New Britain herald., 1915-05-20
carried out on sixty-two streets has given general satisfaction.
 Boards Accomplishments.

SoiIicu cut OH SlAIS-tWO SlTeStS ndS given general satisfaction.
 Boards Accomplishments.
 About two miles of new macadam streets have been built, over three and cne-half miles of streets have been graded, semi-permanent pavement has bed laid in six streets, over two miles of sanitary sewers have been built and E ever a mile of storm water sewer built
 During the year the board has in creased the street lighting area of the city at a very small increase in the cost
 'The sewage disposal problem is another matter the board and the committee appointed by the mayor have been Investigating.
 Tt, is to be hoped that some solu- ,ion of this very serious problem will be recommended within the. next year.
 According to an act passed by thhe present legislature all sewage disposal systems installed by municipalities must be approved by the state board of health before their installation.
 "The board and the committee ap- pointed have had expert opinion upon this matter and visits have been made
 
 cester and Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where sewage disposal plants have been installed.
 "A plant such as recommended by : Engineer Fuller has been built at Fitchburg, but was not in operation at the time of our visit ana before dis cussing the advisability of building such plant for our city it was felt that it would be wise to wait until this plant was in operation and had proven successful.
 Sewer Beds in Bad Condition.
 Several beds at the disposal plant in Berlin were rebuilt during the year and while the beds operated for a time better than the old beds they gre, at the present time, scarcely do- ing any more effective worK than they did before being rebuilt.
 "We must face this problem in a short time and there is no question but what the old system will have to be abandoned and new system in stalled, which will undoubtedly cost several hundred thousand dollars.
 PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
 "A subject that often agitates the minds of our citizens is the expense of our public school system.
 Many citizens believe that at times our school board has spent money too liberally and that the school, unlike other departments of the city govern ment, has held aloof from the people. think the latter is true to some eX- tent and is the real basis of whatever criticism there be, rather than that the board has been extravagant.
 This feeling is going to disappear through the medium of the Parents and Teachers associations. Through these associations the peo- pie are brought in closer relation to the school system and get a proper problems confronting the school board. Our citizens have ever been gen. erous in spending money for schools and it is to be hoped that with S,SS4 pupils registered in our schools whose future depends, to large extent, upon proper education, that we will not be school expense.
 Cost Per Pupil Here Low. The real test of school expense is the average cost per pupil; compared with other towns and cities our cost is low. --t@+ 'sAt this time I take the liberty of to your honorable hody, and of incorporating in my message to you, brief contrast as presented by our able superintendent of schools to the school board, of the years 1905 and 1915 which will explain the tremen- dous growth of our school problem. A Contrast-Ten Years in the Schools. l
 1905 1915l City Population. .35, ,0O0 55,00o School Census. ........ 7,2s. 12,725 1 Average Attendance. {. ATS 7,O26 1 Evening School Average Attendance ..... .... 259 566 1 High School Registra- tion .......... ss4 1.oss Grammar School Regis
 ration ...... ss4 1oo7 Elementary School Regis
 tration ....:..... 4,1os 5,es1 Number Teachers Day
 SCHOOLS l32 s.. 24O l 500 elementary grade children on | half time due to inadequate accom- in 1905
 1,100 children on half time due to l inadequate accommodations in 1915.
 1905 1915 1 Total number of schoolrooms avail
 able ...... 138 eO7 1 Teachers salaries-low. Valuation of school