The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-01-20
II Has Been One OF Progress
Says Mayor Robins
IN HIS ANNUAL MESSAGE
Other Departments Submitted Reports
at Regular Meeting of the City
Council, Which Was Held
Last Evening.

Mayor Robns's annual nsssage and
the annual reports Of the committee on
printing, committee on charity and cor
rections, committee On Lighting, the chief
of the 6re department the overseer Of
the poor, the assessors, the water SUI
perintendent, the cemetery commission
ers, the inspector of buildings, and tho
secretary OF the board of health took
up the attention Of the city council at
the regular meeting last evening. The
mayors message, which Il printed in full
on page in this paper, and all there
ports were approved and ordered printed
in the annual city report.
The committee on charity and correc-
tions reported that this department had
been ably attended to by the overseer
of the poor and the city physician.
The committee on lights reported that
six new arc lights had been installed
during the year and several changes
made in the location OF other lights that
had been an Improvement in the lighting
Of the streets. There ere 100 arc lights
and 643 sixteen candle power lights in
the city buildings. The expense of light
ing the streets for the year amounted
70 S4,SS5.s5, and the city buildings ST.
l0s.2S.
In the chief of the fire departments
report, he recommended that a new fire
alarm box be installed ON Wiley street
and that more hydrants be put In for
the better protection Of isolated locali-
ties, as he believed that hydrants were
cheaper than the extra amount of hose
that has to be used in places where the
hydrants are scattered at distance. He
also advised that new storage reservoir
be built this year, as recommended by
the city engineer and the water super
intendent.
According to the report Of the overseer
of the poor, the net sum paid out for
the care of the city's poor during the
past year amounted to $5,496.9l, against
$47s95l during 1907.
The assessors reported that they had
doubled 35 poll taxes and that they
found that 1t was not necessary 10 Gsss4-
bic near as many taxes since the law
went into effect requiring the taxpayers
to appear and sign an inventory They
ht1O IQfArEQ lllAl tIsQit EAtkAtHl dE 2th L<LtlEA
BE- given the assessors, as the time IN
which they have to do their work is
SO short that they cannot do the work
as thoroughly as it should Be done with
the help they now have. There should
be help enough in the Office. they said,
to do all Of the clerical work, so that
the assessors would have plenty OF time
to investigate evasions Of taxes and the
city's grand list would be benefited.
The report of the water superinten-
dent showed that 33 connections had
been made during the year and 81 met
crs had been installed at the expense
Of the city, making total Of SO meters
now in use in the city. Supt. Russell
said that the Orange brook reservoir
was leaking badly and that much labor
had been expended in a vain attempt to
stop the leak He advised that it was
better to build a new storage reservoir
This year and not spend any more money
on the old one.
The inspector Of buildings reported
that 20 new single tenements had been
erected during the year and that total
IF 4sl permits had been granted.
BY the report of the secretary Of tAe
loard Of health, there were 29l births In
he city In 1908 and l6I deaths. This
i an increase of ten Ia births and one
n deaths.
Other business dore by the council
Was to grant permit to Moore Broth
,rs to raise the roof Of their stoneahed.
Alderman Campbell brought up the ques-
ion Of the advissbility Of the city In
failing the new Tungsten lights In the
aIy buildings. The electric light COM
,any had one Of the lights over the
ounciI table last evening, and tbs board
vas OF the unanimous opinion that it
rave very nearly the same amount of
light as the four SO candle power lights
n the chandeliers Alderman Campbell
aid that the company claimed that one
Il these lights burned tia same amount
il electricity as d l6 candle power inean-
escent light. The lights cost $3.50, in
luding shades and the company replaces
hem at Sl.35 piece. The city clerk
tated that If they charged for the lights
he same rate they charged for the l0
andle power lights, it would cost about
IS to light his Office, where they are
'aying now S3S year. On motion OF
alderman I4add, the matter was referred
0 the lighting COMMITTEES TO investigate
ust what the terms of the company
would be, and report at tho next meet
ng.
Alderman Hoyt asked what the fire
ommittee had done about the FIRE en-
apes on the Blanchard blook, and Alder
nan Alexander stated that the commit
ee had practically decided on what they
wanted on the building, but thera was
question whether they would be able
0 have it done. They wanted TO hare
n escape down the back of the build
ne, but as the block covers practically
II OF the land on the lot. the escapes
7ould probably project onto the sdjoin-
ng land. But # the river bed should
e changed there would Be land enough
aclaimed so that this could be done.