USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1926 > Part 15
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"I have been asked that inasmuch as the land around Great Pond is too expensive for a town forest, whether it would not be better to acquire some cheaper land elsewhere for this purpose. My answer is that as long as Great Pond is a water supply for Weymouth, it would be a great mistake to purchase land elsewhere. A beginning should be made at once before real estate developments progress any further and enhance the value of these marginal lands. Purchases can be made gradually from year to year as property is available and can be secured at a reasonable price.
"If for any reason Great Pond should be abandoned as a water supply in years to come, I think that the town could readily sell the marginal land for more than it cost, if the citizens of that day would agree to such a policy, but I don't think they would. They will value it too highly as a public park and recreational area."
Very truly yours, H. O. COOK, Chief Forester.
From the foregoing report, it will be seen that the land around Great Pond from its importance to our water supply should be acquired anyway, and that as we ought to acquire it, it is the logical and best place for a Town Forest.
Your Committee has been content for the last two years to have definite action on the acquisition of a forest deferred. We feel that the town can not afford to wait any longer. Portions of the watershed of Great Pond should be acquired at once, and a definite policy adopted for the gradual acquisition of the remainder as oppor- tunity offers. The land is suited for a forest, which will in time bring in a substantial return and, as State Forester Cook points out, the forestation will improve the water supply.
We accordingly recommend that the articles in the Town War- rant providing for the immediate acquisition of the West shore of Great Pond and the inauguration of a policy of acquiring the remain- der of the watershed as opportunity offers be passed, and that provision be made to forest the land so acquired, and that this Committee be continued to study the problem of such forestation and report at a future meeting.
FREDERIC GILBERT BAUER, NEWLAND H. HOLMES, FRED O. STEVENS, ALFRED P. PILLSBURY, PARKER T. PEARSON, Committee on Town Forest.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO REVISE TOWN LAWS
Weymouth, January 1, 1927.
To the Honorable the Board of Selectmen :
The Committee appointed to revise the Town By-Laws met and organized by the choice of Colonel Frederic Gilbert Bauer as Chairman and Arthur A. Cicchese, Esq., as Secretary. We have received and examined the By-Laws of a number of progressive
.
158
towns in which conditions are analogous to those in Weymouth and are now at work on a complete revision of our own By-Laws with the following aims in view :
1. To have a code which will be up-to-date, simple, and com- prehensive, without introducing the artificial restrictions which would subject our citizens to the petty annoyances of city life.
2. To preserve, so far as By-Laws can do so, those character- istics of our Town which make it desirable as a home.
3. To shorten the annual Town Meeting by incorporating in the By-Laws certain standing votes, which have hitherto been re- newed every year.
4. To concentrate responsibility in the hands of fewer persons. We hope to have our new code ready to submit at the annual Town Meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
FREDERIC GILBERT BAUER, Chairman ARTHUR A. CICCHESE,Secretary WILLIAM J. HOLBROOK
WINSLOW M. TIRRELL JOHN F. DWYER
Committee
REPORT OF THE REGISTRARS OF VOTERS
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Weymouth : Gentlemen :
The Registrars of Voters respectfully submit the following report :
The total number of registered voters at the close of registra- tion, October 20, 1926.
Precinct
Assessed Polls
Males
Females
Total
1
944
596
425
1021
2
719
513
348
861
3
954
729
538
1267
4
355
273
182
455
5
938
649
540
1189
6
837
570
428
998
407
246
142
388
224
158
146
304
5378
3734
2749
6483
PATRICK E. CORRIDAN, Chairman
MARSHALL P. SPRAGUE,
EDWARD P. MURPHY,
CLAYTON B. MERCHANT, Town Clerk.
159
REPORT OF THE TAX COLLECTOR
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Weymouth :
I present to you my report of the Taxes and Interest collected and the same turned over to the Town Treasurer, from January 1, 1926 to December 31, 1926:
1922 Taxes
Interest Collected
$100.25
Paid Town Treasurer
$100.25
1923 Taxes
Balance outstanding Jan. 1, 1926 Interest
$1122.60
104.85
Total
$1227.45
Collected during 1926
Polls
$160.00
Real Estate and Personal
856.77
Interest
104.85
Total Collected and paid Town Treasurer
$1,121.62
Abatements :
Polls
$25.00
Real Estate and Personal
80.83
Total Collected and Abated
$1227.45
1924 Taxes
Balance outstanding Jan. 1, 1926
$20790.92
Interest
1934.92
Total
$22725.84
Collected during 1926 :
Polls
$182.00
Real Estate and Personal
19031.95
Moth
28.35
Sidewalk
434.15
Interest
1934.92
Total Collected and paid Town
Treasurer
$21611.37
Abatements :
Polls
$180.00
Real Estate and Personal
568.57
Total Collected and Abated
$22359.94
Outstanding Dec. 31, 1926
$365.90
160
1925 Taxes
Balance outstanding Jan. 1, 1926
$122765.12 10.75
Item paid twice and remitted Interest
3708.88
Total
$126484.75
Collected during 1926 :
Polls
$110.00
Real Estate and Personal
108909.07
Moth
397.35
Sidewalk
208.01
Interest
3708.88
Total Collected and paid Town Treasurer
$113333.31
Abatements :
Polls
$32.00
Real Estate and Personal
632.31
Sidewalk
451.56
Total Collected and Abated
Outstanding Dec. 31, 1926
$12035.57
1926 Taxes Commitments
July 23, 1926, Polls
$10728.00
Nov. 30, 1926, Polls
112.00
Nov. 30, 1926, Real Estate and Personal
763243.86
Nov. 30, 1926, Moth
1213.55
Nov. 30, 1926, Sidewalk
49.76
Dec. 20 1926, Polls
2.00
Dec. 20, 1926, Real Estate and Personal
2551.21
Dec. 20, 1926, Moth
7.50
Dec. 20, 1926, Sidewalk
1068.43
Total
$778976.31
Collected during 1926 :
Polls
$10046.00
Real Estate and Personal
485575.06
Moth
566.30
Total Collected and paid Town Treasurer
$496187.36
Abatements :
Polls
$136.00
Real Estate and Personal
681.95
Total Collected and Abated
$497005.31
Outstanding Dec. 31, 1926
$281971.00
Respectfully submitted,
A. W. SAMPSON Collector of Taxes
$114449.18
161
REPORT OF TREASURER OF TRUSTEES OF WEYMOUTH FORE . RIVER BRIDGE, FOR THE YEAR ENDING
DECEMBER 31, 1926.
Balance brought forward from 1925 $ 295.62 Receipts :
City of Quincy, assessments No. 169 197 inc. $9570.00 Town of Weymouth, assessments No. 169-197 inc. 2900.00
Town of Hingham, assessments No. 169-197 inc.
3190.00
Town of Cohasset, assessments No. 169-197 inc. 1740.00
Town of Hull, assessments No. inc. 580.00
169-197
Town of Scituate, assessments No. 169-195 inc.
540.00
Town of Marshfield, assessments No. 169-195 inc. 270.00
County of Norfolk, assessments No. 169-197 inc. 5800.00
East. Mass. St. Ry. Co., assessments No. 169-197 inc. 4350.00
Interest on Deposits 28.71
Total receipts
$28968.71
$29264.33
Disbursements :
Harry W. Pray, services as bridgetender $1498.13
Harry W. Pray, cash paid for supplies 9.73
William W. Cushing, services as bridgetender 1551.25
George A. Stitt, services as bridgetender 360.71 Director of Child Guardianship, services of two boys as gate-tenders 1440.00
New England Tel. and Tel. Co., telephone service 52.70
Weymouth Light & Power Company,
lighting 34.56
Quincy Electric Light & Power Company, lighting 36.00
City Fuel Company, fuel
32.00
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd., repairs 135.79
Boston Bridge Works, Inc. repairs 20799.98
Gazette & Transcript Pub. Co., advertising 16.00
Weymouth Item Publishing Co., advertising 10.00
Hingham Journal, advertising 4.00
Frank A. Manuel, Painting signs 15.00
Arthur H. Pratt, Chief of Police, Guards during repairs 45.00
J. R. Worcester & Company, Engineering services
2080.00
Quincy Lumber Company, lumber
12.00
City of Quincy, tarring and sanding
570.12
Perley E. Barbour, services as Trustee, year 1926
150.00
162
Fred E. Waite, services as Trustee, year 1926 150.00
William L. Foster, services as Trustee and
Secretary and Treasurer of Trustees 200.00
Total disbursements $29202.97 61.36
Balance carried forward
$29264.33
WILLIAM L. FOSTER, Treasurer.
Hingham, December 31, 1926.
Trustee of Weymouth Fore River Bridge.
Gentlemen :
I have examined the accounts of William L. Foster, Treasurer of the Trustees of Weymouth Fore River Bridge for the year 1926, reconciled the bank account, and I hereby certify that the same are correct with proper vouchers.
(Signed) J. IRVING BOTTING,
Town Accountant.
Hingham, January 3, 1927.
PARK COMMISSIONER'S REPORT
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Weymouth : Gentlemen :
Beals Park
There was some new equipment to replace the old purchased this year, the bandstand was painted; but our main object this year was the starting of the supervised play on the park which we believe was with very good success, the average number of children attending each day being 45, so you can see that the children were interested in it, and it was instructive both physically and mentally to the children. The grass was mowed and grounds cared for during the year and flowers were set out in the bed which kept blooming all summer.
Bailey Green
The grass was cut regularly and shrubbery trimmed during the summer, also the flag-pole was reset as it was leaning to one side quite a bit, was also painted and the topmast housed for the winter.
Webb Park
The general care, and overhauling of the equipment has been taken care of, some grading has been done and the regular care of the grounds have been attended to.
We also put three hundred and fifty running feet of a much needed fence, along the easterly side of the Park, and we hope to complete the fencing this year.
163
Great Hill Park
Great Hill Park continues to be one of the most prominent and outstanding parks as was shown last summer by the large gatherings. The stars and stripes were kept waving over the Park during the summer months.
Report of Lovell's Corner Playgrounds
The playground continues to be a source of pleasure and profit to the boys and girls who use it.
It is being used as a picnic ground by some.
Jamaica Plain and East Weymouth held field days.
The bull dogs with the field lighted with searchlights two nights a week did the practice work that made them so efficient this past season.
Some new equipment has been added, and Hawes Grove has been cleared to some extent.
The parents of the children who attended the supervised play hours during the summer vacation, are very much in favor of its con- tinuance during the coming summer. It is a step in the right direc- tion, and may be made more profitable as experience teaches us the best methods adapted to our needs, and equipment. Play is as im- portant to the child as study or work. And is also just as important to us that are older and if it could be carried out we might be able to forget our grouches to some extent.
If parents would go with their children at stated times to the playground it might be made beneficial to both. As a Town lets give the children all the education both in work and play that we can afford and thus make better citizens for the future with stronger healthier bodies.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANCIS . W. REA,
CHARLES W. BURGESS, JOSEPH KELLEY, Park Commissioners.
REPORT ON THE PLAYGROUNDS
Average Daily Attendance
Lovell's Corner
35
Humphrey School
50
North Weymouth
45
Hunt School
50
E. B. Nevin School
30
In the beginning the attendance was small but towards the end of the season most of the playgrounds averaged between 50 and 60.
The attendance on days when they had special features was about 80.
164
Various Activities
Games and Races.
Sewing. Cutting and making paper dolls.
Making paper beads.
Story telling.
Sand work. Basketry and Raffia work.
Singing-Ukelele playing. Horseshoe pitching.
Baseball League for Boys.
Twilight Baseball League for Young Men. Horseshoe Contest for Boys and Girls.
Folk Dancing.
Special Feature Days
Doll Carriage Parade. Horribles Parade.
Pet Show. Field Day. Party with Ice Cream and Cake.
Children's Day Sports at Wey- mouth Fair.
New Equipment
Sand boxes built and filled for Humphrey, Nevins and Athens Schools. Posts erected for swings at Humphrey and Nevins Schools. Balls supplied to all playgrounds.
The instructors were very enthusiastic workers achieving excep- tional results by co-operation of the children.
They were handicapped inasmuch as the work was new to all but overcame this and laid the foundation for future years.
ALBERT S. LEONARD, ' Playground Director.
THE FORTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
Trustees of the Tufts Library
WESS
SSET 1622
LABORARE
VINCERE
MASSACH
USETTS
5
.1635.
WEYMOUTH, MASS.
1926
167
FORTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE TUFTS LIBRARY
TRUSTEES
Gertrude C. Andrews
Joseph Kelley Kenneth L. Nash
Wallace H. Drake
William F. Hathaway
Arthur E. Pratt
John B. Holland
Franklin N. Pratt
Clarance P. Whittle
SELECTMEN EX-OFFICIO
William B. Dasha
Theron L. Tirrell
H. Franklin Perry Winslow M. Tirrell
Fred E. Waite
OFFICERS Clarance P. Whittle, President Wallace H. Drake, Secretary
LIBRARIAN
Abbie L. Loud
ASSISTANT
Phyllis E. Palmer
BRANCH LIBRARIANS
Mary M. Dingwall Martha J. Hawes
JANITOR *Frank D. Sherman Thomas E. Shea
*Resigned November 1.
168
INFORMATION
Library Hours:
Main Library: 2 to 8 P. M. daily, except Wednesday, 2 to 5 P. M., and Saturday, 2 to 9 P. M.
Summer Hours : July and August, 2 to 6 P. M .; Wednesday and Saturday as above.
Branches : 2 to 5 P. M. and 7 to 8 P. M. daily, except Wednesday. The library and the branches are not open Sundays, Legal Holi- days and 17th of June.
The library is for the use of all residents of Weymouth.
Temporary residents are entitled to the same privileges as permanent residents.
Two cards are issued to each borrower over twelve years of age ; a white card for general use and a green special card for non-fic- tion, including magazines and music scores.
A white card is given to any child under twelve years of age if the application is signed by parent or guardian.
Teachers and students are given cards which permit the taking of ten or more books, other than adult fiction, for twenty-eight days.
The vacation privilege allows a borrower to take several books, not recent publications, for an extended time.
All books from the circulating department, even the new fiction, may be kept for fourteen days. Recent numbers of magazines are limited to seven days with no renewal.
A book cannot be transferred from one card to another, but may be renewed at the library, by mail, or by telephone, unless stamped This book cannot be renewed. The shelf number or title of the book and the borrower's name should be stated when the request for renewal is made.
A fine of two cents a day will be incurred for each day's deten- tion of a book after it is due. When a book is sent for by the librarian it will be at the expense of the borrower.
Signs and abbreviations used in the booklists :
R Reference. Gift .. * Not loaned without permission.
j Juvenile.
Cases of contagious diseases are reported to the library by the Board of Health and all books which have been exposed to con- tagion are burned.
For the convenience of residents living in different parts of the town, books are exchanged through the delivery stations once a week as follows :
Lovells Corner
W. B. Chalke & Sons Tuesday
South Weymouth
Fogg Memorial Library Tuesday
South Weymouth Alfred S. Tirrell Tuesday
East Weymouth East Weymouth Branch Thursday
North Weymouth North Weymouth Branch Friday
Weymouth Heights Smith's Market Friday
Application for borrowers' cards may be made, and class lists may be consulted or purchased at the Delivery Stations, as well as at the Library and Branches.
Telephone, Weymouth 0989-W.
169
THE TUFTS LIBRARY CLASS LISTS
Class List No. 1.
English Fiction. 1879-1900. 1900.
Class List No. 2.
Biography, History, Travel. 1879-1902. 1902. Class List No. 3.
General Works, Philosophy, Religion,
Sociology, Natural Science, Use- ful Arts, Fine Arts, Languages, Literature. 1879-1903. 1903.
Class List No. 4.
Supplement. All Classes. 1904.
Class List No. 5.
Supplement. All Classes. 1910.
Class List No. 6.
Supplement. All Classes. 1917.
The set of six Class Lists, which form a complete printed cata- logue of the library, from 1879 to 1917, can be purchased for fifty cents.
Books added since 1917 are listed in the annual Town reports published since that date. New books, when ready for circulation, are listed in the Weymouth Gazette and Transcript.
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE TUFTS LIBRARY
The forty-eighth annual report of the Trustees of the Tufts Library is respectfully submitted as follows :
In the early part of the year 1926 the trustees were obliged to ask for a special appropriation to enable them to install a new heater ; the old boiler, which had been in service since the building was erected in 1892, had become unfit for use and, as the manufacture of that type of boiler had been discontinued, the worn out sections could not be replaced.
The continual flooding of the cellar, which oftentimes inter- fered with the efficient working of the heater, necessitated water- proofing the boiler pit; this also called for an unusual expenditure.
The change in the electric light fixtures begun in 1925 was com- pleted this year by the placing of new globes in the delivery, read- ing, and stack rooms.
The circulation from the Main Library which was 52,695 shows a slight increase over that of last year. With a circulation of 20,219' from the North Weymouth Branch and 33,094 from the East Wey- mouth Branch the total circulation for the year reached 106,008.
The daily circulation at the East Weymouth Branch increased from an average of 115++ in 1925 to 132- in 1926. The largest cir- culation was 215 on February 20 and the smallest was 18 on February 4. Cards were issued to 233 new borrowers and 167 former bor- rowers renewed their registrations.
A collection of books in Italian was loaned to the branch by the Massachusetts Department of Education, Division of Public Libra- ries. These had a good circulation, more than 70 loans having been made.
The most notable gift was that of Mrs. John F. Cushing who presented more than two hundred books from the library of her son,
170
Lester F. Cushing. Many of these were boys' books and were greatly appreciated by the younger borrowers. Several sets of his- tories also were included in the gift. Eleven books were presented to the branch by John W. Knox.
Two new sections of shelving and a bulletin board were added to the permanent equipment of this branch.
During the year, there were added to the North Weymouth Branch, 527 volumes. 18 volumes were lost and 194 returned to the main library and 10 burned on account of contagion making a total of 2851 volumes at the close of the year. 236 new borrowers were registered and 114 registrations were renewed.
The branch was open 250 days with a total circulation of 20,219. The average daily circulation was 81-, a decided increase over last year when the daily average was 63 -. The largest circulation was 157 on February 20 and the smallest was 28 on May 11.
Several new sections of shelving were added to accommodate the increase in books and to provide a separate section for the periodicals.
The North Weymouth Branch is much appreciated by the sum- mer residents and visitors, who avail themselves of the privilege of borrowing books and magazines, and many have expressed their pleasure at being able to obtain the latest fiction.
Through the inter-library loan the library, to accommodate one of its readers, borrowed one book from the Boston Public Library and through the same agency made 93 loans to the Thayer Public Library of Braintree.
The French books borrowed from the Massachusetts Department of Education, Division of Public Libraries received a generous patronage.
The following titles were included in the additions to the refer- ence department : American year book, 1925; Art in home economics, comp. by M. E. Clark and others; Crowell's handbook for readers and writers, ed. by Henrietta Gerwig; Europa year-book, 1926; Index to illustrations, comp. by F. J. Shepard; Lincoln library of essential in- formation; New Champlin cyclopedia for young folks, 2 v .; New in- ternational year book, 1925; One thousand best books, comp. by A. D. Dickinson; Polk's Weymouth directory, 1926; Putnam's complete book of quotations, proverbs and household words, comp. by W. G. Benham; Statesman's year-book, 1926; Viewpoints in modern drama by F. K. W. Drury; Who's who, 1926; Who's who in America, 1926- 1927 ; Who's who in the theatre, ed. by John Parker; World almanac, 1926.
Collections of pictures from the Library Art Club exhibited in the Reading Room illustrated the subjects given below: Ships of olden time; Musical instruments; English inns of olden time; Fam- ous towers; Life in the Orient, parts I and II; The Passion Play of Oberammergau; American garden; Graphic arts of Great Britain ; Fifty etchings after the great masters; Fun among the animals, by Benjamin Rabier; Nature pictures, by Edward J. Detmold; Istria ; Mount Everest; Arabia and Syria; World's children. Different pic- tures are exhibited once a month or oftener and, as the above sub- jects indicate, are usually of popular interest.
During the year, over one thousand of the books received from the estate of the late Laban Pratt of Dorchester, reported last year, were accessioned and prepared for circulation in addition to the regular work. The library was also the recipient of several book-
171
cases from the same estate, presented by Mr. Arthur E. Pratt and his sister, Mrs. Harriet B. Voorhees.
Bound volumes of the Weymouth Gazette, from the beginning of its publication to the year 1909 inclusive, were presented to the library by the Weymouth Historical Society.
A large copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech, suitable for fram- ing, was the gift of the Susannah Tufts Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A book, Home Builders Catalog, and a very fine copy of the flag code, which hangs in the Delivery Room, were presented by Mr. Edward I. Loud of the Rhines Lumber Com- pany. A picture bearing the title "Post 58, G. A. R., Weymouth, at Mt. Hope Cemetery, May 30th, 1882" was the gift of Mr. J. R. Poole of Dedham, Mass. This picture which is of especial interest to the members of the G. A. R. also has a local historical value.
The gifts for the year, as usual, include publications from the State and Federal governments; books, pamphlets, and periodicals from individuals and societies ; and annual reports, bulletins and other publications from libraries, colleges and universities.
The Trustees acknowledge these gifts with gratitude to the donors.
The janitor, Frank D. Sherman, who had rendered faithful serv- ice for twenty-five years tendered his resignation to take effect the first of November. Thomas E. Shea was engaged to fill the vacancy.
Because our children are without the advantages accorded the children of other progressive towns, the need of a children's room has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the citizens through these annual reports. In the budget for the year 1927 the trustees ask for an appropriation to enable them to fit up, for this purpose, the room in the library building formerly occupied by the post-office department. The trustees sincerely hope that the citizens will show their interest in the children by voting for this appropriation.
CLARANCE P. WHITTLE, By order and in behalf of the Trustees.
Appendix A. Statistics.
Appendix B. Books added during 1926. Appendix C. Periodicals.
APPENDIX A-STATISTICS . Classification of Circulation Main
East Weymouth
North Weymouth
Class
Loans
Per Cent
Loans
Per Cent
Loans
Per Cent
Total Loans
Arts
2,721
5.16
224
.70
194
.96
3,139
Biography
858
1.63
192
.57
129
.64
1,179
Fiction
35,791
67.92
27,254
82.35
17,340
85.76
80,385
History
2,207
4.19
695
2.10
332
1.64
3,234
Literature
1,309
2.48
448
1.32
193
.95
1,950
Natural science
852
1.62
196
.60
98
.49
1,146
Poetry
1,228
2.33
140
.42
59
.29
1,427
Social science
1,773
3.36
548
1.65
443
2.19
2,764
Religion
121
.24
74
.22
16
.08
211
Travel
923
1.75
451
1.40
229
1.13
1,603
Periodicals
4,912
9.32
2,872
8.67
1,186
5.87
8,970
52,695
100.00
33,094
100.00
20,219
100.00
106,008
Number of Volumes Distributed Through the Several Delivery Stations
Precincts 1
Delivery Stations
Loans
North Weymouth Branch
366
2 & 6
East Weymouth Branch
571
4
Alfred S. Tirrell
1,342
5
Fogg Memorial Library
903
7
W. B. Chalke & Sons
564
8
Smith's Market
1,677
5,423
172
173
STATISTICS BASED ON THE FORM ADOPTED BY THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Days open during the year (Main Library) 293
Days open during the year (East Weymouth Branch) 251
Days open during the year (North Weymouth Branch) 250
Number of volumes at beginning of the year 37,705
Number of volumes added during the year by purchase
1,966
Number of volumes added during the year by gift
Number of volumes lost or withdrawn during the year
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