USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Town of Tewksbury annual report 1939-1944 > Part 42
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52
120
ART. 2. To hear reports of Town officers and committees and act thereon.
ART. 3. To see what sums of money the Town will vote to raise by taxation to defray necessary expenses for the current year, and make appropriations for the same.
ART. 4. To see if the Town will vote the money arising from licensing dogs, for the ensuing year to aid in sup- port of the Public Library.
ART. 5 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the town treasurer, with the approval of the selectmen, to borrow money from time to time in anticipation of the revenue of the financial year beginning January 1, 1914, and to issue a note or notes therefor, payable within one year, and to renew any note or notes as may be given for a period of less than one year in accordance with Section 11, Chapter 44, General Laws.
VOTED : That the town treasurer, with the approval of the selectmen, be and hereby is authorized to borrow money from time to time in anticipation of the revenue of the financial year beginning January 1, 1944, and to issue a note or notes therefor, payable within one year, and to renew any note or notes as may be given for a period of less than one year in accordance with Section 11, Chapter 44, General Laws.
ART. 6. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of $350.00 for the proper observance of Memorial Day, and appoint a committee to expend the money. Said committee to be taken from members of Spanish War Veterans, American Legion, or Sons of Veterans.
ART. 7. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to institute suits on behalf of the Town or defend any suits that are, or may be brought against the Town, and to sign any contracts or agreements in behalf of the Town.
ART. 8. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of $1,142.72 to pay the County of Middlesex, as required by law, the Town's share of the net cost of the care, main- tenance, and repair of the Middlesex County Tuberculosis
121
Hospital, as assessed in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 111 of the General Laws and Acts in amend- ment thereof and in addition thereto including Chapter 400, Section 25 G (6) (a) of the Acts of 1936 or take any action in relation thereto.
ART. 9. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen and the Treasurer to foreclose either through the Land Court or by affidavit of the Commis- sioner of Corporations and Taxation, any Tax Title held by the Town for more than two years, and to see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise and appropriate therefor or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 10. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate a sum not exceeding $100 for repairs to and main- tenance of the athletic field and structures thereon at the High School and for the maintenance of athletics at the High School.
ART. 11. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Se- lectmen to sell, after first giving notice of the time and place of sale by posting such notice of sale in some con- venient and public place in the town fourteen days at least before the sale, property taken by the town under tax title procedure provided that the selectmen or whom- soever they may authorize to hold such public auction may reject any bid which they deem inadequate, or take any action relative thereto.
ART. 12. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Town Treasurer with the approval of the Board of Select- men to sell any parcel or parcels of land acquired by the Town through Tax Title foreclosure proceedings whose Tax Title value is less than $15.00. for whatever sum it may be in their judgment to the best interest of the Town, or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 13. To see if the Town will vote to establish a Road Machinery Fund and appropriate a sum of money for the purpose of purchasing, repairing and operating road ina- chinery ; to which fund shall be accredited-in addition to the sum appropriated-such sums as may be allotted for the use of town-owned highway equipment operated for highway purposes in conjunction with the State and County, or take any other action thereto.
122
ART. 14. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of $2000. for the Maintenance of Chapter 90, Highways : said money to be used in conjunction with any money which may be allotted by the State or County, or both, for this purpose, or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 15. To see what sum of money the Town will vote to gravel and otherwise repair Robinson Avenue, which has been accepted by the Town by vote of a previous town meeting; and furthermore to have the Road Commis- sioners and Board of Selectmen show cause if any why this thoroughfare should not be repaired and maintained whether an appropriation is made under this article or not.
ART. 16. To see if the Town will authorize the Treasurer to discharge the Tax Titles on Real Estate in said Town which appear to be of doubtful validity and on which it appears the Town has no claim or interest as follows :
1. Jesse E. Kemp, Trull Street land and buildings, 12 acres, described in a deed, recorded November 28. 1923 Middlesex North District Registry of Deeds, Book 699, Page 324.
2. Annie E. Hurley, Lot 35, Clatur Plan, described in a deed, recorded November 28. 1923 Middlesex North District Registry of Deeds, Book 699, Page 20.
ART. 11. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of $1,000.00, said sum to be used to continue the school lunch program, or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 18. To see if the Town will make the following ad- dition to its by-laws :
At least ten days before the annual business meeting of the Town, the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Public Welfare, the Board of Health, the Assessors, the Town Clerk, Collector of Taxes, the School Board, Town Auditor, Chief of Police, Chief of the Fire Department. Tree Warden, and the heads of other town departments shall submit in writing to the Secretary of the Finance Committee an estimate of the prospective expenditures of his or their respective
123
departments: Such estimates shall contain a breakdown of the principal items of proposed expenditures, includ- ing wages, salaries, equipment, supplies and such other items as may be deemed advisable by the department.
If the estimate for wages or salaries includes com- pensation for employment additional to the employment for the previous year, or any reduction or increase of salary or wages is contemplated, such estimates shall state the work contemplated to be performed by such additional employees, and the reduction or increase in compensation of any employee or officer of the depart- ment shall be stated in the estimate.
Unless such estimates are submitted at the time and in the form provided, no appropriation in excess of the appropriation for the previous year of the department failing to file the estimates as above provided shall be made at the annual town meeting.
Upon request of the Chairman of the Finance Com- mittee such officials and heads of the above named de- partments shall appear before the Finance Committee to explain the reasons for their respective estimates.
ART. 19. To see if the Town will vote that all Motor Ve- hicles, owned by the Town of Tewksbury, shall be let- tered with the name of the Department to which the vehicle belongs, or take any action relative to same. ART. 20. To see if the Town will vote to abolish the Finance Committee or take any other action.
ART. 21. To see if the Town will vote that beginning with the Annual Town Meeting in February, 1945; the An- nual Town Meeting be held on the first Wednesday in February at eight o'clock P. M. And, that any article may be acted upon, except Article One, the election of Town Officers by ballot, which shall be acted upon on the following Wednesday at ten o'clock A. M .. at which time the polls will be opened, and will remain open until eight o'clock P. M. of the same day.
ART. 22. To see if the Town will vote to furnish the tele- phone for the Collector of Taxes, and authorize the ex- penditure for same to be paid from the appropriation for Collection of Taxes, or take any other action relative thereto.
124
ART. 23. To see if the Town will vote to set the salary for the Collector of Taxes, at $2,500. for 1944, and to raise and appropriate that amount for said purpose, or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 24. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of $300. for clerical services in the office of the Town Treasurer for the year of 1944 or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 25. To see if the voters will instruct the Selectmen to demand that the Trustees of the Eastern Massachu- setts Street Railway Company adjust the zone fare rates in Tewksbury so that cach zone will call for a c rate as is now in effect in other towns on the Lowell Everett route.
ART. 26. Also to see if the voters will instruct the Select- men, in case the Trustees do not voluntarily adjust the rates as before mentioned, to demand a hearing before the Board of Trustees or take any other action in regards to the operation of Eastern Massachusetts buses in Tewksbury.
ART. 27. To see if the Town will vote to raze the house adjoining the town hall and owned by the town, or take any action relative to same.
ART. 28. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of $50.00 in support of the Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture, through the Middlesex County Extension Service, said money to be spent under the direction of the local director or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 29. To see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise and appropriate for necessary expenses of the Civil- ian Defense Committee, or take any other action thereto.
ART. 30. To see what sum of money the Town will vote to raise and appropriate for a reserve fund under Section 6 of Chapter 40 of the General Laws or take any other action thereto.
125
ART. 31. To see if the Town will vote to increase the salary of the Inspector of Slaughtering $200.00 per year or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 32. To see what salary or rate of compensation the Town will vote to pay the Assessors, and Tree Warden, ` or take any action relative thereto.
ART. 33. To see if the town will vote to raise and appro- propriate or transfer from available funds in the treasury, a sum of money for the purchase of war bonds or other bonds that are legal investments for savings bank, in order to establish a post-war rehabilitation fund, in ac- cordance with the provisions of Chapter 5, Acts of 1943.
ART. 34. To see if the Town will amend the by-laws of the Town relating to the time of holding the Annual Town Meeting by striking out such by-laws and substituting the following :
The annual election of Town Officers shall be held on the first Wednesday in February. Polls shall be open from 12 noon to 8:00 P. M. All other business shall be transacted on the second Wednesday in February, com- mencing at 4:30 P. M., or take any other action relative thereto.
. ART. 35. To see if the Town will vote to finish grading and widening Marston Street from Whipple Road to Rogers Street, make appropriation for same or take any other action relative thereto.
ART. 36. To see if the Town will vote to pay the Town Clerk $1,000. per year, or take any action on same.
And you are directed to serve this warrant by posting up attested copies thereof, one at each of the Public Meeting Houses, one at the Town Hall, one at each of the Post Offices. and leave one hundred copies for the use of the citizens at the Post Office in said Town. 8 days at least, and over two Sundays, before the time of holding said meeting.
Hereof fail not and make due returns of this Warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk at the time and place of Meeting as aforesaid :-
126
Given under our hands, this 15th day of January, in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and forty-four.
IRVING F. FRENCH, BERNARD H. GREENE, EDWARD J. SULLIVAN.
Selectmen of
Tewksbury
A true copy attest :
Constable of Tewksbury
127
TABLE OF ESTIMATES FOR 1944
Street Lighting
$ 6,300.00
Incidentals
1,300.00
Highways
17,000.00
Schools
69,667.50
Library (Dog Tax)
1,300.00
Police
12,821.00
Stationery and Printing
1,200.00
Board of Health
3,000.00
Park Commission
250.00
Tree Warden
1,500.00
Department of Public Welfare
6,000.00
Aid to Dependent Children (Plus Federal Grants)
4,500.00
Bureau of Old Age Assistance (Plus Federal Grants)
18,500.00
Fire Department
11,203.82
Town Hall
4,650.00
Assessors
3,300.00
Vocational School
1,500.00
Inspection of Meat and Animals
900.00
Aid, State and Military
2,000.00
Interest on Loans
6.00.00
Collection of Taxes
1,000.00
Municipal Insurance
1,500.00
Sealer of Weights and Measures
225.00
Dog Officer ($100 of this amount for the keeping of dogs).
300.00
Maintenance, Legion Headquarters
125.00
Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths
1,500.00
Board of Registrars
600.00
SALARY ACCOUNT
Auditor
$ 1,000.00
Town Clerk (exclusive of fees)
750.00
Tax Collector
1,850.00
Selectmen
1,100.00
Election Officers
200.00
School Committee
225.00
Road Commissioners
400.00
Treasurer
2,000.00
1
128
Annual Report
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
Town of Tewksbury
OF TEWH
B
NMOJ
RY
N
0
1734
PP
RA
E
ALSO
Report of Superintendent of Schools
For the Year Ending December 31, 1943
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Mrs. May L. Larrabee 1943-1946 Chairman Tewksbury
J. Harper Gale
1941-1944 Secretary Tewksbury
Ralph S. Battles 1942-1945
No. Tewksbury
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Stephen G. Bean Wilmington
SCHOOL PHYSICIAN
Herbert M. Larrabee, M. D. Tewksbury
SCHOOL NURSE
Miss Edith E. Haines, R. N. Tewksbury
ATTENDANCE OFFICER
Harry Wiley (inactive part of the year from ill healtlı) Tewksbury
130
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The work and supervision in the schools has been carried on as usual.
Necessary repairs have been made on all school property during the past year.
During the summer vacation the halls and stairways in the Foster School were painted. The columns and white trim on the entrance to the High School was also painted.
A new dry well was completed in the rear of the High School eliminating a sewage problem which had given considerable trouble during the past year.
Due to restrictions issued by the Office of Defense Transporta- tion, the school bus transportation system was greatly curtailed June 1. The Eastern Massachusetts Bus Co. was dropped entirely and the work has been carried on by the three local buses. This has caused considerable inconvenience to many pupils who have been obliged to walk to school especially those living within a mile of their school. The committee hopes to resume the regular trips as soon as the government restrictions are lifted.
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION ELEMENTARY
Superintendent
$ 912.50
Supervisors
700.00
Teachers
23,600.00
Health
1,700.00
Janitors
3,880.00
Transportation
1,500.00
Fuel
1,800.00
Books and Supplies
1,500.00
Insurance
100.00
District
150.00
Miscellaneous
1,000.00
Repairs
1,500.00
Attendance Officer
75.00
$ 41,417.50
131
HIGH
Supervisors
$ 700.00
Teachers
17,700.00
Janitors
1,560.00
Transportation
2,500.00
Fuel
1,200.00
Books and Supplies
1,400.00
Miscellaneous
1,200.00
Equipment and Repairs
1,200.00
Health
65.00
Library
100.00
Attendance Officer
25.00
Insurance
600.00
$
28,250.00
Total
$ 69,667.50
Respectfully submitted.
MAY L. LARRABEE, Chairman J. HARPER GALE RALPH S. BATTLES
-
132
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the School Committee, Tewksbury, Massachusetts.
Madam and Gentlemen:
The following is the thirteenth in the series of Annual Reports that I have prepared as Superintendent of Schools. War effort still being the chief endeavor of the nation, there is a natural reflection of this in our schools.
It is very evident to all who read current newspapers and the better type monthly publications that this struggle is having a tre- mendous influence on the lives and characters of school children. Part of this trouble is traceable to unnatural home environments resulting from economic conditions and an even more important part to a peculiar type of nervous tension and reaction which is much harder to diagnose.
Upset home conditions, while by no means universal, are neverthe- less all too general. The demand for labor and the resultant high wages have attracted from many homes mothers who in normal times would never have thought of outside employment. When such employ- ment is played up as a patriotic duty, the results are surprising. There are many cases where both parents are employed either at the same time or on alternate shift periods so that the family is almost never together as a unit and gradually disintegrates as a basic educational force.
The importance of family life as an educative element is held too lightly or not recognized at all by the majority of modern people. The family unit is not the closely knit organization that it used to be and is still intended to be. Community of interests between parents and children has gradually grown less and less as our means of enjoy- ing such interests have increased. Instead of serving as a means to strengthen family influences we have seen these instrumentalities become means of family disunion. Many a father has literally been driven out of the house by the sob-sister stories and the soap programs blared by the radio when programs of much greater value to the family are on the air. Of course, children are not interested in the "dry"
133
programs if no effort is made to make them interesting by family training.
Another missed opportunity in the home is a community of interest in reading as a pastime rather than a means of learning what the Sox did today or whether Superman has a bomber by the tail with one hand while juggling a submarine with the other. Lately scientists have ruined Popeye's one excuse for existence by discredit- ing the strengthening effects of spinach. Reading together can be such a source of family unity at so little cost that it seems a pity to see its many advantages go to waste. A whole book could be written on the benefits to children in school that could be derived from such a family practice.
Any healthy family life is of course predicated on a family which meets together after the day's work is done. As mentioned above, this has been made almost impossible by the demands of war.
The psychological or spiritual effects of present world conditions are more important either to define or to trace. Their effect is uni- versally evident and is presenting a real problem to both courts and social agencies in the larger communities. There is a spirit of unrest, defiance and disregard of accepted rules of good behavior and even morals, which is truly appalling. Those who criticize teachers for lack of perfect control of large classes might well have a talk with some of our city police officers.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
In spite of many increasing difficulties our schools have progressed during the year with a reasonable degree of accomplishment. In some places we have done even better work than in the preceding year. I cannot help but feel that the teachers in the upper half of the schools, that is, in grades six through twelve, are having an increasingly hard struggle to get cooperation from their pupils. Local school children are touched by this world struggle just as are children of the cities. The high school pupil has a peculiarly hard situation. The lure of easy money in war jobs and the pull of various influences towards some part of the armed service has a very decided effect on his general attitude towards purely academic accomplishment. Sub- ject matter having a manifest utilitarian value can be taught with much greater ease than the humanities. The motivation in the former is almost self-contained and automatic. One notable example of this is the change in attitude in mathematics and science classes. These
134
subjects have a special appeal for the boys who have learned from newspapers and radio the bearing these subjects have on success in the various branches of the armed services and in industry. They attack willingly the problem of Elements of Electricity and Elements of Machines instead of fearing the same under the title of Physics. Algebra, geometry and triginometry lose some of their fearfulness when the motivation of usefulness enters the picture from the stand- point of practical application. This is as it should be. We have in the past missed out in failing to take time to sell the practical values of these subjects before plunging the victim into what seems like a jumble of meaningless combinations of the letters of the alphabet. I believe therefore that in spite of the impact of world conditions, or because of it, the high school pupils are getting a better fit for the future than we used to give them.
In the Social Sciences like History, Geography and Economics this war has provided wonderful motivation if teachers have the vision to capitalize on it. At no time in my experience has there been so good an opportunity to bring the necessity of knowledge of these subjects in everyday living as is now presented. These should not be presented by simply learning from textbooks however. The daily newspapers and monthly or weekly reviews should be the real texts. Books should serve as references for basic authorities only. The teacher who stays 'wedded to the textbook' will fail miserably.
BUILDING CONDITIONS
Through judicious expenditure the outward appearance and con- dition of all school buildings is very satisfactory. Within, in the matter of equipment, there is room for decided improvement which. for the time being is almost impossible to remedy. There are too many decrepit and antiquated seats and desks in some of the ele- mentary school rooms. Some of these bear the markings of people in town whose children have graduated from high school. Temporarily, replacements are' impossible. They simply cannot be bought. There are also several teacher's desks which have reached the age of retire- ment.
Most of the heating plants in town are in excellent condition and are working efficiently. This brings to mind the intolerable condi- tions in the Shawsheen School. Here a condition exists which seems due to avoidable circumstances of either planning or construction. Whatever the cause it is working to the serious disadvantage of the children served by this building. The School Committee has done
135
everything possible to remedy the situation. It is to be hoped that the alterations now in process of preparation will rectify matters. It is unfortunate that the weather has been so unfavorable under present circumstances. Cold and wind are a bad combination for this particular situation.
The school authorities have done their best to meet this difficulty. It was found impossible to heat the two rooms in the new addition. This difficulty had been met the year before by burning out several sections of the furnace under forced draft of a soft coal stoker. It was evident that this could not continue even if we could find another janitor to bear what Mr. Tolstrup bore through last winter. It was decided to close the two cold rooms and put the school on a two session day. Because of the various sizes of seats required it was necessary to group classes strangely. It was deemed best to have as many as possible of the younger children attend the forenoon sessions. It was therefore found necessary to have the first, second, fourth and fifth grades in attendance from eight-thirty to twelve-thirty and the remainder of the children from twelve-thirty to four-thirty. Recesses were reduced to a minimum in order to allow as much class time as possible. The result is that actual teaching time was reduced from four hours and thirty-five minutes to about three hours and forty-five minutes. This is too great a loss to continue for any great length of time. It is hoped it may not have to last very much longer. Parents in this section have been very reasonable in their acceptance of this unfortunate condition and are assured that it will be remedied as soon as is humanly possible.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
In common with all of the smaller towns of the state and nation Tewksbury has suffered an unusual teacher turnover during the year. Only one school had the same complete staff report for duty in Sep- tember as was there in June.
The high school faculty was subject to a sixty per cent change in personnel. Mr. Hoyt resigned to enter the field of superintendency and this naturally deprived us of the services of Mrs. Hoyt who had taught Latin and some other branches. Miss Dutton of the Domestic Science Department accepted a position in her home town, Dracut. Miss Groesbeck secured a much more lucrative position in a Long Island community. The industrial world attracted Miss Mulrey from our staff. Miss Papaconstantineau took up other work elsewhere.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.