
9,800 00
Education
53,350 00
Libraries
1,400 00
Recreation
7,878 57
Unclassified .
2,552 70
Cemetery
1,800 00
Water Department
4,200 00
Interest
26,248 62
General Debt
46,902 53
State Tax
.
. 29,837 50
County Tax .
20,672 28
$409,205 29
VI. Figuring the Tax Rate for 1914.
Town Grant .
,
State Tax
.
.
.
29,837 50
County Tax .
20,672 28
Park Tax
6,543 77
State Enterprises Tax .
1,094 09
Overlay
2,933 68
$304,438 97
Cash, January 1, 1914 .
$4,251 00
Reimbursed to Treasurer
6,100 00
1912 Taxes paid to August 7
3,961 00
Poll Taxes .
3,732 00
Estimated Receipts
50,534 OI
$63,578 0I
Property Tax $14,039,344 at $16.80 per $1,000
$235,860 96
VII. Where the Taxpayers' Dollars Went Under the Following Tax Rates.
1910
19II
1912
1913 1914
State Tax
·
$1 31
$1 24
$2 13
County Tax
I 37
I 28
I 47
Park and Highway Tax
52
61
54
Bonded Indebtedness
.
3 06
3 38
5 21
Town Expenses
.
.
8 74
8 49
7 45
Tax Rate
. $15 00 $15 00
$16 80
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
·
.
.
.
·
·
.
.
,
.
.
Every appropriation of $14,049 meant $1.00 on the tax rate.
Ten thousand dollars saved in appropriations meant a saving of 71 cents on the tax rate.
.
.
.
$243,357 65
114
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
VIII. State and County Taxes.
State tax
1910 $14,905 00
19II $14,905 00 15,485 85
1912 $16,937 50
1913 $27,280 00
1914 $29,837 50 20,672 28
$30,552 33
$30,390 85 $32,493 79 $48,166 94 $50,509 78
The amount paid on State and County taxes is figured on the rates of valuation and the rate fixed every three years. We are now paying on the rate fixed for 1913, 1914 and 1915.
IX. Other State Taxes.
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
Metropolitan
Park Tax
$5,843 89
$7,175 59
$5,665 71
$6,340 95
$6,543 77
State High-
way Tax
00 00
74 50
74 50
74 50
460 10
Bureau of
-
Statistics
00 00
00 00
622 66
330 13
633 99
Met. Water
Tax
$9,547 88 $10,651 30 $10,814 10 $11,254 35
X. Borrowing Money for Permanent Improvements.
Previous to the year 1909 it was the policy of the Town to borrow money for permanent improvements by the issuing of bonds for periods not to exceed ten years. These amounts each year averaged about $ 15,000, and, according to law, they must be paid within ten years, so that it was the practice to distribute these through subsequent years so that the amount in any one year would not exceed $15,000. At that time no sink- fund was provided to pay for them at maturity, and the total amount was raised by taxation each year.
Since registration of bonds, however, it has been clearly shown that it was unlawful to raise money in the above manner without establishing a sinking fund, and by adopting the serial bond method of payment, whereby a certain amount of each issue became payable in the succeeding year. It soon became evident that in addition to paying off the old bonds on which no sinking fund was established, we were also paying the accumulated amounts due to the issuing of serial bonds, so that until the period had passed, whereby we eliminate all of the old bonds and worked entirely upon the new serial bonds, we are obliged to pay an amount considerably more than the average $15,000. At the present time we are getting the burden of this double payment on municipal indebtedness which will continue for the next few years, until the old bonded indebtedness is eliminated.
So far as the method of raising small issues of $15,000 by bond is con- cerned, it only helps the town for the time being, namely, the first two or three years in which the money is raised. The practice of continuing to thus raise money is simply borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, as we raise $15,000 each year to pay off old bonds and then issue bonds for $15,000 more to do work. We recommend that the system of raising money by bond issues, to take care of permanent improvements, so-called, which
County tax
15,647 33
15,556 94
20,886 94
115
SELECTMEN'S REPORT.
1914]
under the law may be borrowed for a term running from five to ten years, be discontinued, and that the town pay for these slight permanent improve- ments by an increase in the tax levy ; and the method of resorting to bond issues be used entirely for some extraordinary purpose, such as the build- ing of a schoolhouse, sewer system, or other municipal work of like mag- nitude where large amounts of money are involved, and then the issue carried through a long term of years.
Overdrafts.
There are twenty-six departments and appropriations that show balances to their credit, amounting in the aggregate to $1,978.95. Other departments show small overdrafts, which have been taken care of by transfers from the reserve fund. Those requiring special mention are the Town Hall, Fire and Schools, being respectively $508.71, $424.80 and $499.69. The Town Hall was necessary on account of work ordered by the State Inspector and an unusual coal bill; the Fire by building of concrete floor under chemical, and the School was not really an overdraft, as the money was appropriated but not raised. Of the above the Town Hall was taken care of by transfer.
In addition there was the Blackmere claim, $1,353.51 ; interest charges on general debt, $1,280.00.
These matters were taken care of in this manner to avoid calling a special town meeting late in the year.
We recommend that the sum of $3,558.00 be appropriated to refund to the treasurer on account of the reported overdrafts.
Appropriations for Departmental Expenses.
We have carefully gone over the expenditures of the past year, the departmental reports, and recommend the following appropriations for the current year.
They include so-called overhead charges only. All special work asked for is eliminated and referred to you by special articles in the warrant.
DEPARTMENTAL.
I. General Government.
Legislative.
Moderator
$55 00
Ways and Means reports
·
100 00
Miscellaneous .
45 00
Selectmen.
Chairman
.
$500 00
Associates
600 00
Secretary
.
150 00
Constable
60 00
Other expenses
·
.
500 00
Auditing.
Accountant .
.
.
.
$1,050 00
Other expenses
.
.
.
.
150 00
-
$1,200 00
.
.
$200 00
-
$1,810 00
116
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
Treasury.
Treasurer
$600 00
Treasurer's Bond
.
60 00
Other expenses
125 00
Collector of Taxes.
Salary
$600 00
Collector's Bond
50 00
Other expenses
.
.
250 00
Assessors.
Chairman
$600 00
Two Associates
.
500 00
Clerical work .
200 00
Special information
250 00
Other expenses
400 00
Town Clerk.
Salary
$200 00
Other expenses
100 00
Law.
Town Counsel
$200 00
Special work .
.
.
.
Election and Registration.
Registrars
$225 00
Election officers
166 50
Other expenses
308 50
Engineering.
Town Engineer
$1,800 00
Assistants
1,800 00
Supplies and Bounds
400 00
Town Hall.
Janitor .
$1,040 00
Light
.
375 00
Coal .
.
150 00
Telephone
150 00
Other expenses .
485 00
$2,200 00
II. Protection of Life and Property.
Police.
Chief
$1,300 00
Seven regular officers
.
7,644 00
Special officers
600 00
Telephones
390 00
Batteries .
400 00
Motorcycle
250 00
Fuel .
70 00
Light
140 00
Other expenses
631 00
Painting ambulance
75 00
Fire.
Chief
$1,300 00
Seven permanent men
.
7,644 00
Two engineers
200 00
Call me
1,605 00
Horses
.
780 00
Coal .
.
.
225 00
Telephone
.
.
15: 34
.
.
$300 00
400 00
$600 00
.
700 00
$4,000 00
·
.
$11,500 00
$785 00
$900 00
-
$1,950 00
1914]
SELECTMEN'S REPORT.
II7
Light
133 80
Water
45 00
Insurance
231 25
Tires
250 00
Gasoline
S2 50
Repairs on building
75 00
Repairs on Fire alarm
75 00
All others
323 11
Hydrant rent
2,580 00
Hose
400 00
One Fire Alarm Box
.
.
.
$16,165 00
Sealer of Weights and Measures.
Salary. ·
$60 00
Other expenses.
30 00
$90 00
Moth Department
$4,500 00
Tree Warden.
Salary ·
$75 00
Other expenses
675 00
$750 00
Dog Officer
$150 00
III. Health and Sanitation.
Chairman
$200 00
Two associates
.
300 00
Clerk
.
.
100 00
Plumbing Inspector
.
600 00
Milk Inspector
100 00
Animal Inspector
100 00
Fumigating ·
275 00
Hospital expense
625 00
Vital Statistics
150 00
Telephone
80 00
Unpaid bills and miscellaneous
620 00
$3,150 00
Sewer Maintenance.
Chairman
$150 00
Associates
.
200 00
Clerk
104 00
Telephones
55 00
Fuel and power
700 00
Engineer .
1,040 00
Superintendent
1,040 00
Fireman
910 00
Other expenses
.
.
.
.
.
$5,500 00
Refuse and Garbage.
Ashes
$1,800 00
Offal
850 00
Other expenses
.
.
525 GO
$3,175 00
IV. Highway and Bridges.
Administration
. $1,700 00
Repairing
12,000 00
Horses and care of same
2,000 00
Care of snow .
2,000 00
Other expenses
300 00
Maintenance of Humphrey street
.
.
1,100 00
$19,100 00
9
60 00
.
.
.
.
. 1,303 00
.
.
.
118
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
Sidewalks and curbs
$1,500 00
Paving gutters and catch basins
2,000 00
Street watering and oiling
5,000 00
Street lighting
13,500 00
V. Charities.
Poor.
Chairman
.
.
.
$150 00
Associates
.
.
200 00
Secretary .
.
50 00
Telephone
65 00
Other expenses
. .
.
.
3,335 00
$3,800 00
State Aid
$3,000 00
Soldiers' Relief
3,000 00
VI. Education. SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES FOR 1915.
Expended 1914.
Estimated 1915.
School Commitee
.
.
$259 88
$300 00
Superintendent .
.
75 02
150 04
Pay Roll
.
.
40,602 24
43,949 96
Text Books-Supplies
3,268 52
3,300 00
Fuel and Light .
3,283 33
4,800 00
Repairs
1,538 79
1,000 00
Medical Attendants
259 00
300 00
Libraries
6 30
50 00
Railway Tickets
500 00
500 00
Miscellaneous Expenses
702 94
1,000 00
New Equipment
1,581 93
650 00
$53,262 07
$56,000 00
Teachers' pensions
$675 00
VII. Libraries.
Libraries
$1,400 0°
VIII. Recreation.
Monument lot
$50 00
Memorial Day
.
.
200 00
Metropolitan Park Maintenance (estimated)
3,600 00
Parks and Gardens :
Superintendent
$365 00
Secretary
75 00
Water rates
158 00
Insurance
62 50
Care of Beaches
190 00
Police
75 00
Telephone
127 00
Care of grounds, including flower beds
600 00
All others
347 50
$2,000 00
.
.
School.
.
.
119
SELECTMEN'S 'REPORT.
1914]
IX. Unclassified.
Town Reports
$S00 00
Reserve Fund
2,000 00
Heating and lighting G. A. R. Hall .
75 00
PUBLIC SERVICE ENTERPRISES.
Cemetery.
Superintendent
$450 00
Labor .
600 00
Other expenses
.
.
550 00
$1,600 00
INTEREST.
Temporary loans (estimated ) .
$5,000 00
General Debt
13,294 77
Sewer Bonds
7,728 25
Metropolitan Park Interest Assessment (estimated)
2,500 00
MUNICIPAL INDEBTEDNESS.
General Debt
$39,200 00
Sewer Bonds
13,150 00
Metropolitan Park Sinking Fund (estimated)
475 00
AGENCY.
State Tax (estimated)
$30,000 00
County Tax (estimated) .
.
.
.
21,000 00
State Enterprises (estimated) . . .
.
1,200 00
.
.
.
.
$255,473 02
The appropriating power under Town government is in the hands of the townspeople assembled in the Town Hall, and we call your attention to the Town debt, the amount due for interest, the bonds maturing the coming year and recommend that due care and consideration be given all budgets and special work in making the appropriations for the current year.
Respectfully submitted,
CLARENCE B. HUMPHREY, ELIAS G. HODGKINS, JAMES F. CATON,
Board of Selectmen.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
120
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
SCHOOL COMMITTEE-1914.
J. HENRY WELCH, Chairman Telephone 1286-W.
38 Sheridan road
ARTHUR W. STUBBS, Secretary Telephone 4344-R.
74 Paradise road
REV. EDWARD TILLOTSON . 60 Monument avenue
Telephone 2481.
Regular meetings, first Tuesday of each month at 8 o'clock P. M.
Superintendent of Schools. WILLARD M. WHITMAN, 9 Fuller terrace ; Telephone 1928.
Office of Superintendent of Schools : Hadley School; Telephone 2067. The Superintendent's Office is open on school days from 8.30 to 11.30, and from 1.30 to 5 ; Saturdays from 9 to 12.
The Superintendent's office hours on school days are from 3.30 to 4.30 every day except Wednesday ; Saturdays from 9 to 12.
Clerk to Superintendent : Florence M. Butterworth, 5 Crescent street.
Legal Holidays.
The words " legal holiday" shall include the twenty-second day of February, the nineteenth day of April, the thirtieth day of May, the fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the twelfth day of October, Thanksgiving day and Christmas day, or the day following when any of the four days first mentioned, the twelfth day of October or Christmas day occurs on Sunday ; and the public offices shall be closed on all of said days. -Chapter 136, Acts of 1911.
Observance of Flag Day.
Resolved, That the governor shall annually set apart the fourteenth day of June as Flag Day, that date being the anniversary of the adoption of the national flag by the Continental Congress in the year seventeen hun- dred and twenty-seven ; and shall issue his proclamation recommending that the day be observed by the people of the commonwealth in the dis- play of the flag and in such other ways as will be in harmony with the general character of the day .- Chapter 5, Resolves of 1911.
No School Signal.
Two double strokes on the fire-alarm 2-2.
7.20 A. M. Session for the High School begins at 8.30.
7.50 A. M. No session for one-session schools and no morning session for the grades.
12.50 P. M. No afternoon session.
121
SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S REPORT.
1914]
Report of the School Committee.
To the Citizens of Swampscott:
Aside from a constant effort to improve the educational system of the Town of Swampscott, an effort which has been directed through every approachable avenue, your committee has inaugurated at least two radical departures which it believes will result in increasing efficiency of the department and added benefit to the children who attend the schools.
Probably the greatest and most important change from the traditions of the past was the establishment of continuous supervision. For many years the schools of the Town had been moving along under the diffi- culties of two-day-a-week supervision, a practice which obtains in many of the smaller towns and of which the best that can be said is that it is better than none.
Your committee for a long time had felt the inadequacy - the insuffi- ciency of this method of supervision, but owing to the probability of largely increased expenditure at a time when other things demanded immediate attention no departure was made until at the end of the last school year when conditions adjusted themselves to the needs of the schools and presented a favorable opportunity for action without adding to the expenses of the department.
The centralized system of school administration in the Hadley school building enabled your committee to propose a combination of the posi- tions of principal of this school and the superintendency of the entire system. Mr. Whitman had very successfully administered the affairs of the Hadley school and had displayed executive ability in no small degree. Qualifications for superintending were apparent in his work as a principal and instructor and your committee presented a proposition to Mr. Whit- man, which he accepted after due consideration. Mr. Whitman has met all the expectations of your committee and a general improvement in the system must be already apparent to those who follow closely the affairs of the school. The Town now has a resident superintendent, accessible at certain hours every day and devoting all his time, energy and ability to the upbuilding of the schools of our Town.
Another important movement inagurated during the past year has been the instruction in cooking in the basement of the Hadley School for the girls of the advanced grades. A complete equipment for this depart- ment was established during the summer vacation and its success has been so great that upon recommendation of the Superintendent your Com- mittee has decided to extend it to the freshmen class of the High School in February, when the second half of the school year opens. It is to be hoped that mothers will find this department of sufficient interest to them to make it frequent visits.
Manual training in the High School and seventh and eighth grades of the elementary schools has unquestionably proved its worth, and such has
I22
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Dec. 31
been the demand for further instruction that your Committee has made plans to include the sixth grades when the new half-year opens. This will make a rearrangement of the program necessary and entail the employ- ment of an instructor for the entire five school days of each week.
The importance of athletic training, or in other words the physical well being of the pupils, has been at times more or less neglected but never overlooked. Boys and girls need health giving exercises and no greater incentive has been found than that which lies in organized play under the careful and systematic instruction of a competent director. In past years your Committee partially solved the problem by employing teachers who divided their time between educational work in the schools and athletic instruction outside. This method has never been a great success, but the results obtained have been sufficiently satisfactory to urge your Com- mittee to give more attention to what is now generally recognized as a proper branch of school work. In accordance with this determination your Committee has employed for the present year an athletic instructor who will devote all his time to the development of athletic training in both the grade and High Schools.
The same difficulty with relation to securiug good teachers exists now as it has in the past. Your Committee, in conjunction with the Super- intendent, has been especially careful in this direction, believing it to be of primary importance that well qualified instructors of good character and temperamentally fitted to deal with the many problems of childhood must be secured as a first essential of a successful school system. As in every other profession many equip themselves to teach without possessing inherent, fundamental qualifications, without which they can never hope to attain a full measure of success, and it requires a large amount of inquiry and investigation to avoid their employment, particularly at times when the stress of circumstances demands immediate action,
Your Committee, however, has been active in the investigation of can- didacies for the teachers' staff and no teacher has been employed until after the Superintendent has made a thorough investigation of her quali- fications. While financial considerations have often been an obstacle to securing the best, your Committee believes that it has been able to get the best available for the money offered.
Having secured a staff of teachers of credit to the school system it becomes necessary to keep it as nearly intact as possible. Marriage, better positions or retirement to private life are constantly causing vacancies. The law of gravitation necessarily inflicts itself upon every community in a more or less degree. In the matter of losing teachers because of offers of more pay elsewhere your Committee takes the largest interest, as herein lies an opportunity to meet these offers and hold them. It is obvious, however, that this cannot be done promiscuously or zealously and dissatisfaction will be caused. It is essential that in at least certain divisions of the grades a standard of wage exist, and this should be high enough to furnish a reasonable guarantee of permanency on the part of the teacher. It is not to be expected that an exceptionally talented teacher will not occasionally leave, but good teachers should not be dropping out to go elsewhere every now and then.
Swampscott already is occupying a most creditable position among the educational systems throughout the towns of the state, and it is the desire
123
SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S REPORT.
1914]
of your Committee to not only make it secure but add to it its develop- ment in a degree which will eventually place it in the forefront. The teachers in the grades last year petitioned for $100 each additional salary, offering as their principal reason the greatly increased cost of living. They submitted figures showing it was with difficulty they were able to properly maintain their positions, and your Committee recommended sufficient additional appropriation to make an advance of $50 a year, with the promise of recommending an additional $50 in the appropriation of this year. This your Committee now asks.
One of the most important problems appearing during the last year was the question of additional room in the High School building. A com- mittee to investigate the needs, which included the members of your School Committee, was appointed by the Town and its report will indi- cate the necessity for immediately adding four rooms to the building, and making necessary changes in the heating and ventilating system. Unless this work has been completed in September there will be no place for many of the children. Your Committee has availed itself of every opportunity for makeshifts in order to accommodate the constantly growing enrolment, but the time has now arrived when only an addition to the building will meet the demand. Your Committee urges prompt and speedy action upon such measures as the citizens at the annual Town Meeting deem wise to adopt, as it will be only by an early beginning in the spring, that the necessary alterations can be made in time for the September opening of the school. It may be stated as an additional rea- son for prompt action in this direction that the state building authorities would have enforced improved ventilating, sanitary and safety conditions, at the High School building during the past summer had not the Town by the appointment of a committee taken a step toward better conditions, and they only suspended action in the expectation that the desired improvements will be made this year. The demands of the state author- ities alone would have involved an expenditure of approximately $12,000.
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