VAN fleet: trees on city and village streets 
79 
ipal electrical systems, and to co-operate with other organizations with 
the view of improving the efficiency, particularly of municipal signal 
services, I wish to present for your consideration and study the follow¬ 
ing resolution which was presented by Mr. Robert E. Neal, City Elec¬ 
trician of Waltham, Mass., to the members of our New England Section, 
and which was adopted by this group at a meeting held in Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts on October 19th, 1938. 
WHEREAS; The hurricane of September 21 st, 1938 caused serious 
interruption to the services and irreparable loss to Fire and Police 
Signal systems, Current supply, Street Lighting circuits and wire com¬ 
munications systems, and 
WHEREAS; This loss was greatly augmented by uprooted trees and 
diseased limbs which fell on these aerial wire systems, thereby rendering 
them unserviceable, and 
WHEREAS; Many of the uprooted trees resulted from poor root 
systems, in a number of cases caused by man-made injuries inflicted so 
that improved highway and sidewalk pavements might obtain, and 
WHEREAS; It has long been recognized that shade and ornamental 
trees can not live long if their root systems are confined to the soil 
directly beneath modern pavements, and 
WHEREAS; The movement to plant trees in an effort to Partially re¬ 
habilitate the affected storm area has already started, 
BE IT RESOLVED: That this organization through each of its members 
focus the attention of the Public and other Municipal Officers to; Gen¬ 
eral Acts of 1915 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Chapter 145, Section 
7, which reads as follows: 
“Section 7, Towns and Cities may appropriate money to be expended 
by the Tree Warden in planting shade trees in the public ways, or, 
if he deems it expedient upon adjoining land, at a distance not 
exceeding twenty feet from said public ways for the purpose of im¬ 
proving, protecting, shading or ornamenting the same, provided 
however, that the written consent of the owner of such adjoining 
land shall first be obtained.” 
Also that attention be focused to Municipal Ordinances or Town 
By-Laws already enacted or which can be adopted to cover planting of 
shade trees on private property in accordance with this or similar 
statutes. 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That each member of this New Eng¬ 
land Section give publicity to this message through all available chan¬ 
nels, to the end that future planting of shade trees may be confined to 
private property as far as possible. 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That these facts be presented to, and 
the active co-operation sought of all Tree Wardens; The Massachusetts 
