USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1916 > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
It is claimed by the companies that the cities and towns use this money to relieve themselves from raising the other- wise necessary amounts for general and ordinary repairs of the public ways, when, as is claimed, it was intended that this money should be applied in the first instance at least and so far as necessary, to the repair of the surface of the streets through which the tracks run. Therefore the com- panies are endeavoring to be released from the payment of
237
the excise tax or to have the same reduced.
It has been the custom of our town for several years to vote the use of this tax as a part of the town appropriations for highway repairs and the removal of snow. In adding these taxes to our town appropriations we do not increase the amount of the appropriations as the law provides that these taxes shall be so used. If the construction placed on the law by the company should prove to be correct, we mistrust that in assuming to make these taxes a part of the town appropriation, we are placing in the hands of the company an argument for abolishing or reducing the excise tax and deceiving ourselves into the belief that we are making more liberal appropriations than we really are. While the street railway company in our town is still subject to all legal obligations imposed in original grants of location and which contain provisions relative to the repairs of the street, yet we suggest that in passing the vote for highway repairs and the removal of snow, no allusion be made to the excise tax.
BAY STATE STREET RAILWAY.
A petition was received October 2 from the Bay State Street Railway Company for the relocation of its tracks in Front Street from a point nine hundred feet north of Winter Street to Main Street, in Columbian Street from Main Street to Columbian Square and in Pond Street and Pleasant Street from the railroad station to Columbian Square.' It has been necessary for the company to renew its track on these streets and by the ruling of the Public Service Commission, when tracks are rebuilt it must be with a clearance of four and one-half feet between the rails and any pole or tree. As a number of the trees along the old location are a less distance than this from the track a change of location was asked which would give the required clearance.
A hearing was held on this petition on the evening of October twentieth. No opposition developed at this hearing, it being a generally recognized fact that the track needs to be rebuilt and the sentiment of the meeting favored grant- ing the necessary changes. This change, it was found, could be made on Front, Columbian and Pleasant Streets without
238
serious encroachment upon the streets.
Upon Pond Street a condition was found which called for careful consideration. This section of street leading to the railroad station is at best none too wide and the narrowing of the travelled way to any extent is a serious matter. It was claimed by one speaker at the hearing that there were several feet of land on the easterly side which belonged to the roadway but which had not of late years been occupied as such, and if the street was worked to the line and the five small trees now in the edge of the sidewalk near its southerly end were removed it would obviate the necessity of changing the location of the track.
We had the town engineer locate the line of the street as near as possible and it was found that there was a space, about three feet in width at the greatest point which could be so utilized. A permit was issued under date of October 30, 1916, for the change of location of the tracks of the com- pany.
At the date of this writing this permit has not been ac- cepted by the company.
ALEWIVE FISHERY.
In compliance with authority conferred by the town, act- ing under Article 72 of the warrant for the last annual meeting, concerning the Alewive Fishery, the board com- municated with George L. Wentworth, Esq., Trustee of the John P. Lovell Estate and obtained the terms upon which the fishery could be acquired or leased by the town.
The terms for the lease for the year 1916 were $150, and suggested the sum of $2,500 for which the fishery right would be conveyed to the town subject to the approval of the beneficiaries.
A lease was entered into for the year and Joseph H. Sher- man was placed in charge of the fishery. As is well known, the fishery has been running down for several years by rea- son of an insufficient number of fish being placed in the pond for spawning. Mr. Sherman was instructed to make sure that a suitable number was taken to the pond and to give his personal care to the protection of the young fry during
239
the progress to tide water. Twenty thousand fish were taken to the pond. The number sold was small. The cost of the fishery, including the lease, was $377.71. The amount received from sale of fish was $34.43. As the fish do not return until the third year it will take at least three years to build up the fishery to its former proportions.
We recommend that the right be purchased by the town.
INSURANCE.
In the vote of the last annual meeting under the Appro- priation for Miscellaneous Expenses, was included a pro- vision that this appropriation should include $500 for in- surance, to be expended under the direction of the Select- men.
The insurance of its property by the town being a new departure from its previous policy, the board found itself at a loss in determining what was the best policy to pursue in the expenditure of this limited amount; especially as the town in its vote gave no intimation of its will in regard to what class of property it wished insured or the nature of the policies. In a matter of such importance as this, which, if entered into, may involve an expenditure of two thousand dollars a year it seems to us that some definite system should be adopted from the start.
We found early in the year that most of the insurance agents in town and some out of town regarded this as an appropriation of which they were all entitled to derive a share of the benefit. We have gathered considerable infor- mation in regard to municipal insurance, the principal points of which seem to be as follows:
If we enter into insurance under what is known as the blanket rate, we are required to insure up to ninety per cent of the value of the town's perishable property, including buildings, contents, road machinery and personal property of whatever nature. We have insurable property estimated at $500,000, ninety per cent. of which would be $450,000. The insurance upon this under the blanket rate would be about thirty-five cents on a hundred, or $1,890 for one year, or two and one-half times that for three years.
Our $500 would carry on frame buildings eighty per cent.
1
240
risks, $75,000 for one year or $30,000 for three years; on brick buildings about twenty per cent. larger amounts. Were we to distribute the given amount of insurance over a greater number of buildings with a less amount 'on each the rate would be still higher and in the event of damage to any given building by fire we could only recover in propor- tion of the per cent. of the value of the building insured to the per cent. of the damage sustained.
After careful consideration of the above facts the board decided to let the matter of insurance lie over until the town had opportunity to express itself more fully as to the method of insurance it wished to adopt.
An article will appear in the warrant under which the whole subject can be considered.
Should it be deemed best to adopt the blanket system it is probable the services of an expert could be procured to work out the best blanket rate without cost to the town.
This board thinks favorably of the acceptance by the town of the provisions of Chapter 516, Sections 102 to 105, of the Acts of 1907, authorizing the establishments of municipal buildings insurance fund by any city or town accepting these provisions. It seems to us that with the number of buildings now owned by the town and as widely scattered as most of them are that the establishment of such a fund would be the wisest policy for the town to adopt in relation to fire insur- ance.
LEGAL AFFAIRS.
Albert P. Worthen was reappointed as Town Counsel to serve his sixteenth year in that capacity. We are indebted to him for wise counsel in the numerous matters upon which his opinion has been asked. We consider the town fortunate in having a citizen of the broad experience and well known abilities of Mr. Worthen who is willing to devote so much time for so long a term of years for so moderate a stipend as he receives.
We are pleased to note that Mr. Worthen has just been elected to a third term as President of the Massachusetts Association of City Solicitors and Town Counsels.
241
We also feel that it is due our town counsel that we should quote the recognition by the Public Service Commission of his services in connection with the long drawn out Bay State Street Railway fare hearings, as follows: "The Commission also wishes to express its appreciation of the assistance rendered by counsel for the remonstrants, especially by Arthur G. Wadleigh, city solicitor of Lynn and Albert P. Worthen, town counsel of Weymouth, upon whom, by com- mon consent, fell the chief burden of the opposition. No rate case ever tried in the Commonwealth has directly con- cerned so many of its people or has possessed so many com- plexities."
BAY STATE STREET RAILWAY FARES.
In our last report reference was made to the fact that the Public Service Commission had under consideration a pro- posed increase in fares, modifications of fare limits and transfer privileges as per schedule of changes filed by the Bay State Street Railway Co. on September 7, 1915.
Briefly, the changes proposed
1. Increased the unit cash fare upon all lines from five cents to six cents.
2. Increased certain local fares from five cents to eight cents.
3. Withheld transfer privileges in some cases and reduced the distance the holder was entitled to ride in others.
4. Created new fare zones.
5. Shortened up present fare limits.
6. Abolished reduced fare (workmen's) tickets.
The company is the successor of sixty-three street railway companies which, by gradual steps have been consolidated into this single corporation. It owns and operates 951 miles of track and is one of the largest street railway systems in the world. All of the common stock is held by the Mas- sachusetts Electric Companies, a voluntary association or- ganized for the purpose by two banking firms in Boston. The only stock held by the public is a relatively small amount of preferred stock.
242
The proceedings before the Public Service Commission developed into what, in its annual report the Commission state was "undoubtedly one of the most important street railway fare cases ever tried in this country."
Public hearings began on November 8, 1915, and were closed on July 25, 1916, occupying sixty days in all. The company operates in eighty-five cities and towns in the state and nearly all of them were represented by counsel as were various boards of trade, labor unions and other organiza- tions and certain individuals.
In an elaborate report made by the public service commis- sion August 31, 1916, the right to carry into effect the pro- posed new schedule was denied and an order entered that the Bay State Street Railway Co. be required to cancel the rates and charges, changes in fare limits and transfer priv- ileges therein stated. However, it having appeared that in certain cities, country districts and suburban portions of its system, some increase in the unit cash fare seemed reason- able to the Commission, permission was given the Company to file a new schedule consistent with intimations in the report but without introducing new fare zones or alterations in fare limits or transfer privileges and excluding certain cities and the territory within a five cent fare of their cen- tres. The company availed itself of this opportunity by filing with the Commission on September 9, 1916, a new schedule of fares which were allowed by the Commission to become effective.
The net result to the people of Weymouth is that the only change affecting them has been an increase of cash fare from five cents to six cents, not applying however to territory within the former five cent ride of the centre of Quincy. There are no new fare zones, no reduction in transfer priv- ileges, no shortening of fare limits and no abolition of work- ing men's tickets, all of which were proposed in the first schedule filed by the company. Some of the other noticeable differences between the rates now in effect and those dis- allowed are that the fare from Braintree depot to Columbian Square is six cents instead of eight cents; from Braintree depot to Rockland depot twelve cents instead of eighteen
243
cents; Columbian Square to Rockland depot six cents in- stead of eight cents ; Jackson Square to Hingham Square six cents instead of twelve cents and the maximum local fare in Weymouth six cents instead of seven cents.
REDUCTION OF SERVICE ON THE BRAINTREE- ROCKLAND LINE.
Closely allied with the efforts of the Bay State Street Rail- way Co. to increase fares is its proposition to reduce the service between Braintree and Rockland. It will be remem- bered that in the Winter of 1910-11 the company reduced the running of its cars to hourly service. At that time the selectmen filed a petition with the Railroad Commission for restoration to half hourly service. After a hearing the - former commission while not ordering immediate restoration, suggested that when half hourly service had been resumed in the spring it should not again be reduced without bring- ing the matter to the attention of the Commission.
The present proposition of the company, stated generally, is to provide hourly service between 8 A. M. and 4 P. M., and after 8 P. M. on week days between Rockland and Braintree. This results in cutting out ten north bound and ten south bound trips, a total of twenty each week day. The Public Service Commission gave a hearing on the mat- ter, December 8, 1916. The selectmen of Weymouth and Rockland with representatives of the boards of trade and other civic organizations of each town together with our senator and representative appeared in opposition to the proposed reduction of service. No decision has as yet been made by the Commission.
CASES IN COURT AND OTHER TRIBUNALS.
The suit of Hannah R. Abbott vs. the town to recover damages in the sum of $15,000 for personal injuries claimed to have been sustained by reason of an alleged defect in the sidewalk on Putnam Street, and that of her husband, Charles H. Abbott for $10,000, for medical attendance, nursing,. etc., were assigned for trial at the October sitting of the Superior
244
Court at Dedham but before being reached, were disposed of by agreement. In Mr. Abbott's case judgment was entered in favor of the town and in that of Mrs. Abbott, damages were agreed upon and settled.
Johanna Burke vs. Town of Weymouth to recover $10,000 damages for personal injuries claimed to have been sus- tained in consequence of an alleged defect in the westerly side of Neck Street, was dismissed by the Court and final judgment of the dismissal entered on March 6, 1916. How- ever, in October last, the plaintiff filed a petition asking that the judgment of dismissal be vacated and the action stand for trial. Notice on this petition is returnable on the first day of January, 1917, and its ultimate disposition can not now be predicted.
Decision of the Land Court in favor of the town has been entered on the petition of James Mauro for registration of title to land abutting on Lake Street, which had been tried, involving the question as to whether the town had lost its rights to land included in the original layout of said street.
On July 12, 1916, William Endicott, Trustee under the will of Anne Warren Weston, filed a petition in the Land Court to register and confirm his title to the large tract of land bounded by Washington, Broad, Franklin and Front streets. A survey showed that the stone wall running along the southerly side of Washington Street encroached over the street line to some extent as the evidence showed this condi- · tion had existed for upwards of fifty years, the Land Court registered the title as petitioned for.
The case of Marietta E. F. Burrell to recover $5,000 dam- ages for personal injuries sustained on Dec. 7, 1915, by rea- son of an alleged defect on Pine Street, was assigned for trial at the October sitting of the Superior Court at Dedham, but was not reached. It has been reassigned for the January sitting.
Herbert A. Billings vs. the town for damages to his prop- erty alleged to have been occasioned by the blasting in the vicinity of his residence on Front Street, is still pending in the District Court at Quincy.
The petition of Louis A. Cook against the town for assess-
245 .
ment of damages for the taking of land to widen Pleasant Street at South Weymouth is still pending.
At the time of our last report, proceedings were pending before the Industrial Accident Board, in favor of Mary But- ler as widow and dependent of the late Chief of Police Patrick Butler, who received fatal injuries while in the discharge of his official duties, on April 15, 1915, to estab- lish her claim to compensation under the Workmen's Com- pensation Act.
A decision by a majority of said board (two members dis- senting) in favor of the widow was entered on March 2, 1916. This was to the effect that there was due from the Town of Weymouth to Mrs. Butler as widow the sum of ten dollars a week for a period of four hundred weeks from the date of the injury. Very shortly thereafter, an opinion by the full bench of the Supreme Judicial Court (in a some- what similar case arising in Boston), was handed down, holding that persons occupying such a position in a city or town as Mr. Butler's, did not come within the scope of the provisions of the Act. Subsequently the Industrial Accident Board reversed its decision.
EDWARD W. HUNT, BRADFORD HAWES, GEORGE L. NEWTON, HENRY E. HANLEY, RALPH P .. BURRELL, Selectmen of Weymouth.
246
REPORT OF THE OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
The report of the Overseers of the Poor of Weymouth for the year ending December 31, 1916.
We have passed through a year which has been heralded far and wide as one of unprecedented financial prosperity throughout our land, and the opinion may prevail in some quarters that this condition should affect favorably the ex- penditure on the poor account.
This has not been the case however, and the reason is not far to seek. While labor has been quite generally em- ployed at increased prices the greater part of those who de- · pend upon the poor department for aid have not been bene- fitted as they have little or no labor to sell.
On the other hand the increased cost of most of the nec- essaries of life, which has been felt seriously by all laboring classes, has been especially severe upon the poor. The cost of the poor out of the house was $12,468.34 being $1,947.00 greater than for the preceding year. Of this increase, $779 was on account of our poor who were aided by other towns and cities and $1,168 on account of those living here.
A new law in relation to settlements took full effect for the first time August thirteenth, 1916. This law-Chap. 669 of the Acts of 1911-provided that settlements may be gained by men the same as they have heretofore been gained by women, by five years residence without payment of taxes. This act also provided that settlements shall be lost by five years continuous absence from their place of settlement, and such cases if no new settlement has been acquired thereby become state cases.
Thirty of our poor who were being aided by other towns and cities, having been absent from Weymouth more than five years have so lost their settlement.
247
It is expected that in the long run the number of settle- ments lost by five years absence will about balance the num- ber gained by abolishing the tax requirement.
TOWN HOME AND FARM.
We consider ourselves fortunate in being able to report that the Town Home and Farm have remained through the year under the management of Mr. and Mrs. James W. El- dridge, which is equivalent to saying that the management has been good and efficient.
The house has, when visited, always been found in a well kept condition and Mr. Eldridge is always alert to introduce any improved methods of handling the farm. A new poul- try house with cement floor has been built, at a cost for material of $300.00, the labor having been done by the sup- erintendent and inmates.
The number of inmates the whole or a part of the year was forty-six, of whom thirty-four were males and twelve females.
The ages were as follows:
Under 20 3
Between 20 and 30 0
Between 30 and 40 1
Between 40 and 50 2
Between 50 and 60 9
Between 60 and 70 13
Between 70 and 80 12
Over 80 6
Five deaths have occurred among the inmates, four being males aged respectively 81, 70, 61 and 48, and one of a fe- male, aged 84. The number remaining Dec. 31, 1916, was 30. The net cost of the home was $5,425.78. The cost of each of the town's poor per week, $3.77. .
POOR OUT OF THE HOUSE.
We have aided of the town's poor out of the house, resi- dent and non-resident: In city hospitals, ten cases, at a cost of $208.00, and 248 individuals in 114 families of one or·
248
more, at an expense of $12,468.36.
We have also aided of those resident in this town but having no settlement here, 77 individuals in 19 families of one or more, at a cost of $1,583.45.
Included in the above are 12 cases of mothers with de- pendent children under fourteen years of age, aided under the provisions of Chapter 763, Acts of 1913, at a cost of $2,248.45.
TOWN PHYSICIANS.
The physicians appointed to attend to the poor are as follows: William A. Drake for Ward One and the Town Home; John C. Fraser for Ward Two; Lewis W. Pease for Ward Three; Karl H. Granger for Ward Four; and Edwin N. Mayberry for Ward Five.
EDWARD W. HUNT, BRADFORD HAWES, GEORGE L. NEWTON, HENRY E. HANLEY, RALPH P. BURRELL,
Overseers of the Poor of Weymouth.
249
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen :
The following report for year ending December 31, 1916, . is presented for your consideration.
Statements of cost are made from report sheets made out daily showing the number of hours each man worked and the kind and amount of material used on each piece of work.
CLEANING STREETS AND GUTTERS.
The spring cleaning of streets was somewhat delayed due to the lateness of the season and the continual wet weather. The sum of $3641.89 was expended for this work and while the general appearance of our streets was in most cases good, there are many streets that have not been given a proper cleaning for several years; this applies more es- pecially to the gutters, which have become filled with sod and weeds. Push carts were used to a limited extent at Weymouth Landing and East Weymouth, and I would ad- vise the establishing of patrol cleaning with push carts to cover the following streets: one to take in Washington Square, part of Front Street, Commercial Street to the de- pot, and Washington Street to Lincoln Square; one at East Weymouth to take in Commercial and Jackson Squares and Broad Street to Central Square, and another at South Wey- mouth to take in Columbian Square, part of Pleasant Street, Independence Square and Pond Street to the depot.
Oil or tarvia will take care of the dust to a certain extent, but will not take care of the daily deposits that come to these main squares and streets. Nothing is more noticeable to a stranger or more disagreeable to store-keepers than dirty streets, and it is also important from a health stand- point to keep our streets clean and attractive. The horse-
250
drawn sweeper was used to good advantage, more especial- ly in preparation for oiling.
DRAINS AND CATCH-BASINS.
Drains and catch-basins are two things needed more in Weymouth's streets than anything else. In almost every instance of a poor road the cause is due primarily to lack of proper drainage. We have a collection of drains that for high cost of maintenance would be hard to beat. Many of them are old stone drains that become readily blocked and the only way to clean them out is to dig up the whole drain and relay it. The drain from Middle Street through the land of Mr. Beechy was completed and the sidewalk and gutter raised.
The drain from Dizer's Pond, across Broad and Putman Streets was relaid with new pipe and two catch-basins con- structed on Putman Street, at a cost of $435.24. For some unknown reason this drain was laid on a curve instead of a straight line, and there were four direct inlets from the street to the drain without any catch-basins or grates to prevent refuse from entering and blocking up the main pipe. The new pipe laid, was 15-inch akron, as many pieces of the old cement pipe were broken. This is a fair sample of many other drains in town and also what it cost to re- construct them; with the highway repairs appropriation as the only means of handling this kind of work, it can be readily seen that little can be accomplished with the pre- sent small appropriation. One new catch-basin was con -- structed on Broad Street to replace one that originally went directly into the drain from Dizer's Pond.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.