MASSACHUSETTS 831 



the half weekly wages, but not less then $4 nor more than $10 a week; and if there are no 

 dependents, $200; in case of total disability, 50% of the weekly wages (not less than 84 nor 

 more than $10 a week, with a limit of $3,000 or 500 weeks); in case of partial disability, 50 

 of the weekly wage loss, but not more than $10 a week nor longer than 300 weeks. All acci- 

 dents resulting in personal injury must be reported by the employer to the industrial accident 

 board within 96 hours. The penalty for loss of life of a railroad employee through the neglig- 

 ence of the corporation employing him was increased from 5,000 to 10,000 (1912). The law 

 of desertion and non-support was made uniform in 1911. 



The state inspector of health is required to inspect factories for proper lighting and ordet 

 necessary changes if he suspects damage to the eyes of employees (1911). Women may nor 

 work in mercantile, mechanical, or manufacturing establishments two weeks before or four 

 weeks after childbirth (1911). The state board of health is authorised to regulate the em- 

 ployment of women in core rooms (1912). A homestead commission was established to re- 

 port (in 1913) on building homesteads for workmen in suburbs of cities and towns. A 

 tenement house act for towns was passed (1912). The state board of health received 

 $10,000 in 1911 and $5,000 in 1912 for the investigation of infantile paralysis. A state 

 subsidy of $5 a week was voted (1911) for every indigent patient in a hospital (or ward, 

 1912) for tuberculosis maintained by a city or town; and cities and towns with more than 

 10,000 inhabitants must support dispensaries for needy tubercular patients. The law for 

 the prevention of infantile blindness was made more definite in 1912. A medical milk 

 commission may be incorporated for the supervision of the production of milk for sick rooms 

 or infants (1911). The cold storage of certain food products was regulated (1912). 



Local boards of health were required to establish sanitary stations in cities or towns with 

 populations above 10,000 (1911). Drinking water and individual cups are to be furnished 

 in all railroad cars in the state (1911 and 1912). The sale (except wholesale), the rental or 

 the leasing of firearms is to be licensed by the mayor and council of each city, acting as a 

 licensing board (1911), and anyone who is arrested for felony and found in possession of a 

 revolver or pistol without a licence is liable to imprisonment from one to ten years (1911). 

 The proposal to abolish capital punishment (which recurs annually) was defeated in 1912 

 by a much more decisive vote than usual (153 to 72). 



Cities and towns were permitted (1911) to establish art commissions. Boston was 

 empowered to spend $1,000,000 in six years for a high pressure fire service (1911). Justices 

 of the Boston Municipal Court may retire at the age of 70, if they have served 20 successive 

 years, and may receive a pension equal to three quarters of their annual salary (1911). 



Hyde Park was annexed to Boston (1911). Lawrence (November 7, 1911; 6,027 to 

 2,214 f r change; 6,077 to 1,358 for commission charter over other charter submitted) and 

 Lowell (December 19, 1911) adopted new charters with commission form of government 

 providing for recall, initiative and referendum and no partv names on municipal ballots; 

 both went into effect on January I, 1912. The municipal board of control, -a quasi-commis- 

 sion form of government, which had been in use in Chelsea for 3 years (ever since the fire of 

 April 1908) was replaced November 7, 1911, by the old system of government by a mayor and 

 aldermen; it is said that the large Jewish population thought itself insufficiently represented 

 on a small board. Cambridge also defeated a commission charter drafted by the legislature 

 (1911) which provided for five department heads called "supervisors" (not commissioners) 

 and for initiative, referendum and two choice nominations. The people of Pittsfield, with a 

 choice between amending their old charter and adopting a new charter for government by 

 mayor and aldermen or by commission form of government (1911) voted to amend the 

 charter in force. : The 1912 legislature drafted a two plan act for Salem, giving the voters 

 the choice between government by mayor and seven councilmen elected from districts 

 and government by five commissioners elected at large. Both forms provided for recall, 

 initiative and referendum. At the state election in 1912 the voters chose the latter by 2,830 

 to 746 votes. In 1912 the Metropolitan Plan Commission reported to the legislature recom- 

 mending the constitution of a Metropolitan Planning Board. 



Finance. The state tax in 1911 was $5,500,000 ($1,880,395 was on the city of Boston), 

 and in 1912 $6,250,000 ($2,137,000 on the city of Boston). The 1907 inheritance tax law 

 was replaced by an act of 1912. 1 False or exaggerated statements about business concerns 



1 This act divides the beneficiaries into three classes and provides that in cases of those not 

 near of kin that is, not in the other two classes the inheritance tax be 5 % if the bequest 

 be less than $50,000; 6% if it be between $50,000 and $250,000; 7% between $250,000 and 

 $1,000,000 and 8 % if over $1,000,000; that in cases of those in "Class A" that is husband, 

 wife, ancestor, descendant or daughter-in-law of the testator the tax be I % on a bequest 

 below $50,000; 2% between $50,000 and $250,000; 3% between $250,000 and 81,000,000, 

 and 4 % if the bequest is greater than $1,000,000; and for those in "Class B " that is brother, 

 sister, nephew or niece of the testator, 2% if the bequest is below $10,000; 3% between 

 $10,000 and $25,000; 5 % between $25,000 and $50,000 and for greater amounts" the same as 

 for those not near of kin. In any case a bequest of $i,oooor less is exempt from tax and so is 

 a bequest to a charitable, educational or religious society whose property is exempt from 

 taxation, or for the public use of any city or town in the Commonwealth. 



