History of Gardner, Massachusetts/Duty of the Inmates
Duty of the Inmates.
"All persons who are maintained in the work-house, shall be under the immediate care and control of the Master and Mistress of the house, and shall not absent themselves from the premises without their consent; and such as are able to labor, shall labor according to the directions of the Master. There shall be no ardent spirits used on the premises, except by the special direction of the Physician.
The above rules and regulations shall be laid before the town at a regular meeting, and when accepted by them, shall be the Rules and By-laws of the Gardner work-house; and shall be read in the work-house in the presence of the Master and Inmates, at the commencement of each year, by one of the Overseers.
These Rules and Regulations may be altered or amended at any legal meeting of the town."
At the annual meeting in March, 1849,
Voted, to give Levi Heywood, Charles W. Bush, Francis Richardson and others, leave to fence off a portion of the common, and set out ornamental trees on the same.
At the annual meeting in March, 1859,
Voted, to raise $4,500, to defray town charges the present year.
Voted, to raise $2,000, for the support of schools; voted to leave $300 of the school money in the hands of the Committee to expend in the several districts at their discretion, so as to make the schools as near equal as possible; and to give district No. 4, $50. No. 5, $50. No. 6, $75, and the remainder divided equally in proportion to the number of scholars.
Voted, that the tax on polls and personal property, &c., be paid to the Town Treasurer, on or before the 20th of July next, and there shall be allowed on the same, and also all who shall voluntarily pay their tax on real estate at that time, a discount of six per cent.; and all taxes on polls and personal property not paid at that time, be placed in the hands of a constable for collection; and all who shall voluntarily pay their tax on real estate, on or before the 1st of October next, a discount of four per cent., after which, all taxes not paid on the 1st of December, to be put in the hands of a constable for collection.
In accordance with a vote of the town, a building is being erected at a probable cost of $14,000 or $15,000, which is designed for a town hall, stores and other purposes.
There have been 648 legal town meetings held in Gardner since its incorporation as a town.
The amount of money granted, assessed and collected by the town, is $319,341.