22 P.D. 123 



REPORT OF THE STATE RECLAMATION BOARD 



During the fiscal year 1933, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continued the 

 policy in force during 1931 and 1932, namely that of appropriating money for 

 mosquito control work under the State Reclamation Board as a means of emer- 

 gency reUef for unemplojinent. It had been very clearly demonstrated in 1931 

 and 1932 that in mosquito control work over 91 per cent of the money went direct 

 to labor, and that the work was accomplishing real results. During the fiscal year, 

 the state appropriated, in all, $100,000 for reUef work on this mosquito control: — 

 $75,000 in Chapter 89 of 1933, and an additional $25,000 in the supplementary 

 budget. Chapter 371, Item 241-b. This, with appropriations made in previous 

 years, brought the state total for mosquito control work to $600,000. 



Of this $100,000 appropriated in 1933, allotments were made to the various 

 state projects; namely, Bristol-South Plymouth, South Shore, North Shore, 

 Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Mashpee, and a small allotment was made 

 for a new project in the Town of Wenham, to which the state allotted $750 on the 

 appropriation of a like amount on the part of the town. In these several projects, 

 work was carried on as formerly, continuing the ditching of breeding places almost 

 entirely on salt marsh areas. In the Bristol-South Plymouth, Nantucket, and 

 Martha's Vineyard areas, some work was carried forward during the winter months, 

 and even on the areas north of Boston, it was found possible to do some work in 

 the way of removal of sods on areas where salt hay was harv^ested. 



The total expenditures for construction work on State projects during the fiscal 

 year 1933 was $104,677.86. In addition to these expenditures, there was spent in 

 1933, from funds appropriated and sent in by towns assessed for maintenance work 

 in accordance with Chapter 112 of 1931, the sum of $22,361.63. In 1933 there were 

 employed in mosquito control work over 1,140 citizens of the Commonwealth, all 

 of whom were taken from the ranks of the unemployed. 



The budget for administrative work of the Board called for $9,140 which was 

 increased by $2,000 in the supplementary budget, making the total for the year 

 $11,140, which covered services of permanent and part-time emploj^ees of the 

 Board, as well as necessary expenses incurred in planning and supervising work 

 for the various mosquito control projects in operation during the year. At the close 

 of fiscal year 1933, the investment in mosquito control work, including that per- 

 formed under state appropriations as well as local appropriations and contributed 

 funds, totaled $898,288, all spent since April 1, 1930. The supervision of the main- 

 tenance of 2,900 miles of ditches is in itself no slight undertaking. 



Gratifying reports of the success attending efforts on mosquito control work 

 continued to come in unsolicited from both organizations and individuals. These 

 reports give evidence of the effectiveness of ditching and draining breeding places 

 on salt marsh areas of the state. 



Of the various reclamation and drainage districts organized in previous years by 

 the State Reclamation Board, the Belle Isle Reclamation District did certain con- 

 struction work in the way of further ditching and filling. There were also several 

 questions that arose in other districts where construction work has come to a halt. 



Financial Statements 



Appended are tables of the allotments and expenditures for the various state 

 and private projects on mosquito control, and also tables showing the assessments 

 made for maintenance work in the different projects for the year 1933. 



Allotment of Funds from Appropriations of 1931-1932-1933 



1. $270,000— Chapter 112, Acts of 1931 



2. 100,000— Chapter 465, Acts of 1931 



3. 130,000— Chapter 307, Item 245-b, Acts of 1932 



4. 75,000— Chapter 89, Acts of 1933 



5. 25,000— Chapter 371, Item 241-b, Acts of 1933 



6. 22,767 — Local Appropriations and Contributions 



