NO hte] cH. 
ie ISRO AA Tea ty 
publicans who voted for it probably 
did so on one economic theory, and 
the democrats who voted for it on 
another. I should be wanting in a 
straightforward speaking, however, 
if | did not freely acknowledge the 
credit that belongs to the democratic 
majority in the house and the demo- 
cratic minority in the _ senate for 
their consistent support of the meas- 
ure in an-earnest and sincere desire 
to secure its passage.~ Without this, 
reciprocity would have been impos- 
sible.’’ 
This statement of President Taft’s 
is the bill’s best. defense to the peo- 
ple. The treaty became probable 
after the agreement in 1910 by the 
Canadian and American govenments 
upon the maximum and minimum 
provisions of the Payne Aldrich 
tariff law when President Taft in- 
vited the Canadian government to 
send representatives to arrange for 
even better and closer relations. The 
bill passed the house in February 
1911, but the Senate adjourned with- 
out taking a vote. The bill passed 
the house in extra session, April 21, 
and almost three months to a day 
later, July 22, the Senate passed the 
bill. As far as the United States is 
concerned the fight is over and 
President Taft has and should re- 
ceive the credit. 
Police Pensions. 
A movement is on foot to have 
the city of Beverly adopt the amend- 
ments of 1909 to the police act of 
1903, which provides for any city at 
-will adopting a pension system for 
any member of the police force dis 
abled through no fault of his own 
in the actual performance of his 
duty provided that ..e has performed 
his duty faithfully for a period of 
twenty .successive years. In this 
period of pension mania it is to be 
expected that such a movement 
should be carefully examined. Our 
military pensions have been great 
sources of trouble and have opened 
ways for fraud undreamed of by the 
honorable men to whom they ,ustly 
and honorably belong. Now comes 
a movement for pensions for the em- 
ployees of the city corporations. 
Most of them are but added burdens 
to be borne by the tax-payer. 
The contemplated pension act for 
policemen seems particularly free 
from ‘‘petty graft’’ in its provisions 
made by the state of Massachusetts 
as it provides only for a pension to 
such policemen who have been in- 
jured through no fault of their own 
in the actual performance of duty. 
‘They are the servants of people and 
if in that service they become in- 
-capacitated it seems ta be just that 
BR BE 8 30 
society should care for them. It is 
a moral obligation upon the com- 
munity that ought to be expressed 
by a definite legal provision. In 
some other states a_ police service 
pension has been enacted and it has 
resulted in able bodied men retiring 
on half pay to take up other forms 
of work. The Massachusetts act 
provides against this abuse of the 
public treasury and permits’ the 
cities to grant its pensions to those 
incapacitated in actual service. 
The pubhe is weary of the unjust 
claims of many of the pension 
schemes, but this petition for the 
policemen who guard our city seems 
to be free from the many abuses of 
other contemplated pension plans. 
A Victory. 
Contrary to expectations, the 
Mayor of Beverly signed the order 
for the new steamer for Beverly 
Farms. If the signature had been 
lacking there were enough votes in 
the aldermanie chamber to pass it 
over the veto. The Mayor, however, 
signed it and should receive the 
eredit due him for his wise decision. 
The fight has been a long one and 
great credit is due the loyal com- 
munity spirit at Beverly Farms for 
its suecessful termination. For a 
long while the local department has 
realized the inefficiency of the pres- 
ent fire apparatus. Like every other 
movement for the public weal it 
has taken time to arouse the public 
to the fact that they were depend- 
ing upon a worn-out engine to do 
the work requiring a steamer of 
unusual power because of the high 
‘hills and long lines of hose often in 
operation. The first movement for 
a steamer resulted in an order for 
the repairing of the old steamer. 
Alderman Augustus P. Loring. Jr., 
to whom the eredit is due for caring 
for the interests of the ward at City 
Hall, introduced the order for the 
new steamer, nevertheless, and sue- 
ceeded in gaining enough votes to 
make it possible not only to pass the’ 
order but to pass it over the veto in 
ease the Mayor failed to. sign the or- 
der. The Mayor was influenced 
largely by the petition representing 
many millions of dollars of taxable 
property and the knowledge that 
there was a unanimity of public 
sentiment in favor of it among the 
permanent residents in Beverly 
Farms. This successful campaign 
has proven two things: first, that 
Beverly Farms must make her wants 
known, and second, concentrate ev- 
ery force to accomplish the desired 
result. Ask for one thing and then 
fight for it. The ward needs new 
sidewalks badly and if all could 
unite in a straight request for a cer- 
tain number of hundreds of dollars 
each year for such an impovement 
and repeat it year after year, in a 
very few years the present unpleas- 
ant conditions would be but a mem- 
ory. The Ward expresses its grat- 
itude to the, fire department for 
their interest in keeping up the fire 
equipment, to Mr. Loring for his 
heavy end of the fight, and to all 
who did their part. The letters and 
the petition from the residents of 
the North Shore summer colony 
were effective instruments in Mr. 
Loring’s hands. The appropriation 
for the new steamer was not quite 
large enough, but the money re- 
quired will be forth-coming at a 
future meeting of the Board. 
The Shore Rights 
The shore rights question is at last 
to be settled by a duly organized 
judiciary of the people and the so 
long mooted question of the rights 
of the people and of property owners 
is to be definitely settled. This 
seems to be the proper way to ad- 
just so serious a problem and to set- 
tle either one way or the other the 
right of way which the publie may 
enjoy to the shore. The city of 
Beverly has made desultory but well 
intentioned investigations of the 
rights of the public. The _ eol- 
onial records have been diligently 
searched and the city solicitor has 
done all that could be reasonably ex- 
pected. The appropriation could 
never purchase a settlement of the 
case for if the city of Beverly were 
to become satisfied by its own in- 
vestigation of a definite status of the 
ease the problem would still remain 
that of coming to a definite mutual 
knowledge of the real rights of all. 
The petition of Mrs. Morse denying 
the city of Beverly to a right of way 
over a strip of land adjoining the 
property of Mrs. Moore and that of 
Washington B. Thomas will present 
a definite ‘‘test’’ case for the courts 
to settle. It will be impossible to 
anticipate the decision of the court 
or try the case in print, but the ad- 
justment of this case will be of great 
interest to every resident on the 
Shore which ever way it be ad- 
justed. 
Problem. 
Many young people from here are 
planning to attend the Drug Clerks’ 
ball in Manchester next Thursday 
evening, August 3d. The event will 
be the largest and best of the sum- 
mer and will be held in the Town 
hall. A econeert by Long’s full or- 
chestra will come before the dance, 
