236 History of Hingham. 



TOWN REPORTS. 



1833. The first of the " Town Reports " was issued in 1833. At the 

 Annual Meeting in March of this year it was voted, " To commit the 

 Report of the Selectmen respecting the Receipts and Expenditures of 

 the Town, the past year ; the Report of the Overseers of the Poor, in 

 regard to Pauper Expenses ; the Report of the Trustees of the Hing- 

 ham Poor and School Fund ; the Report of the Almshouse Building 

 Committee, etc., to a Committee whose duty it shall be to examine the 

 same, to classify and arrange the various receipts and expenditures of 

 the last year, for all purposes, with an exhibit of the present Debt and 

 resources of the Town." . . . Jedediah Lincoln, Solomon Lincoln, and 

 Thomas Loring, were chosen to carry the vote of the town into effect. 

 The pamphlet embraces 28 pages, and was printed in Hingham by 

 Jedidiah Farmer. Copies in good condition are rare. 



1844. Nothing further was published by the town until this year, when a 

 small pamphlet of sixteen pages was printed, entitled " Contract and 

 Specifications for building a Town Hall for the Inhabitants of the Town 

 of Hingham," a.d. 1844. Jedidiah Farmer, Printer. Signed Samuel G. 

 Bayley, contractor ; James S. Lewis, John Leavitt, on the part of the 

 town. The number of copies issued must have been small, and they 

 are extremely rare, though now of little interest. 



1849. For the year ending February 1. The Second of the Financial 

 Reports of the Town was published this year. It was prepared for the 

 press under the direction of Ned Cushing, Hosea J. Gardner, Oliver 

 Gushing, and Solomon Lincoln, whose names are appended. In addi- 

 tion to the Financial Report, the Report of the School Committee ; 

 List of Town Property ; Proceedings of the Annual March meeting ; 

 Highway Districts; Names of Streets, Lanes, Plains, and Bridges, and 

 a list of Town Officers are embraced. pp. 47. Jedidiah Farmer, 

 Printer. 1849. Rare and valuable. 



1850. The Report of the School Committee is the only publication of the 

 town for 1850. Made March 4. Henry Hersey, Chairman. J. Farmer, 

 Printer, pp. 8. 



1850-53. From 1850 to 1853, inclusive, the Report of the School Com- 

 mittee was published annually. Henry Hersey, Chairman. No finan- 

 cial report was issued for four years. Copies of these School Committee 

 reports are scarce. In some instances they are more difficult to obtain 

 than the Financial reports immediately preceding or following. 



1854. Report of the Committee on the Financial Affairs of the Town 

 for the year ending February 1, 1854, including the Report of the 

 School Committee. Prepared by the Selectmen, Town Treasurer, and 

 Chairman of the School Committee. J. Farmer, Printer, pp. 32. 



1855. Report of the School Committee, made March 5, 1855. Henry 

 Hersey, Chairman, pp. 23. No financial report this year. 



1856. The publications of the town for 1856 were — 



First, the Financial Report of the Selectmen for the year ending Feb- 

 ruary 1. J. Farmer, Printer, pp. 24. 



Second, Report of the School Committee, submitted March 3. Pre- 

 pared by E. Porter Dyer. Blossom and Easterbrook, Printers, pp. 15. 



Third, Report of the Committee chosen at the town meeting in April, 

 1855, to whom was referred the subject of the Schools, submitted at 

 the Annual Town Meeting held March 3, 1856. J. Farmer, Printer, 

 pp. 16. 



