Norwich bulletin., 1915-10-13
NO TOWN TAX COULD BE LAID
Held Up by Inability Learn What State Tax Win be- Town Meeting Cuts Appropriation for Medical h. specton in Schools From $l,000 to $10O-Meetns Throws Down Challeneg to Secretary of State Board of Education, Who Has Threatened tn Hold Up School Money From the State.

 datory in school districts with 1oooo | discrimination. Just why medical in- spectionsfn a school sub- division hav- Ing 10000 should be SO very necessary but not in a 5000 population district l mond, that he would like to have ex- plained.
 Medical inspection has prevailed in some places. but 1t has had no ten- dency to decrease the death rate in places where 1t had been tried This ton against school districts of 10000 | population
 The statute also provides that towns shall furnish all necessary facilities for such inspection. Necessary facili- ties is term so broad that who shall 1 say what necessary facilities are. The territory is wide and how are the in spectors to get around.
 Relays of Automobiles.
 Town Clerk HoTbrool suggested an | automobile and MT. Desmond asked if there was to be a relay of automobiles, | for one wouldn't be enough. He asked | if this was to be an experiment and an citizen would have to submit himself | to medical inspection made by some one selected by someone else. MT. Desmond asked if we were to have the spectacle of one place i'm | spected by a physician of one school of practice of doctors and another place inspected by the physician of an opposing school of doctors.
 The legislature has imposed this upon us, but think we ought to make Mir. Desmond and he moved that the | appropriation be made $100. J. Harrison Davis said he thought the family physician was the proper one to advise about tho health of members of the family.
 Legal Opinions Secured.
 Chairman Charles O. Murphy of the school board explained that they had secured opinions from the attorney general and the town counsel who advised that the town would have to provide medical inspection and | the secretary of the state board of | education had told them that the state held up unless the medical inspection | was performed satisfactorily to the | education board The town school committee felt that s1.O0o was as lit- tie as the work could be done for.
 Senator Barnes Speaks.
 Senator John Fl. Barnes told the meeting that his bill about medical inspection just sqeezed through the | legislature. There was a doctor and also dentist who were very much interested in 1t. Hardly a senator would vote for it when it first came up, but the originators of the bill added the provision that in case of a female the inspection might be by the | family physician and then added the | sop that the examination would be in the presence of the parents. Then the | bill just pulled through He thought l that if the. doctors were all as anx- l tous as they seemed to have it passed l they would be glad to work for the t1o0. .---.. I I.ss- Should Obey the Law.
 Attorney William H. Shields on be- half of the town counsel explained that | the general law provides that the state money shall be given to towns which maintain schools in conformity with law. In Norwich this amount is S13,- 4eO. He asked if it wouldn't appear like mockery of the law and of the town school committee in making the famount s100. The sovereign power oi the state has spoken, and we should not encourage infraction of the law While MT. Desmond's argument was good. said MT. Shields. it should be ad- better vote the S1.000.
 1 Rev. E.. s. Worcester. who said he had been looking over the school re- port, said he noticed there were about 3,200 pupils, and that Sl,000 meant about 30 cent inspection for eacf | the provisions of the law as to privacy and family physician could be carried out with the S1.000 available.
 MT. Shields made the suggestion thai the city health officer and the towr health officer might be enlisted to as sist in the medical inspection work. | Charles O. Murphy said that tn, town school board had decided that tn, work could be very well done by nurse and that they believed the $1,oo' would be enough
 Doubts Power of State Board.
 Mir. Desmond spoke again and sait that he didn't believe that the secre had the power to say that if we don make an appropriation that suited hin he would withhold the state money. l that was the secretary's attitude. tn courts are open. said Mir. Desmond. Voted $1oo for Medical Inspection. The $1O0 amount was voted after burst of applause that followed MT Desmond's last words.
 When the vote had been passed MI Desmond said he supposed the tow authorities understood that they wSull be expected to take the necessary ac ton in case there was any hold-up Il the school money by the state board o The amounts voted for the publi school budget made a total of $122. S02.90.
 Extras.
 What are known as the extras, whic. are outside the amounts recommends ! by the selectmen. were next taken uI Tho selectmen were authorized { ! borrow $150.000 as needed for curren expenses
 The usual sum of s4,500 was vote for the Otis library.
 The sum of S13.5o0 was appropriat : ed to be paid to the Norwich Ere 7 Academy for term fees of town pupil: 7 Pratte Avenue Petition.
 For parties who are interested in tn l layout of Pratte avenue. in Taftvill' h. Desmond presented @ petitio [ asking for the layout as a public high way. No amount was named in tn petition and Mir. Desmond said he un derstood that there would be no appro priation called for now. There are , number of houses already along thi 1 street and-it' would be fair to the peo ! pie on the street to accept it as pub , lie highway.