USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Belgrade > Annual report of the municipal officers of the town of Belgrade, Maine, 1916-1919 > Part 1
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JEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01834 7341
GC 974.102 B415AR, 1917-1919
ANNUAL REPORTS
OF THE
TOWN OFFICERS
OF THE
Town of Belgrade
FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR
1916-1917
FARMINGTON, MAINE The Knowlton & McLeary Co., Printers 1917
ANNUAL REPORTS
OF THE
TOWN OFFICERS
OF THE
Town of Belgrade
FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR
1916-1917
FARMINGTON, MAINE The Knowlton & McLeary Co., Printers 1917
OFFICERS OF THE TOWN OF BELGRADE FOR THE YEAR 1916-1917
MODERATOR E. F. YEATON
TOWN CLERK E. H. MOSHER
SELECTMEN, ASSESSORS AND OVERSEERS OF THE POOR
L. A. BARTLETT E. L. FOSTER A. P. WATSON.
TREASURER E. H. MOSHER
COLLECTOR C. E. TILLSON
C. E. TILLSON
SCHOOL COMMITTEE R. N. GUPTIL W. T. LARKIN
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS T. W. McQUAIDE
ROAD COMMISSIONERS
H. A. BICKFORD
JAMES WATSON
CONSTABLE PERCY H. YEATON
SEXTON C. B. STUART
J. M. CUMMINGS
CEMETERY COMMITTEE E. W. TOWLE GEO. A. P. BUCKNAM
SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES F. C. FOSTER
FIRE WARD CHAS. H. MILLS
SELECTMEN'S REPORT
To the Citizens of the Town of Belgrade :
We herewith submit our annual report for the year ending Feb. 14,1917.
RESIDENT REAL ESTATE
Land values
Building values
$142,880 00 198,140 00
$341,020 00
NON-RESIDENT REAL ESTATE
Land values
$56,655 00
Building values
98,415 00
$155,070 00
Personal estate, resident
$101,625 00
Personal estate, non-resident
35,710 00
$137,335 00
Total valuation
$633,425 00
Amount of tax on above
$11,718 36
277 polls at $3.00
831 00
$12,549 36
Rate .0185
APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE YEAR 1916
State tax
$3,188 95
County tax
1,025 86
Town charges
1,000 00
Support of common schools
1,350 00
Summer roads and bridges
3,000 00
Special appropriation
200 00
6
Maintenance State Aid road
$ 80 00
State Aid highway
533 00
Winter roads, 1915-16
300 00
Cemetery purposes
75 00
For electric lights
100 00
School books
300 00
Repairs for schoolhouses
150 00
Superintendent of schools
135 00
Support of High school
850 00
Overlay
261 55
Excess
1 18
Total commitment
$12,550 54
LIST OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
LIVE STOCK
No.
Av. Val.
Total Val.
329 Horses
$93 51
$30,765 00
10 Colts, 3 to 4 years old
87 00
870 00
12 Colts, 2 to 3 years old
76 66
920 00
21 Colts, under 2 years old
45 71
960 00
530 Cows
27 88
14,777 00
18 Oxen
72 50
1,305 00
159 3-year olds
24 83
3,948 00
Total
$53,545 00
ALL OTHER KINDS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
Stock in trade
$ 8,350 00
Launches and boats, 172
18,885 00
Logs and lumber
13,800 00
Wood and bark .
675 00
Standing lumber
1,500 00
Motorcycles, 1
75 00
Automobiles, 42
12,450 00
Musical instruments, 66
6,100 00
Furniture
4,150 00
Gas engines, 24
$ 2,205 00
Machinery not taxed as real estate
5,200 00
Other property
10,400 00
Total
$83,790 00
LIST OF UNTAXABLE LIVE STOCK
No. Av. Val. Total Val.
2 year old heifers and steers
161 $20 01
$3,223 00
1 year old heifers and steers
254 11 56
2,937 00
Sheep
414 3 00 1,242 00
Swine
131 12 01 1,574 00
$8,976 00
PAID BILLS ACCRUED PRIOR TO FEB. 14, 1916
E. E. Dunn, services as selectman $92 46
L. A. Bartlett, services as selectman 65 00
B. C. Bickford, services as selectman 52 00
E. H. Mosher, services as town clerk 10 00
M. L. Cook, gathering moth nests 1 75
W. O. Willey, gathering moth nests
. 50
W. C. Mills, gathering moth nests 1 75
J. W. Alexander, gathering moth nests
: 62
Printing town reports, Knowlton & McLeary Co.
46 40
Total $273 48
REPORT OF CEMETERY COMMITTEE
Unexpended, 1915
$24 11
Appropriation, 1916
75 00
Received from sale of hay
15 00
Amount available for 1916
$114 11
Paid for mowing and raking cemeteries
$56 50
G. A. Bucknam, for care of cemeteries 26 34
G. A. Bucknam, for pumping water
21 00
E. H. Mosher, for supplies 10 27
$114 11
J. M. CUMMINGS, Cemetery
GEO. A. P. BUCKNAM, Committee.
-
8
ABATEMENTS 1916-1917
F. E. Wells, not 21 $3 00
G. W. Buzzell, not 21
3 00
Fred Knowles, dead 3 00
James Colgan, residence unknown
3 00
Earle Lovejoy, paid at Augusta
3 00
Paul M. Yeaton, not here
3 00
$18 00
PAID FOR SUPPORT OF POOR 1916-1917
On account of Jane Mignault $192 54
Arthur Kaherl 7 58 -
$200 12
PAID FOR SUPPORT OF POOR OF OTHER TOWNS
On account of Angus M. Davis
$36 55
Mamie Gordon 34 00
Anson Quimby 13 00
$83 55
Due from town Solon on account Angus M. Davis
36 55
Augusta on account of Mamie Gordon
137 70
Interest on same
2 63
Total
$140 33
Received on above
106 33
Balance due $34 00
SHEEP ACCOUNT
Paid Roy Yeaton on account sheep killed by dogs $60 00
C. H. Chandler on account sheep killed by dogs 10 00
D. C. Stevens on account sheep killed by dogs 30 00
J. F. Hanson on account sheep killed by dogs 40 00
F. S. Kelley on account sheep killed by dogs 12 00
$152 00
152 00
Due from State on account of same
9
MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES
E. H. Mosher, for stationery and books $ 23 80
Dr. L. E. Reynolds, disinfecting Abbott house 11 57
Dr. M. S. Holmes, reporting births and deaths 1 25
Percy H. Yeaton 22 50
F. C. Foster, services as sealer of weights and measures 9 00
Dr. J. S. Milliken, reporting births
50
Dr. J. D. Ames, reporting birth
25
Dr. G. G. Downs, damage to automobile
20 00
Dr. L. E. Reynolds, reporting births and deaths
3 25
Belgrade Grange, for rent of hall
25 00
Dr. H. F. Shaw, reporting births and deaths
1 75
Dr. H. F. Shaw, trip to Augusta for antitoxin 6 00
Bowditch & Webster Co., antitoxin 5 80
H. E. Gowell, care of tramps 12 00
H. E. Gowell, truant officer 5 00
F. C. Foster, services on board of health 8 00
E. F. Yeaton, services as moderator 3 00
J. M. Lombard, rent of land for tramp house
2 00
Chas. H. Mills, services as fire ward
25 00
B. F. Maher, attorney in Mamie Gordon case
100 00
L. A. Bartlett, stationery, telephoning and stamps
17 81
C. O. Page, services as election clerk
8 00
J. M. Cummings, services as election clerk
8 00
W. T. Larkin, services as ballot clerk
8 00
C. H. Chandler, services as ballot clerk
8 00
E. H. Mosher, supplies and books
3 89
E. R. Bean, disinfecting and material
27 95
E. H. Mosher, sundries
18 30
T. W. McQuaide, expenses, telephoning, etc.
18 88
E. F. Yeaton, services on board of health
5 00
C. E. Tillson, collecting taxes 300 00
$709 50
10
RECAPITULATION
Paid bills accrued prior to Feb. 14, 1916
$273 48
Abatements, 1916
18 00
Support of poor
283 67
Miscellaneous expenses
709 50
$1,284 65
HIGHWAY ORDERS DRAWN
Herbert Bickford, 1914-15
$ 5 70
Herbert Bickford, winter 1916-17
100 56
Herbert Bickford, summer 1916
1,519 64
James Watson, summer 1916
1,500 38
W. P. Sawtelle, summer 1915
6 08
W. P. Sawtelle, winter 1915-16
695 75
W. H. Knowles, summer 1915
11 00
W. II. Knowles, winter 1915-16
540 40
James Watson, foreman State Aid road
1,069 37
State on account patrol work
528 33
Total highway orders drawn
$5,977 21
Total school orders drawn 5,791 82
Total town orders drawn
1,668 46
HIGHWAY APPROPRIATIONS
Summer, 1916
$3,000 00
Special appropriation
200 00
Maintenance by town
80 00
State Aid highway by town
533 00
State Aid highway by State
514 80
Snow bills, 1915-16
300 00
$4,627 80
Total highway orders drawn
5,977 21
Overdrawn
$1,349 41
11
RESOURCES
Cash in treasury $295 03
Due from Rome on account High school
70 00
Rome on account common school
125 65
Mt. Vernon on account common school 159 24 Augusta on account Mamie Gordon 34 00
Oakland on account Anson Quimby
13 00
Solan on account Angus M. Davis 36 55
State on account sheep killed
152 00
Due on tax deeds -
80 38
Due from State, dog tax refunded, estimated
100 00 --
$1,065 85
LIABILITIES
Due L. A. Bartlett, services as selectman
$98 00
E. L. Foster, services as selectman 76 00
A. P. Watson, services as selectman 60 00
E. H. Mosher, services as town clerk
15 00
For gathering moth nests, estimated
20 00
Printing town reports, estimated
40 00
Due for printing moth cards
2 00
Outstanding treasury notes
1,500 00
$1,811 00
Liabilities above resources
$745 15
Respectfully submitted,
L. A. BARTLETT, ) Selectmen E. L. FOSTER, of
A. P. WATSON, Belgrade.
REPORT OF TREASURER
Town of Belgrade in Account with E. H. Mosher, Treasurer for the Year 1916 DR.
To paid treasury notes
$4,000 00
Interest
189 29
Town orders
1,568 46
Road orders
6,077 21
School orders
5,800 82
State treasurer, dog tax
120 00
State tax
3,188 95
County tax
1,025 86
State pensions
72 00
E. H. Mosher, services as treasurer
50 00
Cash in treasury
295 03
$22,387 62
CR.
Cash on hand March 6, 1916
$ 420 24
Rec'd from C. E. Tillson, collector
12,550 54
State treasurer, school fund and mill tax
2,066 51
R. R. and Tel. tax
14 00
On account State pensions
72 00
From State treasurer, dog tax, refunded
75 85
State treasurer, account High school
500 00
For Improvement State roads
514 80
Cash and gave treasury notes
5,500 00
From town of Sidney, account schools
70 00
Town of Rome, account schools
110 47
Mt. Vernon, account schools
144 00
For dog tax
120 00
Two burial lots
50 00
Hay in cemetery
15 00
14
Rec'd from F. E. Bunker for old stove For piece of culvert From Millard Gleason on tax deed Readfield for books Augusta on account Mamie Gordon Licenses
$ 1 00
4 00
10 28
12 60
106 33
30 00
$22,387 62
Road Commissioners' Report
SUMMER 1916
H. A. Bickford and team
$393 00
H. A. Bickford, lumber
28 00
Berger Mfg. Co., culverts
77 67
F. E. Clement
1 50
F. C. Judkins
88 13
Anson Quimby
72 75
Geo. Davis
65 96
H. C. Mills
4 50
M. Libby
6 65
E. R. Burgess
6 20
Jay Merrow
5 00
Walter H. Gleason
137 88
Foster Bros.
11 25
Geo. Pratt
25 01
Ralph Brown
6 13
Ralph Wyman
4 50
L. A. Cook
11 25
D. A. Cook
18 75
Herbert Alexander
69 00
W. L. Withers
45 00
A. Damren
1 00
Harold Farnham
4 37
E. S. Willey
11 20
Preston Willey
3 13
C. M. Conant Co.
8 50
Laforest Stevens
18 25
J. W. Alexander
40 06
Will Ellis
28 56
Hume, Newhall & Co., lumber
27 69
Minnie Cook, gravel
15 00
16
C. L. Spencer
$ 3 50
E. A. Wallace
16 38
W. P. Sawtelle
7 00
C. M. Bickford
4 00
H. L. Alexander
4 50
JohnĮStanley
4 12
Charles F. Hulin
4 00
C. E. Tillson
14 00
F. E. Bunker
5 00
C. A. Rowe
5 00
W. T. Larkin
8 05
Harry Bickford
4 12
Charles Mills
2 62
A. M. Alexander
4 50
J. B. Stevens
23 37
W. H. Stevens
5 25
Oscar Stevens
21 00
F. J. Lord
47 50
C. M. Kelley
5 25
Willis Childs
9 00
B. S. Damren
2 00
C. L. Willey
88
F. W. Tobin
7 25
D. M. Marshall & Co.
18 27
Mrs. E. S. Willey, gravel
2 00
S. Blaisdell, lumber
2 80
L. L. Castle
15 00
Charles Chandler
5 65
E. H. Mosher
2 72
S. H. Berry
2 90
A. P. Watson
13 50
Fred Meader
6 12
E. A. Mills
6 50
$1,519 64
HERBERT A. BICKFORD, Road Commissioner.
17
SUMMER 1916
James Watson,
for labor with team
$381 25
Carroll Sawyer
66
200 43
Willis Childs
66
66
66
66
102 75
Rodney Tibbetts
66 66 66
23 63
A. J. Buker
66 66 66 66
14 62
E. E. Waterhouse
66 66 66
31 50
Will Abbott
66 66
66
11 25
Charles Stratton, 66 66 on road
17 49
John Stevens
66
66 66 66
17 10
Percy Yeaton
66
66
81 74
Raymond Yeaton
66
30 75
Clyde Varney
21 87
Ernest Yeaton
66
66
40 25
Wilfred Childs
66
66
66
20 15
Charles Watson
66
30 75
John McKinnen 66 66 66
66
1 75
Archie Bickford
. 75
Fred Bickford
66 66 66
77 60
Ralph Bickford 66
66
66 66
1 50
Berger Mfg. Co., culverts
106 04
C. M. Conant Co., road machine blade
8 50
Walter Walker, for labor on road
11 75
Elmer Mosher, for labor with team
25 00
Ernest Abbott, for labor on road
3 50
Lawrence Minot
1 75
E. C. Wadleigh 66
66
3 00
Will Spaulding 66 66
66
11 50
F. B. Albee, for hardware
7 45
W. H. Sprague, for watering tub
5 00
Sidney Goodwin, for labor
4 60
James Lombard, for gravel
24 70
West Clark
2 00
Mrs. J. C. Hewitt “
6
30 00
Bert Farnham
66
15 00
Geo. Tracy, for lumber
91 77
James Watson
66
20 00
.
66
18
E. E. Waterhouse, for lumber
$ 8 56
R. N. Guptil, labor on road
12 13
$1,500 38
JAMES WATSON, Road Commissioner.
SUMMER 1915
James Tibbetts, gravel
$6 00
L. L. Castle, gravel
5 00
$11 00
W. H. KNOWLES, Road Commissioner.
WINTER 1915-1916
W. H. Knowles
$69 50
Page Pulsifer
3 50
Ralph C. Knowles
14 88
Leslie Bickford
25 50
Ralph Brown
2 63
Geo. M. Gowell
4 00
Pray Bros.
8 50
W. E. Farnham
45 00
S. H. Berry
1 75
E. H. Wadleigh
53 88
Walter Knowles
45 00
Ernest Yeaton
4 00
Manley Childs
1 75
John Stevens
11 38
Percy Chute
3 50
Charles Farnham
88
Archie Bickford
3 50
Charles Webster
9 00
Sidney Goodwin
1 02
Will Stratton
. 75
Charles Stratton
1 75
John Tibbetts
6 50
Charles Stuart
49 50
Harold Farnham
88
H. H. Hewitt
2 00
19
Charles Chandler
$ 1 55
Philip Chandler
4 76
L. A. Bartlett
16 80
A. M. Wadleigh
15 00
A. C. Dudley
18 00
Foster Bros.
45 00
E. H. Mosher
24
W. J. Spaulding
10 25
E. C. Wadleigh
9 00
E. C. Knowles
16 75
Joseph Ashland
19 50
E. E. Dunn
12 00
$540 40
W. H. KNOWLES, Road Commissioner.
SUMMER ACCOUNT 1915
F. M. Tobbins, clay
$3 50
C. E. Tilson, plank
1 88
Anna Foster, gravel
70
$6 08
W. P. SAWTELLE, Road Commissioner.
SNOW BILLS 1915-1916
H. B. Sanford
$ 9 14
Chas. A. Rowe
8 95
M. M. Larkin
7 25
Ralph Wyman
22 75
Wm. O. Willey
19 85
H. A. Bickford
40 75
Harry Alexander
40 50
Oral D. Page
5 00
W. H. Gleason
39 25
W. T. Larkin
9 45
Forest Stevens
3 98
Willis Stevens
5 05
W. P. Sawtelle
28 00
Wm. Withers
38 25
Chas. H. Mills
10 85
20
W. N. Judkins
$ 6 00
Denis A. Cook
11 73
Leroy A. Cook
20 79
H. M. Bickford
24 94
Chas. W. Moody
7 00
C. L. Meader
2 63
Chas. M. Bickford
7 25
Geo. Eldridge
3 75
John F. Stanley
20 92
C. L. Spencer
88
E. A. Wallace
6 65
Edward Burges
4 38
Edward A. McCartney
1 50
Ralph Brann
4 38
Clarence M. Kelley
1 75
·Albert Furbush
11 50
Oscar Stevens
12 75
James Stevens & Son
21 50
A. A. Gleason
3 50
E. S. Willey
95
H. A. Alexander
10 00
E. C. Lord
4 70
Clarence Chase
5 00
F. W. Pray
26 50
John Chandler
88
Forest Judkins
1 40
F. J. Lord
46 00
C. H. Wyman
23 00
H. H. Page
33 50
Harry Mills
40 75
A. E. Page
40 25
$695 75
W. P. SAWTELLE, Road Commissioner.
SNOW BILLS 1916-1917
$ 5 25
Wilbur Judkins
Herbert Alexander
18 00
W. H. Knowles, repairing roller 5 00
21
Anson Quimby
$ 6 12
Jay Merrow
5 68
C. A. Rowe
6 40
Fred Patten & Son
7 00
Albert Furbush
6 61
O. D. Page
3 00
Ralph Wyman
3 00
Willis Childs
4 00
Harry C. Mills
15 25
C. H. Wyman
15 25
$100=56
HERBERT[A .¿ BICKFORD, Road Commissioner.
SNOW BILLS 1914-1915
W. P. Cummings
$2 00
W. O. Willey & Son
3 70
$5=70
HERBERT A. BICKFORD, Road Commissioner.
STATE AID ROAD
James Watson,
and team
$135 72
C. R. Sawyer
102 00
Willis Childs
96 75
Herbert Bickford
65 77
Arthur Alexander
74 25
Elmore Farnham 66
43 50
E. L. Foster
66
38 25
Frank Lord
66 66
3 00
Lester Yeaton
66
9 00
Adelbert Pray
9 00
Percy Yeaton
45 10
Raymond Yeaton
46 00
Elmer Mosher
53 32
Wilfred Childs
24 00
Page Pulsifer
20 00
Clyde Varney
6 44
Bert Roberts
26 00
22
George Buckman
$24 00
Joe Alexander
35 00
Fred Bickford
43 32
Bert Damren
18 00
Forest Judkins
24 00
Ernest Stevens
33 00
John Chandler
2 00
James Watson, paid for material
39 25
Frank Lord, gravel
20 00
Fred Scribner
66
20 20
W. D. Damren
12 50
Total amount
$1,069 37 JAMES WATSON, Foreman.
-
Report of School Committee
We, the undersigned superintending school committee of Belgrade, recommend the following school appropriations for next year, viz :
Free High school
$ 850 00
Common schools
1,350 00
Text-books and supplies for High and common schools
300 00
Repairs 300 00
Superintendent's salary
135 00
High school reference library
75 00
Schoolroom at Belgrade Lakes
600 00
Kaustine closets at High school
C. E. TILLSON, Superintending R. N. GUPTILL, School Committee.
W. T. LARKIN,
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
To the Superintending School Committee of Belgrade:
In accordance with the provisions of the school law, I here- with submit to you, and to the citizens of Belgrade, my annual report for the town year 1916-17.
The school census of April 1st, 1916, showed 302 persons between the ages of 5 and 21; of these 137 were of compul- sory school age, between the ages of 7 and 15. There were enrolled in the schools during the year a total of 263 pupils, 226 in the common schools, and 37 in the High school.
HIGH SCHOOL
The High school has been in charge of the same teachers for almost three years. The policy of retaining the same teachers as long as their work shows growth and improvement, has demonstrated its value in the advanced standard of the school and in the fact that our pupils are now entering the dif- ferent colleges direct from the High school. But while we realize that it is unquestionably the duty of a standard A grade High school to prepare for college, yet we have kept in mind the interests of the pupils who cannot go to college, and their course of study has been made as practical as possible.
A soil tester has been added to the school equipment for the double purpose of providing practical work for the pupils of the scientific course and for the benefit of Belgrade farmers who desire to have their soils tested to determine what is needed in the way of fertilizer and treatment.
26
COMMON SCHOOLS
With the exception of the Adams School the length of the school year has been from 31 to 33 weeks. Conditions at the Adams School necessitated doing away with the Winter term, and having longer terms in the spring and fall. We are still from two to four weeks below the average of the State in the length of our school year and provision should be made for ex- tending it next year.
The majority of our schools have been in charge of the same teachers throughout the year. All our teachers have had ex- perience and the work of the schools, on the whole, has been very satisfactory.
The course of study is being constantly enlarged and strength- ened and more is required of the teacher in methods of appli- cation, especially in the fundamentals. We have now reached the point, for the first time in the history of our schools, when we can adopt a complete and well-balanced course of study and provide our pupils with the text-books and materials necessary to carry it on at a very reasonable expense.
We have been very fortunate in having no epidemics of sick- ness this year and, as a result, there has been a great increase in the percentage of attendance during the fall and spring terms. The winter term even under the most favorable conditions, will always be unsatisfactory and unprofitable. Storms, bad travel- ing, blockaded roads, the prevalence of colds at this season of the year, and the fact that many of the children are not prop- erly clothed for such severe weather, make it advisable to have a very short winter term and include as much of our school year as possible in the fall and spring terms.
The eye and ear test was given, as usual, during the year and some improvement was noticed in the attention paid by parents to notices of defective sight or hearing. There is still much room for improvement in this respect, however, as there are many children in the schools who should be wearing glasses.
27
There have been very few cases of truancy during the year. Once in a while some parent gets " niffed " at the teacher and the child is kept at home for a few days, but these cases are fast disappearing.
A great deal of good could be accomplished by a closer re- lationship between the home and the school. The superintend- ent is always glad to confer with the parents, individually, upon any subject pertaining to school welfare. It sometimes hap- pens that parents who live near the school and therefore have the advantage of daily observation may see things which need correction, especially in connection with the playground or outside life of the school. Such things should be called to the attention of the teacher or the superintendent. Frequent con- sultations between the parents and the teacher or superintend- ent will do away with those misunderstandings which some- times arise on account of the parents attaching too much im- portance to the tales which children are apt to carry home from school. It is frequently necessary for the teacher to adopt cer- tain methods or plans for reasons which the pupils may not understand. The less the pupils understand, however, the more likely they are to form wrong conclusions and to carry those wrong conclusions home. This is especially true in cases where the child is accustomed to hear criticism of the school at home. Children do not mean to do any harm in these matters, but they sometimes get wrong impressions and for that reason parents should not accept the child's judgment in such cases. A few words of explanation from the teacher or superintendent will usually make these things clear to any parent who will take the trouble to enquire. And it should be borne in mind that anything which is of sufficient importance to justify the parent in criticising the school is of sufficient im- portance to justify that parent in first making enquiries of the proper persons before deciding that he has a right to criticise the school.
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It is not a good plan, however, for the parents to select the teacher for their school. There may be very good reasons for the people wanting some certain teacher but there may be even better reasons, which the people may know nothing about for not putting her in their school. Then, too, when a teacher is placed in a certain school solely because the people of the community want her, it often happens that she gets the idea that she is so solid with the community that she can disregard the instructions of the school officials and do about as she pleases. This always results in trouble, sooner or later, for all parties concerned.
It should be apparent to any fair minded person who will give the matter a moment's consideration that any superintend- ent who has had years of training in school supervision and methods of teaching, and who visits the schools every two or three weeks, should be the best judge of what the children need in the way of a teacher, and he should be permitted to select, with the approval of the school committee, the teacher whom he believes to be best adapted to the school.
Repairs for the year include the following :
Washington school - Straightening up the underpinning, sills and floor, boarding up the foundation, building new front steps, repairing the toilet and painting the schoolhouse.
Franklin school - New doors and painting the schoolhouse. Lowell school - New doors and painting the interior.
Lincoln school - Repairing fence.
High school - Painting buildings, repairing belfry, placing new windows to provide proper lighting, installing a simple heating and ventilating system, enlarging shed to provide more wood room and suitable toilet facilities for the girls.
Your school committee recommends the following appropria- tions for next year, viz. :
High school $ 850 00
Common schools 1,350 00
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Text-books and supplies for High and common
schools
$300 00
Repairs
300 00
Superintendent's salary
135 00
High school reference library
75 00
Schoolroom at Belgrade Lakes
600 00
The committee also recommends an appropriation for the pur- pose of installing Kaustine chemical closets at the High school.
With the exception of the item for repairs, these are the same as last year's appropriations with the addition of the items for a schoolroom at the Lakes and for a High school reference library. This latter appropriation is made necessary by a rul- ing of the State Department of Education, which requires all High schools to provide certain reference books for their pupils in addition to the regular text-books. Rather than attempt to provide these reference books all at one time, however, it seems advisable to appropriate $75.00 this year and $25.00 each year until the necessary books are secured.
The request for an appropriation of $600.00 for an additional schoolroom at Belgrade Lakes is the result of a serious con- dition of the school at that place. That school has thirty-eight pupils enrolled, representing all of the nine grades with sub- divisions of some grades. It is almost impossible to maintain discipline and at the same time teach the children where there are so many pupils and so many grades. In order to give these children the time and attention which each child is en- titled to receive, and which other children of the town are now receiving in the smaller rural schools, it would be necessary to have over fifty recitations each day. As there are only 330 minutes in the school day, this would allow only about six min- utes for each recitation, including the time lost in passing to and from the class, assigning the next day's lesson, explaining it when necessary, etc. This only allows one-half to one-third of the time required for that purpose. A well trained teacher,
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with a well prepared recitation, may be able to handle a primary grade recitation satisfactorily in ten minutes, but in the inter- mediate and upper grades at least fifteen minutes should be allowed for each recitation, and such subjects as arithmetic and English should receive twenty minutes. An attempt is some- times made in situations of this kind to afford relief by combin- ing classes or putting two or three grades into one class. This is a very poor plan, because the work of such a class must be based on the ability of the average pupil or middle grade of the class; consequently the pupils below the average find the work too difficult and they become discouraged and do not ac- complish anything, while the pupils above the average find the work so easy that they do not have to study but can devote most of their time to mischief, learning nothing themselves and, in many cases, preventing the other children from learning any- thing.
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