USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > Town annual report of the officers and committees of the town of Scituate 1919-1921 > Part 5
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The grounds around and adjoining the Egypt Station were placed in the care of Mr. Charles F. Andrews, and the work was done to the satisfaction of all. Crushed stone will be placed on the path on the westerly side of the park.
There was considerable delay in getting the renovation of the Scituate Light started, owing to the inability of the commission to obtain details of the original structure. Mr. William W. Damon was employed late in the season to repair the long shed connecting the house and tower, pro- vide new windows, build the stairways and landings in the tower and in other ways make the property available for the purposes for which it was acquired by the Town.
In addition to the present appropriation which will soon be exhausted we ask an appropriation for this year of five hundred dollars, to be spent in still further restoring the property, and three hundred and fifty dollars for the general work of the commission.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM H. NORTH, Chairman, JOHN F. DALBY, FRANK H. BARRY,
Park Commission.
109
Report of Tree Warden
REPORT OF TREE WARDEN
During the past year I have followed my customary policy of spending as much of my appropriation as was absolutely needed for the upkeep and planting of young trees. I have planted one hundred and sixty-seven trees: some of these I have had to reset, being either run over or backed into by automobiles. I have tried to keep all corners in the Town free from growing brush that makes it bad for accidents from automobiles.
I wish to state that the North Scituate Improvement Association has done some very good work in trying to beautify that part of the Town by planting every year around seventy-five trees. This year they have put six hundred pounds of bone meal around those that have been planted in the past years.
Mr. Thomas Lawson has also taken considerable interest in our shade trees. He has planted some handsome elms around the Common at Scituate Centre which I know must have been at a great expense.
The value of healthy trees by our roadside is one of our Town's best assets.
Every intelligent person will advocate a generous appro- priation for tree warden's work, whoever he may be.
I wish to thank all who have shown interest in my work, in the past, and to hope that they will continue to show interest in the future.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM F. FORD.
110
Report of Board of Health
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH
To the Citizens of Scituate we present our report:
With the exception of a severe epidemic of influenza dur- ing the first part of the year, we have had fewer cases of contagious diseases in Town than for many years. .
The inhabitants of North Scituate Beach were delighted with the results following the draining of the marshes back of the Cliff House. The marshes are much cleaner, and the quantity of mosquitoes has been reduced very perceptibly.
There has been the usual number of complaints about cesspools and garbage which have been attended to.
The inspection of dairies has gone on as usual.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM P. GROVESTEIN, Chairman, GEORGE T. OTIS, JOHN W. BURKE,
Board of Health
111
Report of Inspector of Plumbing
REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF PLUMBING
Scituate, Mass., January 1, 1920.
Board of Health, Scituate, Mass.
Chairman,
Dear Sir: Owing to the increased building operations over last year more plumbing has been installed, all applications for permits to perform plumbing have been promptly granted by me, which work has been approved as meeting all requirements of our Plumbing Regulations. As Scituate has no building regulations I find that at a few of our shore resorts advantage has been taken of this condition and buildings have been erected entirely too close for the best interest of public health. During the summer these places are overinhabited so that any contagious disease breaking out there would be a very serious affair. As these sections grow it is highly essential that the very best sanitary con- ditions be made possible, especially as to the proper disposal of sewerage.
The problem is growing more complicated each year; therefore I am directing more attention to these thickly settled summer colonies in order that our sanitary laws be strictly enforced so as to maintain the best conditions possible for the general public health.
Respectfully yours,
ARTHUR R. MERRITT, Inspector of Plumbing.
112
Report of Inspector of Milk
REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF MILK
To the Citizens of Scituate:
There were fourteen milk licenses issued for the year 1919.
I have tested samples of milk, and found them up to the standard required by the Massachusetts Board of Health.
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE T. OTIS, Milk Inspector.
113
Report of Inspector of Slaughtering
REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF SLAUGHTERING
To the Scituate Board of Health:
Gentlemen: During the past year I have inspected forty- nine swine, nine veal and five beeves, a total of sixty-three head of slaughtered animals and found them all fit for human consumption.
Respectfully submitted,
J. F. BRESNAHAN, Inspector.
114
Report of Sealer of Weights and Measures
SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
North Scituate, Mass. January 16, 1920.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
As Sealer of Weights and Measures for this year I make the following report. Owing to the delay in getting new equip- ment for 1919 which I did not receive until August, and being sick about that time, nearly all the summer stores, which are open only a few months in the year, had closed before I could get to them.
There are still a few year-round stores which have not been taken care of yet, but will be by May- 1, 1920, the expiration of my year, and will appear in next year's report.
The equipment for 1920 has arrived and there need be no delay this year.
Respectfully submitted,
January 16, 1920.
RUSSELL T. KNOX.
115
Report of Chief of Police
REPORT OF CHIEF OF POLICE
December 31, 1919.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
I herewith submit the annual report of the Police Depart- ment. The department was called to make an unusual amount of investigations this year; owing to the condition of the times there have been many entries to property, but fortunately very little if any property has been taken and it has been found necessary to detail officers for a time to cover these districts affected, but the department is working steadily ahead under the greatest handicap that any Police Department is probably forced to face, caused by the dis- tricts being far removed from one another instead of being a compact town.
The question of automobile traffic is becoming a serious one; the increased use of automobiles during the past two years affords interesting speculation on the part of the Police Department as to the outcome.
The highways of nearly all Massachusetts towns are so congested with automobile traffic during the summer season as to make it almost unsafe for one to operate, especially Sundays and holidays; in fact in Scituate on Sundays and holidays, the Police Department has caused to be counted on the County Way seven hundred (700) automobiles per hour, passing a given point, or about one machine every 5.14 seconds.
Take our Humarock Beach, for instance; the parking of cars at the Beach on Sundays and holidays ran as high as 480 cars while four years ago very few cars went to the Beach.
During the year 1919, there were approximately 500,000 cars registered in New England states; Massachusetts alone
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Report of Chief of Police
furnished about 177,000 pleasure cars and about 60,000 trucks and with the increased development of more popular priced cars, and the traffic caused by the Tercentenary celebration, it is fair to assume these figures may multiply during the next two years.
I hereby recommend an appropriation of five thousand, five hundred dollars for police work in 1920
JOHN F. TURNER, Chief of Police.
117
Report of Fire Department
REPORT OF FIRE DEPARTMENT
To the Board of Selectmen:
Gentlemen: The Board of Engineers appointed by your honorable board for the year ending April 30, 1920, met in accordance with your instructions and organized with the following officers:
Charles M. Litchfield, chief; Alfred B. Cole, first assistant chief; Joseph P. Murphy, second assistant chief; Harry M. Litchfield, district chief; Frank W. Litchfield, district chief and clerk of board.
This department has been called to twenty-six alarms during the year. The department has laid 14,900 feet .of hose to these fires. The department has been called out of Town once during the year. At the time the fire department was organized in 1903 the valuation was $3,369,645 and it increased to $6,327,990 in 1919; this valuation has been steadily growing without any increased efficiency in the fire-fighting apparatus. The Town has been especially for-
tunate in not having had any disastrous fires, with the exception of the one at Humarock at which we were obliged to call for outside assistance which is not now available. Those who witnessed the good work of the Hull fire pump- ing engine can readily see what this department would be able to do with a similar piece of apparatus.
The cost of a pumping engine might at first consideration seem exorbitant but in view of the fact that it only means an assessment of .002 per cent on the 1919 valuation and the amount of taxable property which might be wiped out by a fire occurring in any of the congested districts with our present equipment, it seems to be the unanimous opinion of the Board of Engineers that the Town equip the fire department with an up-to-date pumping engine.
CHARLES M. LITCHFIELD, Chief. ALFRED B. COLE, First Assistant Chief, JOSEPH P. MURPHY, Second Assistant Chief, HARRY M. LITCHFIELD, District Chief, FRANK W. LITCHFIELD, District Chief and Clerk.
118
Report of Forest Warden
REPORT OF FOREST WARDEN
Scituate, December 31, 1919.
To the Citizens of the Town of Scituate:
The forest fires for the year have been few on account of the rainy summer season; there were a few fires in February, March and April, and a few this fall. The two largest fires of the year were those that had gotten beyond control of the party burning up trash, etc. We ought to make an effort to do all the burning of rubbish before the season is too far advanced so as to eliminate as far as possible these disastrous forest fires. I recommend an appropriation of $500 for forest fires.
E. R. SEAVERNS, Forest Warden.
119
Report of the Welcome Home Committee
REPORT OF WELCOME HOME COMMITTEE
To the Board of Selectmen, Scituate, Massachusetts.
Gentlemen: As Chairman of the Scituate Welcome Home Committee I have to report :
Owing to the enthusiastic co-operation of your Board, the generosity of the Town and the Town's residents and other friends and well wishers of our brave soldier and sailor boys, the work of your Committee has been most successful and a credit to your selection.
What at first was intended as a simple but hearty welcome to those boys and girls of the Town, who fearlessly and self- sacrificedly met the succoring call of humanity and under their country's direction threw themselves into the awful world war, from the first spread itself into a great affair which at its height and its conclusion put our Town on the world's permanent map of patriotic gratitude.
At the beginning it was understood that your intention was to have your Committee give to our returned sons and daughters a fitting banquet, dance and medals at a cost of $500 to $1,000. At your Committee's first meeting it developed that nothing would satisfy our grateful towns- people but a celebration which would surpass that of all other communities in the country of equal size of Scituate; we should have a large memorial tablet with fitting mounting in a park where nature's beauty would splendidly set it off, we should have on Independence Day a grand unveiling with music and oratory, and from the unveiling the assem- bled masses should march to an all-day festivity and then from a great building holding 5,000 people there should be presented to all our returned sons and daughters by orators of national repute the most beautiful bronze medal possible and to the parents and dear ones of those who went but did not return, an equally beautiful gold medal.
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Report of the Welcome Home Committee
It was my privilege to present the park and to turn over the Dreamwold grounds to the Committee to use as it thought best.
I believe I draw no long bow when I say that never in the history of countless similar celebrations has there been the equal in impressiveness, beauty and heart and soul thrillness of that exquisite Fourth of July when at the end of an oration by Massachusetts' great War-Governor, Samuel W. McCall, and to the music of two full bands and the wild applause of over 4,000 mothers, wives, fathers, daughters, sweethearts and friends 170 uniformed boys and girls stood to have the honor badge fixed to their breasts.
The Sunday previous to this event, the same building was filled to bursting with an equally impressive audience who listened to the Memorial service of a large orchestra, a choir of five hundred and the seven Divines of Scituate and an address by the Right Reverend E. S. Rousmaniere of St. Paul's Cathedral, Boston, which amidst joy and pride brought tears to every eye.
At the close of the Fourth of July's medal presentation, an audience of between fifteen thousand and twenty thou- sand witnessed what was probably the largest and most beautifully complete war pageant that was ever set in the world outside great cities. This pageant filled the quarter mile long Dreamwold lawn, broken here and there with appropriate shrubbery and backgrounded with the Dream -- wold Show Stables, Racing Stables and Riding Academy which afforded dressing rooms for the hundreds of partic- ipants and beautiful hidden bowers for bands and orchestra. Some idea may be had of the great occasion when I say that there were parked in the Dreamwold grounds some three thousand automobiles.
At 7 p.m., after the pageant, a great banquet was held in the Town Hall at the finish of which the dance began at the big Dreamwold Coach House, during which and until 1.30 a.m., moving pictures were shown on the outside to an audience estimated at from thirty thousand to forty thou-
121
Report of the Welcome Home Committee
sand who came from everywhere in between six thousand and eight thousand automobiles.
I dwell on this truly marvelous Welcome Home affair that it may go into our Town's annals to the everlasting glory of those whose ability, patriotism and strenuous efforts made the great success possible.
First. Your Board.
Second. The splendid Committee your Board selected.
Third. The Divines of the Town who from first to last urged from their pulpits and in house-to-house canvasses everything and more suggested by the Committee.
Fourth. The women of the Town, God bless them! How they did work and how they did prod the men folk to addi- tional effort. Special credit is due the Scituate Woman's Club, Woman's Relief Corps, Independent Order of Odd Ladies, Co-ordination of Ladies' Aid Societies, Daughters of the American Revolution, American Red Cross, Girl Scouts, War Camp Community Service and many others.
- Fifth. The girls of the Town who made possible the most beautiful of all pageants; not only was their work perfect, their enthusiasm unbounded, but the quantity and quality of their graceful beauty is beyond the description of my grateful pen.
I wish I might mention by name those to whom the Town is deeply indebted for their part in the making of our great success, but there are so many and my space so limited I must forbear.
After our celebration your Committee devoted its unaba- ted efforts to the Memorial Tablet, Boulder and Park. The immense boulder for the tablet is in place. Its total cost including foundation, cutting and transportation was $935.00, much less than the intended granite slab would have cost, and it is the unanimous opinion that it is more beautiful and appropriate. Its principal cost was for mov- ing and placing. It weighed eighty-nine tons and was moved two miles. At the start-off its moving was considered impossible, but owing to the fact that the Town has an Archie Mitchell, who by the way gave the boulder, nothing of a like nature is impossible.
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Report of the Welcome Home Committee
In the putting of the Memorial Park in the condition it must be put in, your Committee struck its only temporarily insurmountable task. When it had finished the round pond in the center, drained it properly, and had placed a few feet of finished turf around the Memorial Boulder and gone over the first plowing for big rock locations its fund was practically exhausted and the work yet undone at the lowest estimated cost called for $2,500 for trees and $8,000 to $10,000 for leveling and lowering the park, building walks, seeding, etc. I have personally taken care of the trees, having brought from Dreamwold fifteen of my pretti- est approximately thirty-year-old elms and planted them in the best possible positions. I have also personally pur- chased and brought from Framingham forty-two more which have been put in place. If we have good luck with them all, and we have used every care, we will have put one over on nature to the extent of having next year what otherwise we would not have had before twelve to fifteen years. If we can finish the park in the early spring, and I pray we may, we will have by centennial time next season one, if not the one, most beautiful Memorial Park in America or the world.
I trust the Town at the coming annual meeting will give sufficient funds to allow us to finish the Park in the early spring when it must be finished. The Town may rely upon me to contribute my share if for any reason it is found impossible to raise the entire amount by warrant. I suggest your Board frame a suitable article for the forthcoming annual Town Meeting.
The Treasurer's report follows which shows receipts and disbursements in detail.
Thanking your Board for the Committee, for furnishing the opportunity for the honor of participating in our boys and girls' welcome and particularly thanking your Board for making possible my humble efforts, I beg to remain,
Yours very truly,
THOMAS W. LAWSON, Chairman.
123
Report of the Welcome Home Committee
REPORT OF TREASURER SCITUATE WELCOME HOME FUND
RECEIPTS
ยท Town of Scituate (appropriation for general celebration) $2,000 00
Town of Scituate (appropriation for Lawson Park) . 3,000 00
Subscriptions (for celebration and permanent memorial) .
4,639 53
Reimbursement, George F. Welch Co. 55 59 Interest 6 77
$9,701 89
EXPENDITURES
Campaign expense:
Whitehead & Hoag Co., celluloid buttons .
$36 82
Boundbrook Press.
61 87
Rockland Standard Publishing Co .. .
33 20
W. A. Burton, stamps
10 56
Library Bureau . 1 97
$144 42
Memorial Service:
B. S. Jackson, rent of chairs. $300 00
N. Y., N. H. & H. R.R., freight
74.07
Lotus Male Quartette
56 48
Arthur Mahoney, soloist.
35 00
Rev. E.S. Rousmaniere, transportation
20 00
B. Milo Burke, orchestra
100 00
Boundbrook Press
61 00
Transportation . 20 00
$666 55
Medals : N. G. Wood & Sons, bronze and gold medals .
$345 48
N. G. Wood & Sons, engraving 52 22
$397 70
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Report of the Welcome Home Committee
Printing and Advertising:
Boundbrook Press . $78 00
Franklin Publishing Co. 4 00
Russell T. Knox, Chairman Adver- tising Committee . 37 50
Distributing circulars . 6 00
$125 50
Entertainment and Music:
B. Milo Burke, Fourteenth Regiment Band . $560 00
B. Milo Burke, Thirteenth Regi- ment Band . 250 00
G. Dana Yeaton, Chairman Enter- tainment Committee 3 55
Walter Haynes, Moving Pictures .. 85 00
$898 55
Banquet :
G. D. Damon & Sons. $990 00
E. L. Pinkham, cigars 40 00
$1,030 00
Miscellaneous expense :
Russell T. Knox, transportation . $10 00
Bound Brook Garage .. . 3 50
G. W. Perry Post No. 31, markers. 5 08
Telephone . 1 20
Postage on invitations 3 10
Bastian Brothers, Badges .
15 41
$38 29
Memorial Tablet :
T. F. McGann & Sons Co $1,781 00
A. L. Mitchell, foundation . 175 00
A. L. Mitchell, moving rock. 600 00
Willard Granite and Polishing Co ...
160 00
$2,716 00
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Report of the Welcome Home Committee
Lawson Park:
R. H. Marston Co., services .. $25 00
W. M. Partridge, model for rockery . 15 00
Olmstead Brothers, plan and services
154 34
Henry A. Litchfield, surveying.
100 10
A. L. Mitchell, supervising .
144 00
Standard Oil Co.
21 69
John T. Fitts, use of concrete mixer .
25 00
Louis Cole, dynamite.
2 90
Ames Agricultural Implement Co
20 00
Arthur C. Harvey Co.
142 16
George F. Welch Co ..
509 81
Boston Sand and Gravel.
18 00
Egypt Garage and Machine Co
4 79
Teaming
750 37
Labor .
633 10
A. L. Mitchell, drain
325 00
J. Edward Harney
222 20
Ernest R. Seaverns
. 54 50
Irving F. Sylvester
89 00
$3,256 96
Total expenditures
$9,273 97
Cash balance January 1, 1920 427 92
$9,701 89
HARVEY E. DORR, Treasurer.
126
Welcome Home Celebration
The Selectmen at this time wish to express the thanks of the Town of Scituate to those who participated in the Welcome Home Celebration, and especially at this time do we wish to thank Mr. Thomas W. Lawson for the earnest, energetic and efficient manner in which he performed his duties as chairman.
It may be of interest to those not directly connected with this committee to know the many things that have been personally taken care of by Mr. Lawson, namely: gift of park property, use of buildings, car load of shavings, use of grounds and the cleaning up after the celebration, gift of all the beautiful trees that you may see at the park, and a cash donation of $500.
All this having been accomplished in a patriotic spirit and for the best interest of the Town we feel has been appreciated and should receive the commendation of the townspeople.
ANSEL F. SERVAN, G. DANA YEATON, CHARLES W. PEARE,
Selectmen.
127
Report of the Clean-Up Committee
REPORT OF THE CLEAN-UP COMMITTEE
The Clean-Up Committee begs to submit the following report:
At the first meeting, plans were formulated for the carry- ing on of the work as follows: That the townspeople be informed that during the week commencing May 10 and ending May 15, 1919, by making application to the men engaged for the purpose, viz: Mr. Archie Mitchell at North Scituate and Mr. David O'Hern at Scituate Harbor, all rubbish, if placed in receptacles that could be handled, would be carted away and dumped at no expense to the townspeople.
Through the co-operation of the ministers, the Town paper and Mr. Walter Haynes, who displayed on the screen at his theatre at Scituate Harbor a notice to the above effect, and to all of whom the Committee is indebted for their help, ample notice was given regarding the disposal of rubbish, and more rubbish was cared for than in any previous year.
The Boy Scout troop, at North Scituate, was engaged to care for the streets in its district during the period from May to October 1, and rubbish barrels were placed at con- venient points and emptied when necessary. At the Harbor, Mr. O'Hern attended to the emptying of the barrels.
In 1918, prizes were promised the children who had war gardens and cared for home grounds, which they did not receive prior to the formation of the 1919 Committee, so that it devolved upon the 1919 Committee to give the prizes, and thrift stamps to the value of $43.25 were dis- tributed among the children for their work of the previous year as an encouragement to further endeavor.
For the season last past, the Committee decided to offer silver cups to the pupils in the upper grades of the two Grammar schools and the High school, for the best and
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Report of the Clean-Up Committee
next best home gardens planted and cared for by them, and six silver cups were purchased and awarded to the following pupils :
High School:
First Prize, Helen Bingham
Second Prize, Eleanor Biassey
Jenkins School:
First Prize, Mary O'Hern
Second Prize, Bertram Cole
Special Prize, to John Stonefield, of thrift stamps
Hatherly School:
First Prize, Elsie Bogdanoff
Second Prize, Marian Hobson
Respectfully submitted,
SCITUATE CLEAN-UP COMMITTEE, P. R. EATON, Chairman.
REPORT OF TREASURER OF SCITUATE CLEAN-UP COMMITTEE
Mar. 1 Balance on hand.
$3 19
April 29 Received of Town Treasurer
300 00
$303 19.
April 29 Paid for Thrift Stamps ... . $43 25
May 22 Paid N. G. Wood & Sons for prize cups. 32 70
May 24 Paid Albert D. Spaulding. . for printing posters . 2 75
June 9 Paid David O'Hern. . 89 40
Paid Archie L. Mitchell . .
28 20
Oct. 14 Paid Edward Bush for work of Boy Scouts 47 50
40 00
Oct. 30 David O'Hern
283 80
Balance on hand
$19 39
129
Trustees of the Scituate Historical Society
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE SCITUATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
To the Inhabitants of the Town of Scituate:
The activities of the Historical Society, which has the old Cudworth House in its custody, are so public in their nature that little remains to be said in a formal report of its doings and accomplishments in the year just closed. The number of visitors to this ancient landmark have numbered near a thousand. The interest thus manifested in it and the history of other years which it contains, the opportunity which it affords for the preservation and exhi- bition of things intimately connected with early homes and the lives of the forbears of the present generation of Scituate citizens are all a source of satisfaction to the officers and members of the Society. The property is well maintained. The doors and blinds were painted again during the early summer and much embellishment added to the already attractive interior. Complete materials for the appropriate furnishing of the "best bedroom" on the second floor has already been given or promised when that room shall have been put in readiness to receive them. It is expected that the comparatively small amount necessary to do this will be raised among the members during the coming spring, when this two-hundred-year-old structure will be complete in its rehabilitation - a home of the fathers in the midst of the dwellings of the sons.
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