was 982.97 miles, 5.97 miles having been added in 1921. Total number of catch-basins in charge of Sewer Service, 16,173. Gross debt outstanding for all sewer construction up to said date was $22,474,360. Assessments upon the estates benefited by new sewers are not levied by the Public Works Department but by the Board of Street Commissioners (see Street Laying-Out Department), who also award damages to real estate owners having approved claims for such. The assessment upon an estate for a new sewer is limited to $4.00 per linear foot and it is a lien upon the property until paid, the law allowing payment in annual instalments of 10 per cent of total assessment with interest. In 1889 the State Board of Health informed the Legislature as to the urgent necessity of having two main systems of sewage disposal for the cities and towns of the Metropolitan District, one for those north of the Charles River, the other for those south. By chapter 439 of the Acts of that year, the plans of the said Board were adopted and, under State control and financing, the Metropolitan Sewerage Commission of three members undertook the construction of the North Metropolitan and South Metropolitan systems of trunk and intercepting sewers, the former to discharge into the sea at Deer Island and the latter at Moon Island. The City of Boston had already constructed, at a cost of $4,250,000, pumping works and a trunk sewer from Huntington avenue and Gainsborough street to Moon Island, hence the South system was completed by building from Huntington avenue through Brighton and Newton to Waltham, 8 miles, and the whole was put into operation in the spring of 1892, the State paying the City for pumping and discharging the sewage received from the territory west of Huntington avenue. The North Metropolitan system, with four pumping-plants and 41 miles of sewers, varying from a 9-foot brick sewer in East Boston to a 10-inch vitrified pipe at opposite ends, went into operation in 1896, costing $5,116,696. A third system, the Neponset Valley, with a total length of 11.3 miles, was completed in 1898. It is an intercepting sewer, receiving the sewage from the local sewers of Hyde Park and parts of West Roxbury and Dorchester, also Milton and Dedham. In 1906 the High-level sewer was completed and into its 17 miles of tunnel, extending from Parker Hill, Roxbury, through Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Hyde Park and Quincy to outlets off Nut Island, nearly all the sewage of the South District was diverted. Later, this sewer was extended to Brighton and Brookline. On January 1, 1921, there were 66.6 miles of Metropolitan sewer in the North District, of which 10.4 miles were in Boston, and 50.9 miles in the South District, 21.0 miles being in Boston. Tributary to the two Metropolitan systems there were 1,460 miles of local sewers in the 27 cities and towns belonging. In the eleven Sanitary Districts of the City the refuse collected in the year 1921 amounted to 469,761 tons (of 2,000 lbs.) or 41,516 tons more than in 1920, of which 394,435 tons were ashes, 69,182 tons garbage and 6,144 tons waste and rubbish (mostly paper). Contractors collected 180,019 tons and City employees, aided by hired teaming, collected 289,742 tons. REMOVAL OF STORE REFUSE. As provided by Chapters 1 and 10 of the Ordinances of 1911, the removal of refuse from shops, stores and warehouses, involving much extra labor, is attended to by the Sanitary Service and charged for at 11 cents a barrel or bundle (not larger than a flour barrel). No removals are made except on delivery of tickets obtainable at 504 City Hall Annex, or at the office of the Superintendent of Markets, Faneuil Hall Market. WATER DIVISION. Main Office, 606 City Hall Annex. FRANK A. MCINNES, Division Engineer. Salary, $5,000. In April, 1918, by order of the incoming Public Works Commissioner, that branch of the Highway Division called the Water Service was separated therefrom and became the Water Division. Under the control of the Division Engineer of this division are the care and maintenance of all pipes and other fixtures and appliances held by the City for the purposes of its water supply, including the laying and relaying of pipes, the installation and testing of meters and the placing of public drinking fountains, also the assessing of water rates and issuing of the bills therefor. The total length of supply and distributing water mains on February 1, 1922, was 880.85 miles; number of services actually in use, 100,012 (on January 31), of which about 62 per cent were metered; number of public fire hydrants, 9,829; number of public drinking fountains, 151, of which 118 are fitted with hygienic bubble fixtures and 33 are for animals only. The first water document published by the City of Boston appeared in 1825. The public introduction of water from Lake Cochituate took place on October 25, 1848. The history of the Boston Water Works up to January 1, 1868, has been written by Nathaniel J. Bradlee; from 1868 to 1876, by Desmond FitzGerald; of the "Additional Supply from Sudbury River," by A. Fteley. In addition to the annual reports on the Cochituate supply, from 1850, and of the Mystic supply, from 1866, there are numerous special reports. By chapter 449, Acts of 1895, the BostonWater Board, the Water Income Department and the Water Registrar were abolished and the Water Department created, a single commissioner being entrusted with all the powers previously exercised by the Boston Water Board and the Boston Water Registrar. By Chapter 488, Acts of 1895, the State provided for a metropolitan water supply, Boston being included among the municipalities thus to be supplied. A State commission, the Metropolitan Water Board, in accordance with said act, took possession, in 1898, of all that part of the Boston water system lying westward of Chestnut Hill Reservoir, also the pumping station there, with adjacent lands. The sum paid to the City was $12,531,000. Payments to the State by the City for its supply of water have been regularly made since 1898. Total quantity of water in the ten storage reservoirs of the Metropolitan system on January 1, 1922, 70,018,800,000 gallons, of which 80 per cent was in the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton, 32 miles west of Boston, an artificial lake 4,135 acres in surface area and added to the system in 1905. There are also twelve distribution reservoirs with capacity of 2,399,230,000 gallons, five pumping-stations being connected with these, in which stations 29,428,510,000 gallons of water were pumped during the year 1921. In the existing Metropolitan Water District are nine cities, besides Boston, and nine towns. Boston takes about 75 per cent of the entire water supply of the District. The daily average amount of water used in Boston in 1921 was 85,609,200 gallons, or 104 gallons per capita. This was 8,688,200 gallons less daily, than in 1920. REGISTRY DEPARTMENT. Office, 103 City Hall Annex, first floor. [Stat. 1892, Chap. 314; Rev. Ord. 1898, Chap. 34; C. C., Title IV., Chap. 28; Rev. Ord. 1914, Chap. 29.] EDWARD W. MCGLENEN, City Registrar. Term ends in 1922. Salary, $4,000. JEREMIAH J. LEARY, Assistant Registrar. Salary, $2,200. MARGARET M. FOLEY, Assistant Registrar. Salary, $1,700. The City Registrar keeps the records of births, deaths and marriages, and issues certificates of all intentions of marriage. Annual reports have been published since 1849, except in 1860 and 1861. By law, in the absence of the Registrar, the Assistant Registrars may perform his duties and give certificates of attestation. By Ordinance, approved July 12, 1892, the Department of Ancient Records and the office of Record Commissioners (established July 6, 1875) were abolished, and the duties of the Record Commissioners, including the publication of documents relating to the early history of Boston, were transferred to the City Registrar. Total marriage certificates issued in year 1921, 9,319. SCHOOLHOUSE DEPARTMENT. Office, 1007 City Hall Annex, tenth floor. [Stat. 1901, Chap. 473; Stat. 1904, Chap. 376; C. C., Title V., Chap. 33, § 14; Stat. 1905, Chap. 392; Stat. 1906, Chap. 259; Stat. 1907, Chap. 450; Stat. 1908, Chap. 524; Stat. 1909, Chap. 446; Stat. 1911, Chap. 540; Stat. 1913, Chaps. 337, 363; Stat. 1914, Chaps. 331, 738; Spec. Stat. 1916, Chap. 267; Spec. Stat. 1918, Chap. 132; Spec. Stat. 1919, Chaps. 199, 206; Stat. 1920, Chap. 524; Stat. 1921, Chap. 169.] OFFICIALS. THOMAS P. GLYNN, Chairman. CLARENCE H. BLACKALL, Secretary. J. GEORGE HERLIHY, Chief Clerk. Salary, $3,500. COMMISSIONERS. THOMAS P. GLYNN. Term ends in 1925. Salary, $3,500. JAMES J. MAHAR. Term ends in 1924. Salary, $3,500. CLARENCE H. BLACKALL. Term ends in 1923. Salary, $3,500. This department, which was established by Chapter 473 of the Acts of 1901 (amended by Chapter 376 of the Acts of 1904), is in charge of a board of three commissioners, appointed by the Mayor. One commissioner is appointed in each year for a term of three years, beginning with June 1 in the year of appointment. The salaries of the commissioners and the ordinary expenses of the department are met by appropriations of the School Committee. The authority and duties of the Board are those formerly conferred and imposed upon the City Council and the School Committee in relation to selecting lands for school purposes and requesting the Street Commissioners to take the same, providing temporary school accommodations, and making, altering and approving designs and plans for school purposes; erecting, completing, altering, repairing, furnishing, and preparing yards for, school buildings, and making contracts and selecting architects for doing said work. The Board is required to take measures to secure proper ventilation, proper sanitary conditions, and protection from fire, for existing school buildings. Annual reports to the Mayor have been made since 1901, an interesting feature of which is the "Descriptive Schedule of Permanent School Buildings," a large tabular insert showing, under 14 headings, building statistics of 270 or more schoolhouses. SINKING FUNDS DEPARTMENT. Office, 20 City Hall. [R. L., Chap. 27, § 14; Rev. Ord. 1898, Chap. 35; C. C., Title IV., Chap. 9, 5; Stat. 1909, Chap. 486, § 26; Stat. 1910, Chap. 437; Stat. 1911, Chap. 165; Rev. Ord. 1914, Chap. 31; Stat. 1914, Chap. 324; Spec. Stat. 1915, Chap. 184; Ord. 1916, Chap. 7.] OFFICIALS. WILLIAM H. SLOCUM, Chairman. RUPERT S. CARVEN, Secretary. Salary, $700 per annum. COMMISSIONERS. MATTHEW CUMMINGS, FREDERICK J. CROSBY. Terms end in 1925. WILLIAM H. Slocum, RandolPH C. GREW. Terms end in 1924. FELIX VORENBERG, THOMAS H. RATIGAN. Terms end in 1923. The Commissioners serve without compensation. The Board of Commissioners of Sinking Funds for the payment or redemption of the City debt was established by Ordinance on December 24, 1870. This Board consists of six members, two of whom are appointed annually by the Mayor for a term of three years from May 1. The Board has published annual reports since 1871. The amended City Charter, Section 26, prohibits the further establishing of sinking funds, but an exception was afterwards made by the Legislature regarding loans for Rapid Transit purposes. It also prohibits the depositing of City or County money in any bank of which any member of the Board of Sinking Funds Commissioners is an officer, director or agent. SOLDIERS' RELIEF DEPARTMENT. Office, 65 City Hall, fifth floor. [R. L., Chap. 79; Rev. Ord. 1898, Chap. 36; C. C., Title IV., Chap. 29; Stat. 1904, Chap. 381; Stat. 1909, Chap. 468; Stat. 1914, Chap. 587; Gen. Stat. 1916, Chap. 116; Gen. Stat. 1917, Chap. 179; Gen. Stat. 1918, Chaps. 108, 183; Ord. 1920, Chap. 8.] FREDERICK W. WATKEYS, M. D., Acting Commissioner (in absence of Commissioner). Salary, $2,700. The Soldiers' Relief Department was created as a department of the City of Boston by Chapter 441 of the Acts of 1897, and is under the charge of a commissioner, who is appointed by the Mayor. He exercises all powers and duties for the distribution of State and City aid to soldiers in the City of Boston, such as were formerly vested in the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, by certain acts of the Legislature of previous years. In 1921 the number of relief cases was 6,995, of which 80 per cent was due to World War soldiers' unemployment. The total expenditure for their aid was $731,825, none of which is shared by the State. STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. Office, 73 City Hall, seventh floor. [Rev. Ord. 1898, Chap. 37; Rev. Ord. 1914, Chap. 33.] |