w= 
. 
though it has been apparent for 
st few years that the increasing 
water by the cities of Salem 
Beverly, due to the growth of 
- communities, has taxed the 
es of supply to the utmost, no 
ite action was taken in the mat- 
intil last year. 
ecial Committees were appointed 
cities to consider the matter 
year ago, and as a result of 
+ of conferences an Engineer 
aged to look into this matter, 
ort as to the conditions and 
recommendations as to addi- 
sources of supply. 
report of the Engineer was 
ast December too late to be 
d upon by last year’s city govern- 
s, so that the matter had to be 
1 up by the city governments of 
respective cities which came into 
yn January 2d. 
oie od held to discuss the 
ter, and the City Solicitors were 
ructed to draw a Bill forthwith 
plying with the recommendations 
Engineer, who recommended 
taking of water from the dpswich 
rer to supplement the present 
ces of supply, which consist of 
enham Lake and the Longham 
- 
Bill was filed on January 14th, 
king for permission to take not 
er five million gallons per day from 
> Ipswich River. 
Bill, however, could not be 
iately reported to the House, 
Law provides that petitions ac- 
npanying water supply bills must 
advertised for three successive 
seks and the Bill shall then be filed 
10 weeks before the opening of the 
gislature in which the Bill is to be 
troduced, and it further provides 
at the Bill must be accompanied 
‘the recommendation of the State 
yard of Health. 
Owing to the fact that it was 1m- 
ssible to file this Bill at an earlier 
ite and comply with the above re- 
sents of law, the Bill could only 
_ admitted into the House under 
suspension of the Rules. 
Two hearings were given on the 
ill before the Committee on Rules, 
d at the last hearing so much op- 
ysition had developed to the taking 
f water from the Ipswich River 
rom the towns situated along its 
ourse and from the mill interests, 
hat the Committee on Rules saw fit 
© exclude the Bill from considera- 
ion by this year’s Legislature. Al- 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
uation with respect to the Water Supply 
: of Salem and Beverly. 
though the Committee realized that it 
was impossible under the circum- 
stances to comply with all the re- 
quirements in this case, they felt, on 
account of the strong opposition and 
the fact that the whole situation with 
respect to water supply in Essex 
County demanded more thorough in- 
vestigation, that the matter had better 
be laid over pending such investiga- 
tion, 
On February roth Representative 
Saltonstall introduced the following 
Resolve, into the House, which is 
now under consideration: 
“Resolve relative to Procuring a 
Water Supply for the Cities of Salem 
and Beverly and the Taking and Use 
of Water from the Ipswich River or 
any of its ‘Tributaries, or other 
Sources, for Public Water Supply 
and other Purposes. 
RESOLVED: The state board of 
health is hereby authorized and dir- 
ected to investigate, consider and re- 
port upon the question of a water 
supply for the cities of Salem and 
Beverly, to be taken from the Ip- 
swich River or any of its tributaries, 
of from such other source or sources 
as said board may find to be avyail- 
able for said purpose. 
The said board shall forthwith 
proceed to investigate and consider- 
this subject, including all questions 
relating to the quality of water to 
be obtained from available sources, 
its quality, the best methods of pro- 
tecting the purity of the water, the 
construction, operation and mainten- 
ance of works for storing, conveying 
or purifying the water, the cost of 
the same, the damage to property 
and all other matters pertaining to 
the subject; and the said board shall 
include in its investigation consider- 
ation of the needs and interests of 
all other communities and persons 
that may be affected by the taking 
of water for water supply pur- 
poses from the Ipswich River or any 
of its tributaries, or from any other 
source or sources, and consider such 
other communities as might be ec- 
onomically united for water supply 
purposes. 
The said board shall furthermore 
give a hearing or hearings to all per- 
sons interested in the taking of water 
from the Ipswich River or any of its 
tributaries, or from any other source 
or sources, for the water supply of 
the cities of Salem and Beverly or 
the use of water from said river for 
the water supply of any other city 
15 
The said board shall have power to 
employ such engineering or other as- 
sistance, and to incur such expense, 
as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of this resolve. 
The said board shall report fully 
with plans to the next general court 
on or before the tenth of January in 
the year 1912. 
The total amount of money to be 
expended in carrying out the pro- 
visions of this resolve shall not ex- 
ceed $1500.”’ 
It is generally conceded that some- 
thing must be done very soon in re- 
gard to the water supply of not only 
Salem and Beverly, but other cities 
and towns situated in this part of 
the State, and it is hoped that after 
the situation has been thoroughly con- 
sidered by the State Board of Health 
that a comprehensive plan will be 
evolved which can be acted upon and 
carried out in the near future. In 
this exacting campaign, Representa- 
tive Saltonstall has been serving the 
public in a most important matter. 
He is interested not in his solution 
of the water problem but in a solu- 
tion of the problem. Many of -us 
wish that some plan could be evolved 
whereby Salem could be supplied by 
the metropolitan water system. ‘This 
would leave Wenham lake for Bever- 
ly. This would be an ample supply 
for the city’s use and with the prob- 
able discontinuance of the Longham 
Meadows supply, Beverly would 
7 
again have an ideal water reservoir. 
THE FIRST SINGER. 
We heard a bluebird singing, the song 
was mazic-sweet; 
He swung upon the lilac, the snow was 
round his feet; 
The wind blew roughly o’er him, the sky 
was steely-gray, 
But yet he perched there, singing the 
chilling gloom away. 
Brave traveler from the southland, per- 
haps you came too soon; 
For ice still binds the streamlets, the sun 
is wan at noon; 
violets are sleeping close 
earthly bed, 
And not a greening blade of grass has 
dared to show its head. 
The in their 
But, oh, we’re glad to greet you, sweet 
harbinger of spring; 
No sovnd was e’er so welcome as your 
gay caroling; ; 
Courageous little songster upon the leaf- 
less spray, 
A-singing and a-singing our weariness 
away! 
' From March 
Farm Journal. 
When a man comes along whin- 
ing that he is the victim of cireum- 
stances, the chanes are that the eir- 
cumstances were contained within 
iron-bound staves and labeled ‘‘Old 
Rye.’’ 
