Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-03-02
BELLOWS FALLS NEWS.
Our Town Finances.

L0lS Town was circulated SATURDAY, anu Dy
it the voters will be well informed upon all
the important affairs of the town in anti
cipation of the annual meeting next Tues
day. By this report the total indebtedness
of the town is shown to be $77, 1902. As, of
which the principal items are $4,000 on
the town hall loan, $15, 900 indebtedness of
school district No. assumed by the town,
and $12,500 of the old Indebtedness of
former years brought forward. The most
of this Indebtedness is In the form of
bonds bearing interest at four and five per
cent. The liabilities last year were re-
ported as $67, POS. 90, and as that did not
include the $4,000 school Indebtedness
there is an evident decrease of indebted
ness of about $4,000 in the year.
The income from the opera house block,
owned by the town, was tritle in excess
of the expenses for the first time since it
was erected. The income was S2024.75
and expenses S2225.3S. The hall was
rented SO times during the year, at an av-
erage of S26 per evening. The smaller
hall, known as banquet hall, was rented at
a good income, as well as the stores and
offices.
The highways, bridges and roads of the
town cost $4643.29. The overseer of the
poor expended $3494.24, less an income
from the town farm of $36002 The in
ventory of personal property on the farm
amounts to S2056.20. In addition to the
cost of the poor from the town funds there
was paid out by the trustees of the David
r. Campbell legacy fund the sum of 1885
to the poor of the town, as provided for by
the terms of the legacy, making the total
cost of the towns poor $4O19.22.
The school Report,
The school directors orders amounted to
81, 1928. 45, divided as follows: Salaries
$7310.41, books $685.. "a, supplies $417.98,
janitors $5S7.15, fuel $SS2.35, repairs
SETH, and miscellaneous $612.61. The
directors have had SO weeks school for all
the scholars of the town. A new depart
ure has been made by transporting the
scholars in some of the smaller districts to
the larger ones, instead of keeping up the
smaller schools. Those of the Barber dis
trict have been carried to Saxtons River,
the Wiley district to Lawrence Mills, and
during the winter term the Rockingham
scholars have been carried to and from the
Williams River school. In this way the
directors are confident that much better ia
cilities have been given the scholars, and
at a much less cost. They feel that much
less friction has resulted from the read
justment of the system under the law of
1892 than was anticipated, that the new
law has produced very beneficial results,
and that all schools are now harmoniously
running under it. They call attention to
the fact that the winter salaries of teach
ers are not included in this financial report,
and estimate the total cost of the school
system of the town at $4,000. The town
superintendent report this year is very
Cell ~ of .,a1 sv.fn &c
of the town in a clear and businesslike
manner. He gives results in each of the
10 districts of the town where schools are
held, as to cost per capita and other inter-
esting facts. School books for the town
cost but 90 cents per scholar, sum far be-
low what it would have been by individual
purchase. In the Bellows Falls district
there are now Is different schools, and
the directors, in view of the increasing
number of scholars, recommend that an
other room be finished off in No, build
ing and another school established next
year to prevent over-crowding. In Sax
tons River there are three schools, and dur
ing the past year arrangements have been
entered into for the practical grading of
these schools, with the same courses of
study as at Bellows Falls, which can be
very easily done to great advantage, as
well as a systematic method of promotion.
The report gives the opinion that these
schools will soon be doing as much work
and as good quality as those in our own
village. Superintendent Ryder is evincing
deep interest in the educational interests
of our town, and is putting hard work into
carrying out marked improvements in the
system throughout all parts of the town,
trying hard to solve the vexing problem of
Z giving the rural communities advantages
which are as nearly equal as possible to
the villages.
A FIOurishIng Business.
The report of the liquor agency shows
that to be the institution of the town
which is showing the largest degree of life
and growth in the past two years. The re-
port for February 1, 1892, showed stock on
hand of only S694.55, the sales one year to
Feb. /, 1893, $37S4.S1, and the profit of
that year $562.81; while this years report
shows a stock on hand of $1327. II, sales
of the past year $6374.49, and profit to
the town of $1256.91. As a "boomer''
Capt. Taylor, as agent, is success, even
in periods of great financial depression.
AS has been done for many past years,
the appropriation of 5000 for the benefit
of the different cemeteries of the town has
been expended by the board of cemetery
commissioners.
The Free Library.
The trustees of the Rockingham free IL
brary have had the advantage of the 5000
voted to them last year and make quite an
extended report, worthy the perusal of ev-
cry citizen. The money has been Judi
ciously used in the purchase of new books
and for the incidental expenses the cost
of transportation of books weekly to all
parts of the town has been paid, giving
the rural portions good advantages; large
number of valuable additions have been
made by public bequest; the circulation of
books has materially increased during the
year; the number of books now in the IL
braTy is $500, of which 300 were added the
past year Hon, A. N. Swain as president
Of the board manifests deep interest in the
institution and spends large amount of
time each year in looking after the details.
To no one man is our town so greatly in
debted for this institution, which must be
lasting in its influence upon our people, as
to him, and in fact we may almost be said
to owe TO him the successful institution
and carrying forward of the work.
The warrant for the annual meeting
next Tuesday calls for no business out of
the ordinary; in fact, with the exception
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