ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TOWN OF PEMBROKE NEW HAMPSHIRE For the Yeor Ending DECEMBER 31 NINETEEN FORTY-EIGHT Annual Report OF THE SELECTMEN AND TREASURER OF THE Town of Pembroke together with the reports of the Roads Agents and Other Officers of the Town FOR THE Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1948 ALSO VITAL STATISTICS FOR THE Year Ending December 31, 1948 Printed by L'AVENIR NATIONAL PUB. CO. Manchester, N. H. 1949 M4-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Assets 17 Auditor's Report 52 Budget 12 Financial Report 17 Forest Fire 47 Liabilities 18 Library Reports 46 Police Report 44 Payments 22 Summary of Inventory of Valuation 14 Statement of Appropriations and Taxes Assessed 15 School Report 54 Town Clerk's Report 21 Tax Collector's Report 31 Town Treasurer's Report 19 Town Officers 3 Town Warrant 5 Trustees of Trust Funds Report 49 Vital Statistics 83 TOWN OFFICERS Moderator GEDEON N. PETIT Jr. Town Clerk ALBERT RITCHOTTE Town Treasurer ERNEST A. CHAPDELAINE Selectmen GEORGE R. LEA GEDEON PETIT WALTER BERGEVIN Tax Collector K. DONALD WOODBURY Library Trustees LUCILE HILLMAN ALICE B. JACOB MARGUERITE FRENCH Auditors JOHN D. WELCH ERNEST MARTEL Water Commissioners WARREN FOSS PHILIP BRASLEY HASCALL T. STIMSON ALFRED METIVIER RUFUS B. ROBINSON Representatives GEORGE R. LEA EDGAR BELLEROSE Trustees of Trust Funds JOSEPH H. ROBINSON HARRY K. ROGERS ALONZO J. BATES Chief of Police WILLIAM R. LeCLAIR . Fire Chief CHESTER T. ROBINSON Checklist Supervisors JOHN D. WELCH ALFRED METIVIER SYLVIO DUBE School Board EVA O. MONTY JOHN SATURELY GRACE CHASE Highway Surveyor MARCELLUS H. ROWE Librarian VIRGINIA BATCHELDER Relief Administrator GRACE LABONTEE Custodians of Cemeteries MARY CHESEBORO GEORGE P. COFRAN JOHN H. ROBINSON STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE To the Inhabitants of the Town of Pembroke in the County of Merrimack in said State, qualified to vote in the Town Affairs: (L. S.) You are hereby notified to meet at the Community House in said Pembroke, on Tuesday, the ninth day of March next, at nine o'clock in the forenoon, to act upon the following subjects: 1. To choose all necessary Town Officers for the year ensuing. 2. To raise such sums of money as may be necessary to defray town charges for the ensuing year and make appropriations of the same. 3. To hear and act upon the report of the Town Ways and Means Committee. 4. To see if the Town will authorize the Selectmen to borrow money in anticipation of taxes. 5. To see if the Town will vote to change twenty (.20) cents on and after September 1, 1949, on all unpaid 1949 Poll Taxes. 6. To see if the Town will vote to authorize its Selectmen to sell any real estate which the Town may have acquired by deed as a result of non-payment of taxes; and to authorize the Selectmen to give a deed in the name of the Town to the purchaser of such land. 7. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of Six Hundred Thirteen Dollars and Eigh- ty-one Cents ($613.81) for the maintenance, construction or reconstruction of Class V highways, thereby to receive State aid therefore. 8. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate an additional One Hundred Eighty-six ($186.00) Dollars (approximately) yearly to the present street light- ing expense, in order to have the present business section lights changed to the new "White Way plan such as is now in use in Allenstown and Manchester. 9. To see if the Town will vote to rescind articles 8 and 9 in the 1948 warrant. Said articles being as follows: "8. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Water Commissioners to make certain improve- ments to the Pembroke Water System for the cons- truction, repairing, laying, relaying, enlarging or ex- tending the present pipe line; repairing or extending the present auxiliary supply at the "Old Reservoir" so called, in Allenstown; acquiring such additional real estate, rights in real estate, water rights, ease- ments, and other rights and property, as the board may consider desirable or necessary, and in general to make such other repairs or improvements as the Board may deem wise and proper for a more suitable, efficient and adequate water system." "9. To see if the Town will authorize the Select- men to borrow a sum of money not exceeding Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000) on the credit of the Town from time to time as the same may be deemed necessary and expedient for the purpose of defraying the expense of purchasing real estate, rights in real estate, water rights, easements, and other rights and property, and for the construction, repairing, ex- tending and enlarging said water works as stated in Article 8, and to issue from time to time the serial notes or coupon bonds of said Town. If coupon bonds are issued they shall be in the denomination of either Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or One Thou- sand Dollars ($1,000.00) each, or both, payable to bearer, bearing interest at a rate not exceeding 2}/^% per annum, payable semi-annually. Said serial notes or bonds and coupons to be in the form prescribed by the Municipal Bond Statute, Chapter 72 of the Revised Laws and all amendments thereto; said serial notes or bonds to be signed by a majority of the Selectmen of said Town and countersigned by the Treasurer of said Town in accordance with said law. If coupon bonds are issued, they shall be sold by competitive bidding. The first series of said bonds, in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars shall become due and payable within two years from date of issuance; thereafter, bonds in the sum of Ten Thou- sand Dollars shall be due and payable each year until the balance of all the bonds issued shall have been paid. All of said serial notes or bonds issued shall be exempt from taxation when held by the inhabitants of any town in which said Water Works may extend." 10. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Water Commissioners to change the present source of supply of the Pembroke Water system from Pleasant Pond to some source within or near the Town, if as a result of adequate preliminary tests and surveys, made by competent engineers, it is determined by the Board to be expedient and to the best interests of the com- munity to make such change; and to authorize said Board to acquire such additional real estate, rights in real estate, water rights and such other rights and property and to undertake such new construction and repairs, including the laying and relaying, enlarging or extending of the present pipe line, as to the Board shall seem necessary or desirable B to accomplish this change in source of supply; and to authorize said Board to make any other repairs or improve- ments as shall be necessary for a more suitable, efficient and adequate water supply. 11. To see if the Town will authorize its Selectmen to borrow a sum of money not exceeding Four Hundred Fifty Thousand ($450,000) Dollars, on the credit of the Town by the issue of bonds, as provided in Chapter 72 of the Revised Laws, as amended, from time to time as the same shall be deemed necessary for the purposes specified in Article 10. Provided, however, that no sum shall be borrowed in excess of the statutory debt limit for this purpose, unless and until the Legislature shall have passed an enabling act raising such debt limit; and to authorize the Selectmn to determine the time and place of payment and form of said bonds, and the rate of interest thereon, and to provide for the sale thereof, to an extent not in- consistent with Chapter 72, Revised Laws. Chapter 306 of the Laws of 1913, and the enabling act above referred to, if it shall be passed. 12. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the disposal of such of the property of the Pembroke Water Works, both real and personal, as shall no longer be necessary for the efficient operation of the water system, as a result of the change of source of supply referred to in article 10 on such terms and conditions and at such time as the Board of Water Commissioners shall determine to be to the best interests of said Water Works; and to authorize the Selectmen to give a deed or bill of sale in the name of the Town to the purchaser of such property. 13. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Selectmen to provide for the removal of rubbish weekly, to put the job of removal up for bids, to make neces-ary contracts, and to supervise the removal of same. 14. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of Twelve Hundred Fifty ($1,250.00) Dollars for use by the Concord Hospital, together with appropriations from other towns using the hospital, to help meet operating deficits. 15. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate the sum of Fifteen Hundred ($1500.00) Dollars for the purpose of purchasing a tractor together with attach- ments for highway mowing and plowing. 16. To see if the Town will vote to install and maintain a street light at the foot of Turnpike Street, on the west side of the street. 17. (By Petition) To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Five Hundred ($500.00) Dollars to be set aside as an accumulative Library Fund for Building purposes.