The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-02
City Reports.
We have received the following annual re-

,
each abuse to children, assault with danger
Gus weapon, driving without sleigh bells, en-
bezzlement, forgery, keeping house of ill
fame, murder, obtaining goods by false pre-
fences, swindling, selling charcoal short meas :
ure, using obscene language, keeping dog
without license, throwing stones; 2 each adul-
terry, assault on police, fornication, passing
counterfeit money, COWS running at large; 81
breaking and entering; each bastardy, dis
turbing public meetings. seizures, refusing to
remove snow; II common drunkards; each
cruelty to animals, running away from Reform
School. running away from house of correc-
ton; 606 drunkenness; COL drunkenness and
disturbance; 6 each deserters, running away
from home; 10 each evading fare, nuisance,
snow-balling; 30 insane; 8 illegal TRANSPORTATION
of liquors; 139 larceny; 81 malicious mischief;
~ open shop on Lords day; 7 each obtaining
!iquor under false pretences, running from ship;
3 each arson, stealing ride, coasting on side
walks; 50 search and seizure; A single sales; Is
selling liquor; IS suspicion of larceny; Is
tramps; 10 Migrants; IL each bathing within
city limits and playing ball on the street; II
each collecting house offal and fast driving; 80
obstrncting sidewalk; resisting police; IS
shouting on street; 30 truancy Total 2,O65.
OF those arrested 1150 were taken before the
Municipal Court, 10 were discharged without
complaint, and LOT by consent of complain
ant, IA delivered to truant officer, IA delivered
to officers out of town, 1 committed to city hos
pital, delivered to officers in the city, 10 to
sheriff of our county, 8 to U. s. officers, 5 re-
turned to their home, 2 to State Reform
School, committed to the Insane Asylum, %
to house of correction, 2 to State Reform
await action of the grand jury, to Jail by
order of bondsmen, 2 delivered on board ship.
Total 2,065.
The nationality of parties was Irish ITO,
United States $50, English 81, Holland 8,
Scotch IL, French 20, Swedes IL, Italian 6,
Germans II. British Americans 81 Indians 10,
Russians 2, Chinese, Austrians, Portuguese,
Spanish each, and colored 30.
The largest number of arrests in any one
month was March 200, smallest June las. Dur
ing the previous year there were 2213 arrests,
or 14S more than last year.
There were no less number of dodgers last
year than the year previous. OF the AT last
year nj were Irish and ITO United States and
GA English
There were 329 stores found open and secur-
ed, 81 stray teams found and put up, 45 lost
children found and taken home, 8 alarms of
hire given and II sick and mad dogs killed.
The marshal says there was 81, 152 worth of
stolen property recovered, the smallest sum
recovered. Fewer stores were broken into
than for eight years past. The tramp law no
doubt cut down the number of dodgers.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPORT.
Mr.. G. F. Libby has finished his report, a
document of considerable length and an able
paper. The report commences by the recogni-
tion of the fact that increased interest is shown
i'll the growth of our public schools as nantes
ted in communications in public prints and in
tercourse of parents with teachers and COM
mittee. and is largely taken up with an ex-
position of the changes that have been
wrought in our schools the past ten years and
their present condition. We give short ex-
tract bearing OH this point:
To those who have watched the growth of
our schools during the last decade it must be
apparent that the general features of the sys-
tenn have undergone great notifications which
have affected the methods of instruction as
we'll as the details of school work. These
changes are not peculiar to the Portland
schools, but are simply the outgrowth of a
wide spread movement for the improvement of
public schools which took its impulse more
than forty years ago from Horace Mann, who
returned from his tour of inspection of the
schools of Germany deeply impressed with the
superiority of the Prussian system, and as
Secretary of the Board of Education of Massa-
chusetts attempted to introduce into the
schools OF that State many of the best features
Of the German schools. The movement thus
inaugurated has been constantly gaining fresh
strength and has drawn to its support many
of the best minds of the country whose
contributions to the discussion OF educa-
tional questions have been marked features of
the intellectual activity of our day. The
practical result of the movement is to be seen
IN the broader views of elementary education
which everywhere prevail, and in the scientific
character OF many of its processes. 1t has
taught us to recognize that education is a
science based upon the laws of development
OF the human mind, and that teaching is an
art which cannot be successfully practsed
without a knowledge of the principles which
underlie it's theory.
The committee believe that there has been a
steady progress in the improvement of the
schools. During the past year the number of
written tests has been reduced one-half, and
the daily marking system abolished. Reference
is made to the benefits derived from the meet
ings of the teachers association and the
monthly grade meetings for teachers, and the
question of school supervision is discussed with
reference to its larger demands resulting from
more elaborate and highly organized system.
STREET COMMISSIONERS REPORT.
The report of the Street Commissioner is, as
usual, an elaborate document of eighteen
foolscap pages.
The amount expended was, for stables and
teams, $1S, 703.40. Of this amount, $2O23. 81
was for hay and straw; $16S625 for grain;
$775.43 for carts, sleds and ropairs $414.17 for
harnesses; $5712S for shoeing; $147 SO for
stable utensils; $1700 for horses and exchange;
$319.62 for medical attendance; $14S25 for
miscellaneous 10,914.96 for pay roll of team.
sters.
The amount expended for labor and mate
rails was Sal ,504.40, of which the laborers' pay
roll took 1922, 1885,; tools, s6O2 29; curbstone,
| $661.74; crossing stone, $24069; paving stone,
o. IL, IL
curbstone, S3072.83: repairs of concrete walk,
S9562, and bridges and repairs, $2259. 10; grav-
| ell and sand, 1872; street lumber, S1254 Al
carpentering, $179.S7; crusher, $69S1; mason
work, S110.32; granite paving blocks, $4S84 so;
iron, work; S53 %; hired teams, $54; J. Guilt
yer for grading, $50; M. Flanagan, 3d."
$780, r. e. Sterling, 3d." $50; Knight &
Redlon, wall on Centre street, $6O59; Neil
Mcbride, grading, $232.12; miscellaneous,
| $104.95. The total amount expended is $780,
207.S0. The appropriation was $4,000 To
this add $500 transferred from fire depart
ment, makes $62 800. leaving balance on hand
| of $2292. 30.
Then follows the amounts expended on each
street, 106 in number, that requiredi labor on
| them, and S152l on various streets in small re-
pairs. me largest amount expended ON any
one named street was $4291 "A on Fore street,
and the smallest, $162. on India street. Clean.
ing streets cost $669507; cleaning culverts
$1656; crushing stone, 1888 65; carting and
screening sand, $2554.37; sanding sidewalks
$3.50; miscellaneous, $1544.S8; moving ice
and snow, S2S46; island avenue, $50; Tukey's
bridge, s57755; Vaughan's bridge, $121466;
Stroudwater bridge, $41.50; Clark street bridge
S269.33.
There were laid 14.7S2 $40 yards pavement
| 1912 S-12 yards curbstone set and reset 321(
square yards plank sidewalk laid and relaid
The schedule of property on hand amounts tt
| SIT 1899.
| TRJANT OFFICERS REPORT
The truant officer reports he has made 22i
school visitations the past year; attended to l.,
1858 investigation cards; visited 1903 families
made AZ investigations at request of parents
and friends; returned 81 scholars to schoo
without arrest; arrested 81 were sentenced
to Reform School; IA brought before the court
213 furnished with clothing.
| Real Estate.