1889-90-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

23 State Inspector of Buildings, to have stairs con- structed leading from the dining -hall in the upper story of the Town House to the balcony in the rear of the main hall in the second story, in order to secure a rear as well as front exit from all parts of the building in case of fire; also to have a door cut through from the rooms occupied by the Masonic Lodge and connecting with the dining -hall, for the same purpose. The school buildings being more directly in the care of the School Committee, they will without doubt make such recommendations as to repairs or alterations as they may consider the interests of the town require. The laws of the State are properly quite strict in regard to the maintenance of guideboards at all intersections of streets, but it is a constant care to those upon whom the duty devolves, and a source of considerable expense to the town, as they are almost constantly being defaced, mutilated, or destroyed by persons mischievously or maliciously inclined, as well as from natural decay. We believe it would be a good plan for the town to offer a standing reward of a small sum for the arrest and conviction of any per- son who shall wilfully deface or destroy any guide - board or street sign in town, or break the glass in any of the street lamps. There has been, as in former years, more or less complaint because the street lamps have not been lighted on some nights when it seemed they should have been. No doubt there are some evenings when the lamps are not lighted that they are really more 1) 24 needed than on other evenings when they are lighted, but when it is remembered that provision is made for lighting only a limited number of nights in each month, it becomes rather a difficult matter to always get it done at just the proper times. There has been quite a large addition to the number of street lamps the past season, an increase of between forty and fifty, which will naturally call for an increase in the appropriation for their maintenance. In comparing the expense of this, as well as other departments, for the past year with that of the previous year, it must be borne in mind that the report for 1888 covered only eleven months, while this report is for the full calendar year of 1889. The Selectmen in their capacity as Board of Health have been called -upon several times during the year to abate nuisances, in most cases caused by privies or cesspools, and in all cases the owners of the premises complained of have readily complied with the require- ments of the Board, and remedied (for the time at least) the evil complained of. The existence of so many cesspools, containing, as they do, all the house drainage, in the most thickly settled portions of the town, is (especially since the introduction of water) a source of danger and a menace to the public health, which must at an early day be remedied, if we would maintain the reputation of being one of the most healthful towns in the State. There has been less than the usual number of cases of contagious diseases reported to the Board during the year, and these have mostly been of a mild type; and no fatalities have resulted.