SECRETARY’S REPORT 
Of the Massachusett’s Branch of the American 
National Red Cross for 1909. 
There are five divisions of this branch, 
in the counties of Berkshire, Essex, 
Hampden, Worcester andthe Metropol- 
itan District (Boston and surrounding 
cities and towns, practically covering the 
Counties of Suffolk and Norfolk.) 
There are in all 1175 members. Four- 
“teen nurses are enrolled, one of whom is 
serving-in the army hospitals in the Phil- 
ippines and one in the Canal Zone. 
The state officers act as officers for 
the Metropolitan District and take care 
of all members in the unorganized 
counties; they also act as a bureau of in- 
. formation, sending typewritten articles 
for the papers, or definite telegrams to 
all division secretaries, whenever appeals 
for relief are ordered. In consideration 
of the receipt of 25 percent of the annu- 
al dues, the state treasurer pays for the 
stationery used by the divisions. ‘These 
officers attend meetings in all parts of 
the state to organize or assist. “The 
total amount of money contributed for 
international relief in 1909 is $38, 806. 72. 
For tuberculosis, besides the stamp col- 
lections, $10. 
One million three hundred thousand 
Christmas stamps were sold in Massa- 
chusetts: $3189.95 of the net amount 
was spent in establishing a day camp in 
Boston, in charge of the Boston Society 
for the Relief and Control of Tuber- 
culosis. The $790 raised in the Hamp- 
den Division were used by the Anti- 
Tuberculosis Society of Spritigfeld in 
the same way, and invaluable service 
was rendered to this society by the 
officers and nurses of the division. 
Ninety dollars and twenty cents, received 
after the Christmas sale was over, was 
contributed to the Italian Relief Fund; 
the balance of the sum was distributed 
among various anti-tuberculosis societies 
in the state. 
A special stamp for Italian Relief was 
made by the state agent, Walter Kruese, 
by the sale of which $3,587 was raised. 
An active anti-tuberculosis society has 
been created by the Red Cross society 
organized in Amesbury (Essex division), 
this year; the members made 5000 pin 
balls, which they sold in one day, and so 
raised $570 for a foundation for their re- 
lief work. 
The state officers took charge ofa little 
American orphan, born of naturalized 
Italian parents, who were killed by the 
earthquake in Messina; the child was 
herself buried for four days; she was 
finally sent to her uncle in San Francisco, 
where the Red Cross officers of the Cali- 
fornia branch assured her welfare. 
Several cases of violation of the Red 
Cross emblem have been stopped by 
action taken by the {legal adviser, Mr. 
Saltonstall. 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE. 
A safe box for the collection of small 
sums, to be used in stores, stations, etc., 
has been devised by the state officers in 
charge of this part of the relief work. 
A ‘‘first aid kit’? has been designed bya 
committee appointed by the Massachu- 
setts branch and the Massachusetts Hu- 
mane society; as the branch is now dis- 
solved, the box and the kit are offered to 
the National society. 
The Massachusetts branch was or- 
ganized on May 31, 1905, by authority 
of the central committee of the Ameri- 
can National Red Cross. By the efforts 
of its members, $139,677.39 have been 
contributed to national and international 
relief; and goods amounting to the esti- 
mated value of $60,000 were sent to 
California after the earthquake. After 
the fire in Chelsea, the State officers were 
given the administration of the central 
supply station, for which they collected 
$524 and enlisted the services of 142 
volunteers. 
The state organization has been gain- 
ing steadily in public estimation;  al- 
though on three notable occasions for- 
mer governors have seen fit to issue ap- 
peals for relief independently, the pres- 
ent governor has assured the officers that 
he has confidence in their organization 
and that he would support their measures. 
The officers elected by members of 
the state branch who are dismissed today 
by order of the Central Committee are: 
President, Herbert L. Burrell, M. D. 
Vice presidents, Henry P. Walcott, 
M. D., Hon. Charles C. Washburn, 
Arthur T. Cabot, M. D., Justice W. 
C. Loring, Hon. W. Murray Crane, 
J. F. A. Adams, M. D. 
Treasurer, Gardiner M. Lane, 44 
State St., Boston. 
Secretary, Miss Katharine P. Loring, 
Pride’s Crossing, Mass. 
Executive Committee, The Governor, 
The Surgeon-General, ex-officio; Most 
Rev. W. H. O’Connell, Alfreda B. 
Withington, M. D., Gardiner M. Lane, 
Katherine P. Loring. 
Advisory Committee representing 
divisions, Mrs. Zenas Crane, Berkshire; 
Gen. F. H. Appleton, Essex; Homer 
Gage, M. D., Worcester; George D. 
Pratt, Hampden; David Cheever, 
M. D., Richard M. Saltonstall, Metro- 
politan. 
The ‘‘ Divisions of the Massachusetts 
Branch’’ will hereafter be called 
** Chapters of the American National 
Red Cross.’’ 
The Secretaries are: Berkshire Chap- 
ter, Dr. Alfreda B. Withington, Pitts- 
field; Essex Chapter, Miss Louisa P. 
Loring, Pride’s Crossing; Hampden 
Chapter, Miss Anna B. Alexander, 
Springfield; Worcester Chapter, John 
W. Pearl, Worcester; Metropolitan 
Chapter, Miss Dorothy Forbes, Boston. 
KATHERINE P, Lorine, Secretary. 
Washington, December 7, 1909, 
Special Town Meeting. 
A special Town Meeting will be held 
at Manchester next Monday evening at 
7.30 o’clock in the Town hall. The 
warrant was posted Monday and calls for 
appropriations of $2500 for moth work, 
$1500 for crushed stone, $400 additional 
for police department expenses, and _ 
$1000 to buy an auto wagon for use in 
the water department instead of hiring 
horse and wagon as now. ‘The articles 
are as follows: 
Art. 2. To see if the town will ap- 
propriate the sum of $2500 for the sup- 
pression of the gypsy and_ browntail 
moths in accordance with the require- 
ments of Sect. 5, Chap. 381, Acts of 
1905. Res ks, 
Arr. 3. To see if the town will ap- 
propriate the sum of $1500 for crushing 
stone. . 
Art. 4. To see if the town will ap- 
propriate the sum of $400 for the Police 
Department. 
Arr. 5. To see if the town will 
vote to instruct the selectmen to order 
all buildings fronting on any public street 
or way inthe town, to be numbered in 
regular succession or take any other ac- 
tion relating thereto. 
Arr. 6. To see if the town will 
authorize the Water Commissioner to 
purchase an auto wagon for the use of 
the department and appropriate the sum 
of $1000 for that purpose. 
Should Not Dump Sewage into Harbor. 
Too much emphasis cannot be put on 
Prof. Sedgwick’s assertion that Boston 
harbor is one of the city’s richest pos— 
sessions and one of its greatest assets, 
nor on his prediction that “‘the time will 
come when we shall not allow sewage to 
be poured-into the harbor without puri- 
fication.’? The Metropolitan Sewerage 
Commission and the city’s sewerage de- 
partment ought to lose no time in consid- 
ering the practical problem of scientific 
and sanitary disposal of sewage. The 
present method of dumping unfiltered 
sewage into the harbor is a disgrace to 
the progress and civilization of Boston, 
and is today sacrificing rare values in the 
utility of the Harbor. —Boston Herald. 
a 
No Charge for Transportation. 
The American Express Co. have 
notified their agents that shipments con- 
taining toys addressed to ‘* Toy Editor, 
Boston Journal, Boston,’’ for distribu- 
tion to poor children, which are to be 
shipped Tuesday morning, Dec. 14, 
will be transported free. This applies to 
such shipments as are made on the 14th 
only. Persons at any of the North 
Shore towns, having any such articles 
which they wish to give to this charity, 
should get same to the American Ex- 
press offices in time for shipment ne 
Tuesday, i. 
