Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-02-27

The 18th annual report OF the TOWN OF
Rockingham, issued this week in readi-
ness for distribution at the annual town
meeting next Tuesday, is an exceedingly
interesting one In many ways, partic-
ularly in it's reports of the public school
system. The general makeup and APP
pearance OF the report is also better
than for several years The following
resume of the auditors report, giving
comparison of this year and last, will be
of interest to all,
l9Ol-02 l0G2-B
School directors orders. S22,2S3i0 S22.5S1.72
Overseer of the poor orders 5,9i6a 5,117.&
Highway commissioners or -
derS. 3,I4b.B 5l4S,S
Selectmen's orders:
Highways and bridges, 3,l5i.N 6l1l.6I
Town building, 3,623 3 3bl2.9l
Miscellaneous, ll,2ll.@ lOS2.62
Receipts of overseer of the
poor, 1855 5)O.,l
Inventory personal property
town farm, 2.OlO.1J l.SlfS.OO
Town building rentals, 2S3.15 3,15S.O0
Profit from town agency. lS9.0i 26l 10
Inventory of town liquor
agency, l.)j96A l,l9O.2I
The report of the David r. Campbell
legacy fund trustees shows a balance on
hand in that account of $11610. while that
of the cemetery commissioners shows a
balance on hand of $195.07.
The treasurers report shows a bal
ance in the general account borrowed
from the school account of A,30974 a
balance in the school account of $1,70527,
a balance in the road commissioners ac-
count of $33754 and a balance in the dog
license fund of $9O967 The assets of the
town are $3.72S.15. as against 81, 2Si. g.
last year and liabilities of $3.50, % as
against $137,57SS1 q year ago.
The report of the trustees of the Rock
ingham Free Library shows expenditures
during the year of $S1355 with balance
Fol 1 nf he
circulating statistics show that during
the last year "a, 400 books have been
taken from the library, while in the
year before there were only 22,071 show
ing an increase slightly larger proportion
ally than the growth of the village; 226
new cards We're issued during the year.
as against 1873 the year before. One of
the best gifts to the library has been a
complete file of the Vermonter from its
start in 1895 to August, 1902 given by q.
H. Allbee of this place. The library now
has 1892 books on its shelves. 30 of
which We're added this year.
The report of the health officer shows
a good general state of health through
out the town, and urges the importance
of better supervision of plumbing
The school reports are quite extensive
as in justice they should be, covering the
entire system in detail. Superintendent
Merriam's report calls particular at.
predecessor, E. w. Lord. The number OF
legal pupils in the town is now 1850, only
three more than last year. One new
school has been added during the year
a fourth and sixth grade in building No
l. Mr.. Merriam advises the dscontin
uance of schools in the Wiley, Parker
Hill, Upper Meadows and Lawrence Mill!
districts, and the transportation of pupil:
from these districts to Rockingham an(
Bartonsville. He also suggests that tn,
ideal way would be to discontinue al
the district schools, and to erect suitable
buildings for graded schools at Saxton
River and Rockingham to accommodate
all the pupils outside of Bellows Falls
Mr. Merriam suggests the advisabilit!
of a public kindergarten. the institutin;
of an ungraded room for delinquent pu
pills, and the extension of the building
principal system to cover all of tn
buildings in Bellows Falls. There ar
now 1,120 pupils enrolled in the town, o
whom sos are in Bellows Falls. Their
are SO teachers. of whom 26 are in Bel
lows Falls, four at Saxtons River, sevel
in the districts, and two special teach
erS.
Full reports are given by the super
visors of drawing and music, shown
marked improvement in both thes
branches. In their report the Schoo
Directors call attention to the advisable
ty of the establishment of a kindergarten
the greater value of the old Hig
school building, or No. ! as it is called
to the town as a school building than
turned into cash, and the possibility O
istry in the High school building befor
another year commences.