USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1867-1870 > Part 41
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Under this contract, work was commenced in April, and has been continued without interruption during the entire season. The total length of arching completed is 1,572 feet, a distance of 400 feet from the present ter-
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minus of the work to Exchange street, yet remains to be finished by the contractor.
The amount expended upon this branch of work dur- ing the year, has been as follows :
E. B. Walker, contract of 1868, $16,058.56
" 1869, 65,641.74
Extra and sundry bills,
12,355.09
Damages awarded by City Council, and amount
paid Messenger & Wright, 5,430.00
Making a total of $100,485.39
Which amount is chargeable to and will appear in the permanent debt of the city. Making the aggregate cost of this improvement thus far, including the purchase of Fox Dam, and amount paid Lessees of Mill, $221,685.39.
The necessity of the accomplishment of the full com- pletion of this enterprise will doubtless commend itself to your judgment, I would, therefore, simply suggest that early action be taken for the laying out and straight- ening Mill Brook from Exchange street, through the estate of L. W. Pond and Union street to the works of the Ames Plow Co., with the view of effecting a contract for the construction of this section of the work during the present year, a distance of about 1,725 feet.
By an order of the City Council adopted July 12, the location of Mill Brook between the northerly side of Green street and Cambridge street was changed, and its location established along and paralled with Millbury street, about 100 feet distant therefrom. The rapid building up of the territory embraced within the newly established line, rendered it necessary that immediate action be taken by the authorities to prevent the erec- tion of houses upon the land so appropriated, and the payment of increased cost for damages in the future.
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The bounds having been fixed and the land formally taken, it is not only proper, but a matter of justice that early payment be made to the parties whose property has been thus appropriated for the public use ; parties who have designed building houses, but find that the municipal authorities have taken their estates, and for want of remunertion for their land taken are without means to purchase other lots and erect their dwellings.
As an act of simple equity to the aggrieved parties in interest, I ask your early consideration of this subject, that a prompt settlement shall be effected with all those who are thus inconvenienced by the action of the city.
SEWERS.
During the past year sewers have been established in thirty-seven streets. The total number of lineal feet laid is 24,149, and consists of the following sizes :
40 x 60 brick sewer,
1104 feet,
32 x 48
1719} "
30 x 45
1144
66
27 x 40 66
1404 66
20 x 30
973
16 x 24
682
66
18 x 27
66
3109%
18 inch pipe sewer,
19831 «
15 .“ 66
65442 "
12
66
4238
9
66
1247
.
The greater number of these sewers laid being in the Piedmont st. district, and embracing a surface area of drainage of 400 acres, will not be available for sewerage purposes until the main sewer is constructed through Piedmont and Seaver streets to Highland street. It is be- lieved that the contract of Mr. S. H. Tarbell for the con- struction of the sewers in this district will be fully consummated during the present year.
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The amount paid Mr. Tarbell on account of his con- tract has been $66,016.16.
The cost of the sewers laid in the streets by the city has been $62,481.93, making the total expense for sewers $120,498.59 for the year 1869.
Deducting, say $11,000 for the cost of catch basins and inlets, and the net cost of the sewers for the year is $109,498.59, which amount added to the net cost of pre- vious years, makes the total sum of $207,649.82, which is represented by the temporary loan of the city and is to be assessed upon the estates directly benefitted by the establishment of these sewers.
The pressing demands in all quarters of the city for the establishment of sewers must be the best guarantee of the necessity for their construction, and the opera- tions of this department of municipal interest will doubt- less receive from you the attention which the individual cases may require.
ASSESSMENT OF SEWERS.
It has been intimated that there is a growing feeling in the community, how general I know not, that the im- portant matter of the apportionment and assessment of the cost of the Sewers now laid and to be established in the streets of the city, will never be accomplished, and that it would be advisable to absorb the whole amount in the public debt.
Whatever may be the opinion of the private citizen, it would seem that no such sentiment should be expressed or entertained by an officer of the government. The whole subject matter of the adoption of a plan for the sewerage of the city was presented through a joint special committee of the City Council of 1866; the re- port of that committee was unanimously adopted in con- currence by the Council. In accordance with the recom-
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mendations of the report, a petition was presented and a law was passed by the Legislature granting full power to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to assess every person owning real estate upon any street in which any drain or sewer may be laid or upon the line thereof, his pro- portionate share of the expenditure of the city for drains or sewers, which would give the power to include the cost of walling up Mill Brook, although never contem- plated.
This act was submitted to and approved by the voters of Worcester, April 16, 1867, and work was commenced the July following.
The interpretation of the vote of the people upon this question, as understood, was in substance as reported by the committee, which report frankly and without quali- fication recommends that the "entire cost of the main channel should be assumed and paid from the common funds, while the whole amount of this average cost of sewers in the streets should be assessed upon the estates directly benefitted." And I submit that any deviation from the system originally proposed and accepted would be a breach of public faith. No change can be honorably adopted unless submitted to the people, and no evasion of responsibility should be countenanced, however diffi- cult or unpleasant may be the task imposed, without a full and absolute release from the imposed duty by the expressed will of the voters of the city.
It is not unreasonable to expect that this assessment of the cost of sewers in the streets upon the estates ben- efitted will be cheerfully and promptly met. Although the actual expense of these street sewers will be assessed, yet this is but a portion of the aggregate cost of the whole system and represents but a small part of the ad- vantages gained to each individual estate.
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When it is considered that before the inauguration of the present system of sewers, neither the corporation or any individual member of the community had a legal right to conduct the sewerage matter from his estate ; that by the power granted the corporation is now to provide and guarantee forever ample and sufficient means of sewerage to every estate assessed ; is bound to keep in repair and maintain the whole arterial system of su- perstructure; is to meet and defend its rights and assume all liability in case of damage to parties outside the limits of the city in the future; under these considerations it must, I think, be admitted that a single assessment for a guaranteed sewerage of any estate, as a finality, is a tri- fling matter as compared with the great and increasing liabilities which the city itself assumes in the disposition of the aggregated sewage matter of a large and increas- ing community.
A full understanding of the merits of the case, and a careful consideration of the points of common and per- sonal welfare in their present and future bearing upon the corporation and the individual, will doubtless con- vince the most prejudiced mind that sound public policy and personal equity will demand the full and faithful adoption of the plan for the assessment of the cost of sewers in the streets of the city, as accepted by the Council and approved by the citizens.
I am fully aware of the difficulties and of the great labor attending the equitable assessment of the cost of these sewers ; difficulties which will, however, grow less as the work progresses, because it will afford a more complete working foundation. The greatest number of lineal feet of sewers laid in the streets, and the largest area of land benefitted, affords a more reliable basis of average of cost, which although a part of the same gen-
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eral system, must in different locations vary very much in size, depth, and difficulty of construction.
When an assessment will be reached, must depend en- tirely upon the amount of work accomplished in differ- ent parts of the city, and no assessment should or prop- erly can be made until an absolute equitable basis is established, which shall for future time stand as the guiding rule by which all sewers may be constructed and assessed as the growth and demands of the city shall require.
While the apparent delay in the accomplishment of this duty may be misinterpreted by some, still when it is known that in several cities which have adopted a system of sewers, the assessment of the same upon in- dividual estates was not made for a number of years after its inauguration, it will be considered not unreason- able that ample time should be allowed for development of the system, and full opportunity given to create a basis of operation which shall commend itself as sound in law and just in policy.
For the past year work has progressed under the di- rection of the City Engineer, in preparing an accurate plan of each estate upon the line of every sewer laid, with the view of affording absolute information as re- gards the territory benefitted, and giving to the author- ities a definite knowledge of each estate to be assessed. When the proper time shall arrive for the fulfilment of this duty, I trust the responsibility will be cheerfully and confidently assumed, and I fully believe the task will be accomplished to the general satisfaction of all.
POLICE.
In an industrious, intelligent and educated com- munity it would seem that the maintenance of a Police and Patrol force like our own is hardly requisite; yet
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the experience of its daily operations teaches its necessity, and the officers and men comprising the department have been fully occupied during the past year.
The expense of this department has been increased somewhat from the fact that since the first of April last, the city has assumed and paid the entire cost of horse hire necessary to carry on its operations.
Although the whole management of fines, fees and costs belong to and are under the direction of the Muni- cipal Court, still the relation of the Police Department through its officers is so intimately connected there- with, that the attention of the executive branch of the government was called to the subject matter of horse hire as charged to those convicted in the Criminal Court, and appearing in each case among the bill of costs.
By a provision of the general statues it is made allow- able to divide the costs attending the prosecution of several cases on warrants jointly drawn, between the par- ties convicted of misdemeanor ; that is, if five persons are brought before the Court for trial and convicted, and the expense of transportation has been in two of the cases five dollars, each person arrested and convicted on the joint complaint is charged one dollar for horse hire.
For many years it has been the practice of the Mar- shal or his Assistants to own one or more horses, which has been considered a great advantage, in relieving the city from the expense of furnishing and maintaining the same. These officers of course look for their remuner- ation to the amount of charges that can be imposed upon the persons who may be arrested and convicted before the Court ; which amount must be increased or dimin- ished in exact ratio to the arrests made, and must natur- ally have a direct bearing upon the cost of maintaining the horses and equipment of the officer.
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Without questioning the result of such an arrange- ment in the past, it was manifest that the system adopt- ed was defective in its practical application, liable to mis- interpretation by the people and subject to abuse in the future.
An arrangement has therefore been effected, whereby the department is furnished with two horses, and the . necessary equipment, for a specified sum per month, the cost of which is charged to the general expenses of the same ; and whatever costs are chargeable for the actual use of teams, the same is made directly to the parties in whose service the same has been required, and to no other person.
The result for the past nine months shows the cost of horse hire to have been $1,096.00 the amount chargea- ble allowed and collected through the Municipal Court has been $684,00, leaving a balance of $412,00 to be charged to general expenses.
An arrangement of this nature will doubtless com- mend itself to all ; it being manifestly better to frankly and openly assume what expense is necessary for the operations of the department, and collect what is justly due for actual service rendered ; as it is much more satisfactory to explain to a people why the expenses of the department have been increased, rather than to en- deavor to explain and justify the act to a citizen, why he was charged one dollar for horse-hire for being walk- ed from Harrington Corner into the Station House. This arrangement will also relieve the officers from any em- barassment or imputation of wrong, place them above suspicion, prevent this obscure undercurrent of monetery interest from its operating influences in other channels, and will obviate the necessity of requiring the owner-
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ship of a horse to be a qualification for the office of the Marshal or his assistants.
The total number of arrests during the year is 1980 being 100 less than the previous year. The total number of persons provided with lodgings, 2231
The resources of the department have been as follows :
Appropriation by the City Council, $24,000.00
Fees on Warrants served by the Assistant Marshals, 3,757.00 Witness fees of Police Officers at Municipal Court, 1,168.20 Collected for extra duty of officers, 239.50
from Overseers of Poor for lodgers, 93.34
66 on Warrants for use of City Team, 684.00
Making the total receipts $29,942.04
The expenses of the department are as follows : Pay Roll of Police Officers, $24,881.97
Salary of Marshal and Assistants, 3,825.08
Special Police, July 4, 88.75
66 Regatta,
469.35
Incidental Expenses,
759.44
Cost of Horse hire,
1,096.00
Making the total expenses, $31,120.59
Deducting the amount of earnings, 5,942,04
And the net expense of the department for the year
is $25,178.55
The number of officers in the department, including the Marshal and Assistants, thirty.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The change in the Fire Department, its transforma- tion from a separate and distinct organization to its place with the other departments of the city, and under the control of the Municipal authorities, was effected at the beginning of the past year ; and at no time since its for- mation has the discipline, morale and efficiency of the manual force, and the amplitude and power of apparatus, been in better standing and condition than at this time.
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A revised Ordinance establishing the government of this department was passed by the City Council, May 24, specifying the relations which the members bear to the executive branch of the government and to the offi- cers of the department, embracing the line of duty and the rules and regulations which are to govern the whole force. By a provision of this Ordinance the number of the Board of Engineers was reduced from seven to five. Without questioning the merits or the just claims which several of the old Board might have to the position, and in full appreciation of the long and valuable services rendered, a change was deemed necessary in the compo- sition of the new Board, with the view of combining im- portant elements of practical value, which could not be attained by the continuance of the former members. As the Board is now organized we have the rare executive ability and long and varied experience of the Chief; a practical machinist and mechanic thoroughly conversant with every detail of the manufacture and operation of a Steam Fire Engine; the Water Commissioner who is familiar with all water pipes, gates and hydrants in the city, and with full knowledge of the supply, delivery and condition of the same at all times; one who has for a long time served the department and on the Board, and whose large experience will qualify and make valuable any service rendered; and also one who has served as the clerical officer of the department for the past year. With a Board of Engineers combining such qualifications of personal fitness, and bringing to the duties of their position such diversity of talent, the success of the ad- ministration of this department may be considered as- sured.
In the appointment of the members of the Fire De- partment, which power is vested in the executive branch
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of the government, it will be the design to select men of character and ability, irrespective of political parties or personal cliques, men who shall be selected for their in- dividual qualifications, who receive their] badge of office from the appointing power, and who shall be retained in their position as long as their services are valuable ; with the view of placing this department upon the same foot- ing as the Police Department of the city, where each member is to be governed by and amenable to the head of the department, who in turn is held responsible to the constituted authorities of the city, for the good order, discipline and efficiency of the force under his control and for the condition of the machinery and appliances placed under his care.
In recognizing the valuable services, which combine so much self-sacrificing labor and disinterested personal effort by the members of this department, may we in our official as well as private relations, improve every opportunity to encourage and advance the interests and afford every facility for the proper maintenance and development of this important branch of Municipal care.
The present operative force of this department com- prises three Steam Fire Engines with Hose Carriages, 1 vo of which are fully equipped with horses ; one Hand Fire Engine located at Webster Square ; five Hose Car- riages and two Hook and Ladder Carriages.
The total number of men belonging to the Depart- mont, exclusive of the Board of Engineers, is 168.
The number of alarms of fire during the year has been 32, and not a single false alarm has occurred. The estimated amount of property destroyed by fire is $44,- 635.00, which loss was mostly covered by insurance.
The total expense of the Department for the past year has been $21,295.19. Of this amount the following items may be considered as extraordinary :
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Badges for the members,
$293.80
Furnishing new Houses on Thomas street and Bloomingdale Road, 327.55
Laying new stone floor in Engine House in Big- elow Court, 1015.85
New Leading Hose, 3310.87
Suction
85.75
Repairs of Steamers,
1048.14
$6,081.96
The receipts of the Department have been :
Use of horses by the Highway Department, $1829.09
steamers in pumping cisterns, 35.75
Sale of horse, 52.00
$1916.84
Which amount, together with the amount of extraor- dinary expenses $7998.07, deducted from the total cost, shows the actual net expense of the year $13,297.12.
CHARITIES.
The touching sentiment that " it is more blessed to give than to receive " is raised to supreme grandeur, when we contemplate the combined action of a com- munity, with common impulse caring for the wants of the humblest poor among its number. The sacred story of the widow's mite has been transmitted through the cen- turies with undiminished pathos, and its lesson of sacri- fice comes home alike to the hearts of each passing gen- eration ; although we may give from our abundance, still the professions of Christian faith, crystallizing into deeds of practical daily life, epitomize the true sentiments of a people, and in dispensing such bounty the richer blessing must be assured.
In commending this branch of municipal welfare to your attention, I know that your hearts will respond in full measure to whatever may be the just necessities and
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demands of those whose circumstances compel them to seek relief at your hand.
The total number of persons who have received aid from the city through the Board of Overseers of the Poor, is 997. The average number of those who have been fully supported by the department is 32.
At the Alms House the average number of inmates has been 27. The total expenses of this branch of the department is $7,752.59. The receipts derived from the sales of produce from the farm amount to $2,948.45; leav- ing the net cost of maintenance for the year $4,804.14.
At the Truant School the average number of boys sup- ported is 132. The net expenses, including the salary of the teacher, have been $2,176.30. The cost per week for the maintenance of each scholar is $3.10; being 39 cents less than the cost of the previous year.
The whole number of orders drawn by the Clerk for different applicants for relief is 701.
The resources of the department for the year are as follows :
Appropriation of the City Council, $11,000.00
66 for Truant School, 3,000.00
Amounts received from other towns,
413.000
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the state,
324.80
66 66 66
products of the farm, 2,948.45
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labor of boys in Truant School, 96.75
$17,783.00
· The expenses of the department for the year have been as follows :
Disbursements at the Clerk's office, $4,041.34
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Alms House, 7,752.59
Truant School, 2,273.05
Salary of City Physician,
300.00
66 Sup't of farm, 600.00
Clerk of the Board, 1,000.00
$15,966.98
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Showing an unexpended balance in favor of this de- partment of $1,816.02.
CITY SOLICITOR.
In the various material enterprises which have been projected and are being developed at the present time, there has been experienced a lack of that critical ad- visement by the legal representative of the city which is absolutely necessary in the safe and proper direction of municipal affairs ; a condition which arises from the method adopted, rather than from any want of faithful- ness by the officer in position.
By the provisions of the Ordinance, the City Coun- cil elect annually a City Solicitor, and affix a salary for his services ; the duties of the officer are formally speci- fied, and the position may have been considered of a sinecure character ; although in fact the duties imposed for the past few years have been most onerous.
For the past four years the office of Solicitor has been filled by a leading member of the bar, whose legal stand- ing and attainments are ranked among the first in the county ; a gentleman who holds a high position in the district, and whose professional experience and practice are of acknowledged value. The wisdom of the Council in the selection of so able a counsellor and advocate can- not be questioned ; but what shall we say when there is affixed as a yearly salary a sum about equal to a retain- ing fee, expecting this officer to manage and defend the several cases and important suits brought against the City, to revise all decrees and orders passed by the gov- ernment, to frame all ordinances, and to be ready at all · times to confer with and direct the officers of the gov- ernment, and to advise the various standing committees in the multiform questions which are constantly arising in the exercise of their specific duties.
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I suggest for your consideration the propriety of changing the length of the term of this office to three or five years, and to fix such compensation as shall com- mand the necessary service and talent required ; that the office of Solicitor shall be established at the City Hall, and the business and calls of the city shall take precedence of all other ; that no ordinance, decree, or order shall be presented to the Council unless certified to by the Solicitor, and that all opinions upon legal ques- tions shall be submitted in writing to the different com- mittees or officers soliciting the same, in accordance with the duties as specified by ordinance.
The manifold questions which are daily arising, and which have a direct and permanent bearing upon the laying out of streets, the establishing of sewers, the lo- cation of sidewalks, and the development of water facili- ties, besides the numerous and constant calls for advice in the health, police, and other departments of the city, require the direction of a legal mind thoroughly conver- sant with laws and ordinances relating to the same.
In the present condition of public affairs, the best legal talent should be at the service of the city, giving direc- tion to its various interests ; and it is not to be expect- ed that we can call to this service the necessary talent without a full equivalent by an increase of compensa- tion.
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