USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fairhaven > Town annual report of the offices of Fairhaven, Massachusetts 1937 > Part 7
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The total amounts outstanding on each of the several levies of taxes and assessments were given to the board of assessors for use in preparing the recommitment war- rants, and a detailed list of the accounts was obtained by the new collector.
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It is recommended that determined action be taken at once by the new collector to secure settlement of the out- standing taxes of 1936 and of prior years dating back to 1925 which, on April 23, 1937, aggregated over $80,000.
The records of licenses and permits issued by the select- men, town clerk, and the health department were examined and checked, and the payments to the State and the town were verified. It is recommended that a complete record of all permits issued by the inspector of buildings be kept and an effort be made to collect amounts due the town for permits issued without the deposit for the permit.
The surety bonds of the financial officials bonded for the faithful performance of their duties were examined and found to be in proper form.
The commitments of departmental accounts receivable were examined and checked. The recorded collections were compared with the payments to the treasurer, the disallow- ances were checked, and the outstanding accounts were listed and proved to the accounting officer's ledger.
There are appended to this report, in addition to the balance sheet, tables showing a reconciliation of the treas- urer's cash, summaries of the tax, assessment, tax title, and departmental accounts, as well as tables showing the condi- tion and transaction of the various trust funds.
For the co-operation rendered by all the town officials during the progress of the audit, I wish, on behalf of my assistants and for myself, to express appreciation.
Respectfully submitted,
HERMAN B. DINE,
Assistant Director of Accounts.
Report of the Park Commission
To the Board of Selectmen and Citizens of Fairhaven:
The Park Commission organized in March with Miss Potter continuing as chairman, Mr. Dutton as secretary and Mr. Duval the new member from the North. In addition to the regular upkeep of the nine plots and parks compris- ing the system there have been several new projects pro- vided for in the 1937 budget.
The sea wall at North Bridge Park, badly damaged in 1936, was almost entirely rebuilt under the immediate direction of the Street Department. The level was raised well above the lawn grade, smoothly capped and solidly riprapped making a permanent barrier against the force of winter storms.
The care of the Fort Phoenix property was assumed as a legitimate part of the park system and frequent inspections pronounce conditions there better than for some years. There is probably less abuse than at Cushman and appreci- ative enjoyment of this unique spot by children, family picnic groups, tourists, even artists, is gratifyingly noted.
Due to traffic hazards it was deemed necessary to lower the height of the shrubbery at Main Street and Huttleston Avenue at no small sacrifice of well grown plants. A be- ginning has been made however towards some recon- struction which will make this corner compare favorably with other sections of the bridge-town approach.
With the acquiring of a new power mower at a cost of five hundred and sixty-five dollars ($565) recent high re- pair bills have been eliminated, the saving in time is estimated from one third to one half and the saving in temper appreciably more. The park truck, model T Ford, in commission for the last fourteen years has come to an end. Arrangements are being made for its replacement.
The usual care and surveillance has been maintained with the interest and loyalty of the two employees from April to October inclusive, and a third for the four "heavy" months. This man so proved his ability as a tree pruner
138
that more much needed work was done than for some years.
Responsibility for providing for the recreational side of life has developed rapidly over the country at large in town and city alike, and Fairhaven is fortunate in the extent of its park areas not only as a contribution to its civic beauty but as furnishing ample space for tennis, baseball and the several playgrounds. The report of the playground super- visor is appended.
In the Annual Report of the Park Commission of the City of Worcester one paragraph is so pertinent to Fairhaven that in closing we take the liberty of quoting. "I cannot overemphasize the request for active co-operation on the part of the public. The parks and recreation fields belong to the public and while the great majority of the citizens are ever ready to work hand and hand with the Depart- ment in the preservation of these properties, there is, I regret to state, a disturbing element which has grown very noticeable during the past few years. It seems to be an inbred malicious vandalism and law defiance which work general injury to the physical system and interfere with and comfort of those who appreciate what the city is doing to insure rest and healthful recreation."
Can a co-operative public opinion help the situation locally ?
Respectfully submitted,
MABEL L. POTTER, Chairman HAROLD B. DUTTON, Secretary ARSENE G. DUVAL.
Playground Report
To the Members of the Park Board:
The total registration and daily average attendance at Cushman Park Playground for 1937 showed a slight in- crease over 1936, some 1150 names being recorded for the season. The attendance at East Fairhaven far outnumbered any previous season; at Anthony there was no change; at the North a slight increase.
N. Y. A. workers were of valuable assistance and several grammar school pupils earned civic time by caring for the tiny tots as they enjoyed the apparatus. Sport events took place weekly, a feature eagerly looked forward to by regul- lars and which brought some who appeared only on these occasions. The 11th annual doll show the occasion of quite a gathering, a parade, music by the N. Y. A. Orchestra and an exhibition of over 100 pieces of hand work fashioned by the girls. Miss Potter of the Park Board also spoke briefly reminding the children of the opportunities of the Playground.
Miss Greenwood from the National Safety Council paid her first visit this summer and the children eagerly grasped opportunities to earn the various safety club pins. On the day of the boy's vehicle parade 50 safety club books were exhibited, many decorated with colored crayon.
More interest was noted in tennis than in 1936; younger players have taken up the game and the list of telephone reservations was much larger.
No playground can be too well equipped for the children of the community. Surprising and unexpected results are noted from only a few weeks influence of such activities. Properly guided, they develope health and strength, mental alertness, unselfishness, a sense of fair play and social equality-all worth while for the youth of today.
Respectfully submitted,
MABEL O. DUTTON.
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SCHOOL REPORT
OF THE
TOWN OF FAIRHAVEN MASSACHUSETTS
FOR THE
Year 1937
THE A. E. COFFIN PRESS-PRINTERS NEW BEDFORD, MASS.
1938
School Calendar
1938
Monday, January 3
Schools re-open
Tuesday, February 22
Holiday
Friday, February 25
Schools close
Monday, March 7
Schools re-open
Tuesday, April 19 Holiday
Friday, April 29
Schools close
Monday, May 9
Schools re-open
Monday, May 30
Holiday
Friday, June 24
Wednesday, June 29
Elementary Schools close High School closes
SUMMER VACATION
Monday, September 12
Schools re-open
Wednesday, October 12
Holiday
Friday, November 11
Holiday
Wednesday noon, November 23 Thanksgiving Recess
Monday, November 28
Schools re-open
Wednesday, December 21
Schools close (Christmas vacation)
1939 Tuesday, January 2
Schools re-open
The signal at 7:15 A.M. indicates no forenoon session for any of the eight grades of the elementary schools.
The signal at 12:45 noon indicates no afternoon session for any of the eight grades of the elementary schools.
The no-school signals do not apply to the high school.
School Committee
William B. Gardner George F. Braley Mrs. Ella H. Blossom
Mrs. Elizabeth M. Knowles Orrin B. Carpenter Frank M. Babbitt
Term expires 1938 Term expires 1938 Term expires 1939
Term expires 1939
Term expires 1940
Term expires 1940
CHAIRMAN William B. Gardner, 35 Union Street
SECRETARY AND SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS Charles F. Prior, 30 Green Street
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT CLERK Beatrice DeCoffe, 212 Main Street
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE HOURS
Town Hall
8:15-9:00 A.M .- Every school day. 4:00-5:00 P.M .- Every school day. Wednesday evenings, 7:00-8:00.
The Superintendent's office is open with a clerk in charge daily from 9:00-12:00 and 1:30-5:00, except Saturdays, when it is open only in the forenoon.
Telephone at Town Hall, Fairhaven-3891 Telephone at residence, 30 Green Street-6714-W
Report of the School Committee
To the Citizens of Fairhaven:
Herewith is submitted the annual report of the School Committee for the year ending December 31, 1937.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
(Elementary Schools)
RECEIPTS
Town Appropriation, 1937
$ 98,130.00
H. H. Rogers Trust Fund
4,313.49
Edmund Anthony, Jr. Trust Fund
300.00
Pease Fund
213.96
County Dog Fund
1,341.48
$104,298.93
EXPENDITURES
General Control
$
4,988.94
Superintendent's Salary
$3,750.00
Office Clerk
863.00
Attendance Officer
183.00
School Census
125.00
Miscellaneous
67.94
Instruction
$ 72,843.94
Teachers' Salaries
$67,165.15
Text Books
2,485.88
Supplies
3,192.91
Operation and Maintenance
15,524.89 $
Janitors' Salaries
$ 7,603.16
Fuel
3,280.92
Building Supplies
2,364.43
Repairs
2,113.04
New Equipment
163.34
.
5
$
7,567.41
Other Agencies Transportation : Public Schools Parochial Schools
$ 4,511.81 240.00
Health Tuition Insurance
209.00
1,100.60
Miscellaneous
$ 493.77
Total
$101,418.95
Paid High School Bills
2,853.23
Net Balance
$ 26.75
FINANCIAL STATEMENT (High School) RECEIPTS
Town Appropriation
$30,870.00
Special Appropriation
1,500.00
H. H. Rogers Trust Fund
16,631.62
From Elementary School Funds
2,853.23
$51,854.85
EXPENDITURES
Instruction
$39,023.49
Teachers' Salaries
$35,412.96
Text Books
1,500.37
Supplies
2,110.16
Operation and Maintenance
$11,646.97
Janitors' Salaries
$ 5,677.31
Fuel
1,735.35
Building Supplies
2,009.08
Repairs
1,993.86
New Equipment
231.37
Other Agencies
$ 900.00
Health
$ 324.00
Insurance
576.00
Miscellaneous
$ 284.39
$51,854.85
Total Balance
1,500.00
6
FINANCES
In its report for 1936 the School Committee called atten- tion to the decreasing revenues being received from trust funds and the difficulties, in consequence, of planning and expending the budget. Before making the budget for 1937, the Committee secured from the Trustees of the H. H. Rogers Trust Fund for the High School a statement that, as far as could be foreseen, the income for the current year would be $19,737. The actual receipts were $16,631.62, or $3,106.00 less than calculated upon. So substantial a loss made it impossible to carry on the school until the end of the year without additional funds. At a Town Meeting in December $1,500.00 more was made available. This
left the High School budget, as planned, in arrears by $1,600.00, but by applying savings in the Elementary School budget, due chiefly to resignations of teachers and their replacement by beginners at the minimum salary, it has been possible to finish the year with a net balance of $26.75.
Status of the H. H. Rogers High School
Trust Fund
The following shows the income yielded by this fund in each year, 1929-1937 :-
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
$26,796 $26,120
$27,096
$26,300
$26,070
$26,495
$24,309
$23,048
$16,631
It will be noted that the net decrease since the beginning of the depression has been $10,165.00 and that nearly all of this has been in the last three years. The amount re- ceived in 1937 is $7,678.00 less than 1935, and $6,417.00 less than in 1936. Although neither the School Committee nor the Town have, under the terms of the gift, any juris- diction whatever over the investing of the endowment fund, it seemed sound policy to indicate to the Trustees our con- cern over the lessening of the income and to investigate in some detail the reasons for it. It was decided, therefore, with the approval of the Selectmen, to have Mr. Charles Mitchell, Town Counsel, confer with the Trustees in New York. His report indicates that there is no evidence what- ever of mismanagement or improper procedures. The loss in income has been caused by the maturing of bonds and the necessity of reinvesting in those bearing a lower rate of interest. This situation is not peculiar to the adminis-
7
tration of the High School Trust but is characteristic, under present conditions, of all trust funds. It is not likely that there will be, in the near future, a return to the former income. The net prospective income for 1938, is indicated as $17,621.00 which, if received, will be about $1,000.00 greater than that of the current year. The Committee has planned its budget on the assumption that it will receive this sum.
REPAIRS AND NEW EQUIPMENT Elementary Schools
Your Committee has expended during the year for re- pairs on elementary schools $2,113.04. In this amount and accounting for over 25% of it is the cost of installing a fire escape in the Rogers School auditorium. Other major items have been :
New smokepipes at Anthony and Tripp Schools.
New grates for boilers at Anthony and East Fairhaven Schools.
Repair of boilers at Oxford School.
Repainting exterior of Addition.
Repair of gutters on Addition.
Repairing and repainting of west side of East Fair- haven School.
Forty sets of Seat Irons at Oxford School.
There have been the usual number of routine repairs and replacements, but notably increased expenditures on the heating plants. It is probable that this will continue to be the case.
HIGH SCHOOL REPAIRS
The high school has been in use for thirty years. Its original cost is said to have been about $1,000,000. The fact that only the best of materials was used in its construction accounts, in part, for the relatively small percentage of its value spent annually on its upkeep. For several years, owing to shortage in funds, the sum has been sufficient to cover only the more urgent needs in this direction. The following shows the repair bill of each of the last twelve years :
1925
$1660
1926 $5913
1927 $2182
1928 $2698
1929 $2314
1930 $1407
1931
$848
1932
1933
1934
1935 $1612
1936 $1835
1937
$1421
$ 482
$ 546
$1993
8
Although the condition of the school is much better than could reasonably be expected, considering its age and the extremely small outlay in recent years, the time has come when more must be expended or the building will seriously deteriorate. It will be noted in the above table that an unusually large amount, $5913., was spent in 1926. In that year the system of cold water plumbing was completely renewed. One of the major repairs most needed at the present time and which must soon be attended to is the renewal of the hot water system. There are numerous evidences in this of corrosion, due to the action of the water, and no one can prophesy when the condition will become so serious as to demand immediate attention. It will be practically useless when this occurs to attempt to remedy it by patching up here and there. It will be safer and less expensive in the end to renew the system com- pletely. This is a job that will require a special appropria- tion, perhaps within a year or two.
An important repair that will require attention this year is the complete retubing of one of the boilers. The State Inspector says the boilers are in remarkably good condition, taking into consideration their years of service. A repre- sentative of the firm which built them has inspected them, at the request of the Committee, and he reports that, with retubing and incidental re-conditioning, they will last, per- haps, for another thirty years. Sixteen new tubes have had to be put in within two years and this indicates, of course, that others will soon have to be replaced. In addition to the fact that putting in two or three tubes at a time is relatively expensive, there is another angle of the situation to consider. There is at least the possibility that leaky tubes might develop so fast in both boilers at the same time, that it would be necessary to close schools while they were under repair. Even if this did not prove necessary, owing to the fact that one boiler plus the gas heating equipment in the Addition would heat both buildings for a time, the expense of using the gas heater for the time required would add materially to the cost. The Committee wishes to retube and completely recondition one boiler in 1938 and is in- cluding the estimated cost in its repair budget.
TEACHERS' SALARIES
The necessity of keeping up the buildings of a school system is obvious to everyone; thoughtful citizens under- stand also the desirability of preventing, as far as possible,
9
deterioration in the quality of the school work which goes on inside these. It is with this in mind that the School Com- mittee, in making its budget, has asked for enough addi- tional to enable it to make modest increases in its salary schedules. From 1929-1935 there were few changes in the teaching staff under our abnormally low salaries. In the last two years, however, 40% of the elementary corps have resigned to accept more remunerative positions elsewhere. Their places have had to be filled by teachers just out of the Normal Colleges. Although it is understood that these are rendering exceptionally efficient service as beginners, we know that the quality of their work gains, within limits, through experience. Our system has always employed be- ginners, been a training school for wealthier communities, and is so organized and supervised that it can absorb, with- out undue impairment, a certain number of them each year. It cannot, however, continue to assimilate the number of the last two years without seriously deteriorating. The Committee does not feel it can compete with wealthier towns in its maximum salaries, but it believes it will be sound policy to increase our salaries finally to the extent recommended by the Superintendent of Schools in his re- port. To put the schedules suggested into effect in one year would perhaps be impracticable, but it is hoped that the Town will appropriate the funds necessary to make a be- ginning in September, 1938. If the amount provided for elementary schools is expended only in that department, instead of being applied, in part, to cover a deficit in high school support, as has been the case for the last two years, the budget for these approved in 1937 will be sufficient for 1938. The Committee is assuming this to be the case.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BUDGET
Budget for 1937
Expended in 1937
Budget for
1938
General Control, (Including Supt., Clerk, Truancy, Census, Office Expense )
$ 5,075.00 $ 4,988.94
$ 5,100.00
Instruction, (Including Teach- ers, Books, Supplies)
75,150.00
72,843.94
75,380.00
10
Operation and Main- tenance (includ- ing Janitors, Fuel, Bldg. Supplies, Repairs and New Equipment) 15,815.00
15,524.89
15,750.50
Other Agencies, (including Trans- portation, Health, Tuition, (Insurance)
7,600.00
7,567.41
8,075.00
Sundries
350.00
493.77
475.00
Total
$103,990.00
$101,418.95
$104,305.00
From Outside Sources 5,860.00
6,175.00
Appropriation required $ 98,130.00
$ 98,130.00
In making the high school budget, provision is made for the loss of income from the Trust Fund, for increased ex- penditures for repairs and new equipment, for renewing the supply of textbooks, and for raising the salaries of some teachers. The total appropriation required is $36,000.
HIGH SCHOOL BUDGET
Budget for 1937
Expended in 1937
Budget for
1938
Instruction, (Including Teach- ers, Books, Supplies)
$38,700.00
$39,023.49
$40,000.00
Operation and Main- tenance, (Includ- ing Janitors, Fuel,
Bldg. Supplies, Re-
pairs and New
Equipment)
10,800.00
11,646.97
12,425.00
Other Agencies, (Including Trans- portation, Health, Tuition, Insurance)
925.00
900.00
900.00
Miscellaneous
182.00
284.39
275.00
Total
$50,607.00
$51,854.85
$53,600.00
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ACTUAL RECEIPTS 1937
H. H. Rogers
Trust Fund
$16,631.62
Town Appropriations 32,370.00
From Elementary School Account 2,853.23
Total
$51,854.85
Balance returned
From the H. H. Rogers Trust Fund, 1938
$17,600.00
Appropriation required $36,000.00
The School Committee wishes to express its appreciation of the real interest in and devotion to their work shown by teachers, principals and other employees. It is sensible also, of the cooperation shown by the general public.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM B. GARDNER, Chairman MRS. ELLA H. BLOSSOM MRS. ELIZABETH M. KNOWLES, ORRIN B. CARPENTER
GEORGE F. BRALEY
FRANK M. BABBITT
Fairhaven School Committee
Report of Superintendent of Schools
To the School Committee of Fairhaven:
The present Superintendent of Schools began his work in Fairhaven in the summer of 1912. During 1918 he was absent "on leave" for Y. M. C. A. service overseas. Here- with is submitted, therefore, his twenty-fifth annual report.
ATTENDANCE AND MEMBERSHIP
The total membership of the schools for the year ending June 1937 was 2363; for 1936 it was 2399; the average membership was 2160 as against 2191 in the preceding year ; the percentage of attendance, 93.6 compared with 91.6 for the year previous.
In last year's report school population and membership trends were thoroughly analyzed. These indicated that the peak in school population was reached in 1932. In that year there were, according to the school census, 2445 chil- dren in Town between the ages of 5 and 16. The lowest point since 1930 was reached this year when the October census returned 2150 children.
Public school membership, in the meantime, has not shown a corresponding decrease. In 1932 the total enrol- ment was 2260; in 1937 it was 2363. The average member- ship of these years was, respectively, 2142 and 2160. In September 1937, however, there were 86 less pupils attend- ing school than on the same date of last year. The actual membership on December 1st was 2110 as compared with 2188 in 1936. It is apparent that there is to be a net loss this year but a part of this will be due to increased member- ship in private schools rather than to decrease in the school population.
As has been pointed out in previous reports, a declining birth rate has for several years been the chief cause of decreasing elementary school membership throughout the country. On the other hand, inability to secure employment has acted to keep pupils in school until they were older.
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This has increased enrolment in the high school. The fol- lowing figures indicate the effect of this tendency here :
HIGH SCHOOL MEMBERSHIP
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
379
421
421
522
590
613
1935
1936
1937
648
646
652
It is probable that the approximate peak of high school membership has been reached. There are now 195 eighth grade pupils as compared with 204 at the same time last year, and 195 seventh graders as against 209 in 1936.
SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS
In 1936, for the first time in many years the seventh grade at the Oxford School was housed in the Edmund Anthony, Jr. instead of being carried to Rogers. This year there were over sixty seventh graders at Oxford, enough for two classes. One was sent to the Anthony School, the other retained at Oxford. In 1938 present indications are that all seventh graders in the Oxford district can be housed in that school.
There is a little congestion at the high school, otherwise there is ample housing room in all of Fairhaven schools. Unless business swings upward in New Bedford or, for some other reason, Fairhaven increases greatly in popula- tion, no new construction of school buildings will be needed for years.
Age of Present School Plant
It may be of interest, and convenience for reference to list in this report the dates when the buildings comprising our present school plant were erected.
Rogers School Oxford School
Erected in 1884-85
Four rooms erected in 1896 Four rooms added in 1914
Washington St. School
Church converted into School 1902-03 Remodelled and addition of two rooms, 1922 1907
Fairhaven High School Job C. Tripp School
Four rooms completed in 1917
Three rooms added in 1920
1921
Edmund Anthony, Jr. East Fairhaven Addition
1925
1931
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In the years between 1917-1931 four new schools were erected in Fairhaven and one, Washington Street, added to and renovated. There is nothing in present industrial conditions of this vicinity to indicate that such a period of activity will be required in the future, at least, the future to be envisioned today. The problem now is to provide for the upkeep of the present school plant. The high school phase of this is referred to in the Report of the School Committee. The maintenance of elementary buildings has been aided greatly during the depression by the various Federal projects; they are now in fair condition, but neces- sary repairs on these, especially on the heating and plumb- ing systems, will increase in the next few years. The fol- lowing shows expenditures for repairs on elementary schools during each of the years since 1929 :-
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