Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-16
From the State House.

| WEDNESDAY, req. 10, 1871,
Several of the Legislative committees gave
hearings this morning, the most important of
which were those IN the petition of the Wash
ingtonian home, the hours of labor, and the
Havcrhl and Bradford bridge The trustees of
the Washingtonian Home ask for an appropria-
ton of $4,000 for the purpose Of constructing a
new building on the corner of Dartmouth street
and Warren avenue which will accommodate
from rs to 100 inmates. There are bat twenty
four in the home at the present time. Plans
were submitted of the proposed new structure.
| The agents of two cotton mills were examined
by the committee on hours of labor, and their
testimony was against the reduction ofthc hours
oflabor to ten,as asked for by the petitioners The
hearing in relation 20 the Haverhill and Bradford
bridge was concerning the rate of travelling over
the bridge, the law now prohibiting citizens
from travelling with horses and carriages over
the bridge faster than a walk. Considerable
interest is felt in the matter by the inhabitants
of Bradford and Haverhin, and a large number
of petitions have been presented on both sides of
the case.
Among tue petitions presented TO the legisla-
ture to-day were the following: 0fthe town Of
Lancaster, that the proposed new normal school
for Worcester county may be located in the
town of Lancaster; of the county commissioners
for the county of Berkshire, for authority to
borrow money to furnish county buildings; of a
committee of the citizens of Newton, for an
act authorizing that town to choose board of
street commissioners; of Moses Barnes, and 80
Others, of Dudley, for leave to raise and appro-
pirate money for the support of the Nichols
academy; of Andrew P. Valentine, and 212
other legal voters of Ashland against the petit
ton of VIM B. Wood, and Others for new
town; of Francis Elson, and 1853 others, of
Hadley, for free bridge between Hadley and
Northampton; of B. w. Gleason, and others,
of Stowe, against the petition for a new town, to
be called AsSabet; of the Lowell gas light COM
pany, for leave to increase its capital stock
100000
The following orders were passed in the senate:
That the committee on probate and chancery
consider the expediency of providing by law
that trustees may be appointed by the probate
courts of this commonwealth, who shall have
charge of property purchased and held in che
commonwealth by trustees appointed without
the commonwealth. That the joint committee
on expenditures inquire into the eXpedicncy of
requiring the assessors of taxes in the various
cities and towns of the commonwealth, or the
| several treasurers of sad cities and towns to
report the expense of assessing and collecting
| the taxes for the year 1870 in said cities and
towns. That the persons directed to devise a
| plan, if practicable, by which the Agricultural
| college NAV be recognized as an independent in.
/ gtitutiOO he allowed n N mint
| In the house, it was ordered that the commit
| tee on the judiciary inquire into the eXpediency
OF providing by law for the use of check list at
all elections of officers of fire districts; also the
eXpediency of reporting a bill relating to COM
| pulsory voting; also, the eXDediency of pro-
| viding by law that hawkers and pcddlers shall
| be equally liable under the law, whether selling
| from whole packages or from samples That
| the committee on agriculture consider the ex-
| pedlency of law in relation to the killing of
| coney rabbits.
Bills were reported by committees To incor-
| porate the North Brdgewater agricultural So
| ciety; to incorporate the Central savings bank
IN the city oil Lowell; to revive the Waltham
| bank tor certain purposes; authorizing the
| county commissioners OF HamDdeu county to
| take land, and for other purposes; to incorpo-
| rate the trustees OF the memorial hospital in
| Worcester; to incorporate the Westicld water
| works with a capital of 1000; to incorporate
| the Athol music hall association; to authorize
| lue feTtHOnl duu MASSACHUSETTS railroad COM
| nany to lease part of its railroad; to incor-
porate the Winchester savings bank in Winches-
ter.
Bills were introduced on leave, in the senate:
To incorporate the Orange savings bank; to
authorize the Clark institute for deaf mutes to
hold additional real and personal estates to the
amount of S200,OO0; in addition to an act to
authorize towns and cities to raise money for
recruiting purposes, providing that no action
shall be had or maintained against any town
or city, or against any officer to recover back
money assessed, collected, or paid for recruiting
purposes. In the house bill was introduced TO
provide for the regulation and inspection of
buildings, the more effectual prevention of fire,
and the better preservation of life and property
in the city of Boston.
In the senate: Bills to protect the rights of in
sane persons and minors; to incorporate Smith
college, and the trustees OF Smith academy: TO
authorize the town of Northampton to raise
$4,000 for the Smith college; to incorporate The
Merrimack River savings bank, and the Brook
line savings bank, were ordered to be englossed
In the house, the bills TO incorporate the trustees
Of the cOnsumptlves' home, 10 incorporate the
North Cambridge and Somelville street railway
company, and the resolve in aud of the Temporal
ry asylum for discharged female prisoners at
Dedham, were severally ordered TO be engrossed.