NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
WHAT WAS SAID AND DONE AT MANCHESTER TOWN MEETING 
Town Meeting was called to order . 
Monday morning at 9 o’clock by Town 
Clerk A. S. Jewett, and after the reading 
of the warrant, R. C. Allen was elected 
Moderator, 36 ballots being cast. 
In accepting the office Mr. Allen 
thanked the voters. “* This marks a 
rather important year in the administra- 
tion of affairs in Manchester,’’ he said. 
““ Expenses have been increasing every 
year for the past 14 or 15 years. This 
year the town will have to spend consid- 
erable money, and in view of the present 
stringency of the financial condition, it is 
important that we be careful. There 
are two things that appeal to me: first, 
everybody that has anything to say, say 
it; ask questions, perhaps it will lead to 
others asking questions; second, vote. 
It is arevelation to me to sit in this chair 
and see the large number of | citizens that 
vote neither one way nor another.’’ 
The following tellers were appointed; 
SveevV. Hoare, T. .C. Rowe, R. J. 
Baker and W. R. Bennett, by the select- 
men; Edward Crowell and G. A. 
Knoerr, by the Moderator. 
F. K. Hooper moved that all unex- 
pended balances of last year be turned 
back into the town treasury. Voted. 
Art. 3. Mr. Swett moved that the 
polls be opened at 12 noon and close at 
5.30 p. m. Voted. 
Art. 2. Acceptance of reports. 
F. K. Hooper in presenting the report 
of the Finance Committee said the com- 
mittee had tried from the start to be con- 
servative in their recommendations, and 
to that end they recommended a reduc- 
tion all along the line wherever it can be 
had, one reason for which is the inevit- 
able fact that the valuation of the town 
_ will be much less next spring than the 
_ past year, on personal property, because 
_ of the business depression and the con- 
_ sequent depreciation of bonds, stocks, 
a Ctc. 
‘ 
fi 
_ than usual, but the committee had tried 
Mr. Hooper said that he wished sev- 
_ en-eighths, rather than one-fortieth of the 
voters were present. The report of the 
committee, he said, was a little larger 
to go into things a little more fully. 
There is no question, he said, but what 
_ the bank and corporation tax will be less 
next year, even if the valuation of the 
_ town remains the same. 
In making up 
the report the heads of departments were 
_calledin and in every case they were 
asked if they couldn’t cut down expenses 
_ in some way. 
“* Last year,’’ said Mr. Hooper, “‘ you 
appropriated money for state and county 
taxes, but you paid $3000 more than you 
appropriated. So this year the county 
tax will be some $3000 more, probably, 
_ making $6000 more than we appropriated 
last year. In view of these facts the 
~ 
committee have recommended a curtail- 
ment in some departments. In one de- 
partment it was raised. The committee, 
however, do not feel that what they have 
done is necessarily final.’’ 
The reports of the various town offic- 
ers, committees, boards, etc., were act- 
ed upon. 
Water report. Samuel Knight asked 
about the “‘uncollectable’’ water bills, 
which the board asked to have abated. 
Why should they be abated? Aren’t 
they collectable?’ The fact that a man 
sells his property is no reason why he 
should not pay his back water bills. 
N. P. Meldrum. I think I know 
as much about the efforts to collect these 
bills as anyone. It is impossible to. col- 
lect some of them. I don’t know any 
way to collect unless we sue the parties. 
F. K. Hooper moved an indefinite 
postponement of the recommendation 
fer abatement. Carried. 
Art. 70. F. K. Hooper moved an as- 
signment ofa portion of this article to 
7.30 in the evening. Carried. 
Police report. W.C. Rust asked to 
have read the directions given the police 
regarding the enforcement of the laws. 
Chairman Swett of the selectmen read 
the instructions as entered on the secre- 
tary’s book, dated May 27, 1907, in 
which the board voted to instruct the 
chief of police to enforce all laws of the 
State of Massachusetts in an impartial 
manner. 
Mr. Rust. That’s all well enough as 
far as it goes. “There are laws about the 
enforcement of the liquor law, too. 
F. K. Hooper thought the police had 
carried out their instructions very well 
indeed. He really thought they had 
done first-rate work the past year. Mr. 
Hooper called for an explanation from 
the chief regarding the recommendation 
as to the giving over to the police de- 
partment the use of the room over the 
station. 
Chief Peabody said that the room was 
needed by the department for several rea- 
sons. If people are there sick, it makes 
it very uncomfortable to have noise over- 
head. ‘The doctors had said there ought 
to be some place in the center of the 
town to take people injured, or sick, and 
it was suggested the station, or rooms 
over head would make a good place. 
People very often called at the station to 
see the police on business and it was very 
embarrasing on such occasions to have 
drunks, or others locked up, within hear- 
ing distance, and sometimes swearing. 
S. Knight thought $75 (the rent now 
received) did not grow on every bush. 
If the drunks swear, chloroform them. 
Dr. Tyler moved the report of the 
chief be accepted, but the recommenda- 
tions be held over until 8 o’clock in the 
evening. 
Park commissioners’ report. A. Cun- 
ningham asked if the life boat at Singing 
Beach was in really good condition, as 
the report stated. 
C. O. Howe said it was. 
The discussion of the. morning came 
when the school committee’s report was 
taken up. W. C. Rust. started this. 
The more money we appropriate’’ 
said Mr. Rust, ‘‘the less good we seem 
Raymonp C. ALLEN, Moderator 
to get out of the schools. What is the 
reason so many of the scholars go out of 
town to school, to Gloucester, princi- 
pally?’’ 
E. A. Lane said that tne High school 
stood as high as any in the state. One 
reason, he thought, why the young peo- 
ple went to Gloucester to school was be- 
cause the school there is much larger, 
has military training as an attraction for 
the boys, and other aversions not found 
at home. 
Samuel Knight, G. S. Sinnicks, F. K. 
Hooper, H. T. Bingham, John Baker, 
Dr. Tyjer, FJ: Merrill, .D. LL Bing- 
ham and A. S. Jewett were the other 
speakers. 
S. Knight. It seems to me this is a 
very pertinent question. I wish the par- 
ents who have children go out of town 
would give some explanation. 
G. S. Sinnicks said this was a very 
delicate question for him to talk upon. 
His reason for having his boy go to Glou- 
cester was not because he wanted to serd 
him, but because the boy was doing bet- 
ter work, he is getting better results than 
he was here. 
F. K. Hooper, had always believed 
Manchester should be liberal with its 
schools. But it is time to cut /lown 
somewhere,—cut down rather that in- 
crease. 
