Map and Directory of Information Halifax and Dartmouth and Vicinity, Nova Scotia

No hint of a beltway or a rotary here, but several subdivision plans for the Woodlawn and Westphal sections, Crichton Park (now Mic Mac Village), as well as Manor Park. Shearwater Airport clearly played a more important role at this point as a “city” airport, connected by Airport Road running along the west side of Morris Lake from Cole Harbor Road. Breakheart hill is noted along with a number of communities including Shearwater, Imperoyal, Woodside, Woodlawn, Westphal, Port Wallis, Albro Lake and Tufts Cove.

Some bold claims (propaganda), also included with this map, the facts about Canada section asserts “Canada has complete self-government and independence”. 🤔

“Map and Directory of Information Halifax and Dartmouth and Vicinity, Nova Scotia”, Mapco. 1956. https://archives.novascotia.ca/maps/archives/?ID=1673&Page=202012450

Dartmouth, Aerial View

Dartmouth, 1950s

St. Peter’s Church seen at upper middle, First Baptist at Victoria at middle right. Christ Church at middle, Victoria Road Baptist church is seen a block behind between it and its hall, Grace United Church is seen at middle bottom, (what I believe was) another Baptist church a block closer on Ochterloney near where the original St. Peter’s stood, Post Office at middle right.

St. James Church at five corners seen here with Dartmouth Medical Center across the street. Starr Manufacturing is the long dark colored building along Prince Albert Road to its left, the old Hawthorne School at the upper right, Silver’s Road directly ahead at top middle.

Bus depot at far left, Dartmouth Ferry Terminal at bottom left, the ferry is docked. Nova Scotia Power Dartmouth Division at middle left, Stern’s corner at middle right, Jacobson’s at far right.

This whole neighborhood was essentially disappeared through “urban renewal”, Boggs Street is now the extent of Alderney Drive and parking lots, Green Street has all but disappeared since, too. So many Quaker homes and other historical relics lost to the wrecking ball. Much of the land has sat vacant for many decades since, as with the land along the waterfront to the north of Downtown, up through the Church Street, Park Avenue and Edward Street lands that lay next to the Common.

“Dartmouth, Halifax Co.: Aerial View”, 1930 (certainly not 1930, perhaps some time in the late 1950s?). https://archives.novascotia.ca/photocollection/archives/?ID=5276

Dartmouth Bridge Plaza and Shopping Center, (Dartmouth Common), 1958

“Dartmouth Bridge Plaza and Shopping Center”, 1958. https://archives.novascotia.ca/information-service/archives/?ID=1210

Dartmouth Ball field is seen front and center on Wyse Road at the Bridge Plaza, below you can see the area surrounding City hall previous to its construction on what is now Alderney Dr.

https://archives.novascotia.ca/photocollection/archives/?ID=5277

Local Government in Nova Scotia

The local government history of Nova Scotia reflects a circuitous progression, from central control to increasing local autonomy and back again to centralized control. From its inception in 1605 with Port Royal, local governance was essentially an extension of central government, lacking elected councils or municipal institutions. Annapolis Royal saw early attempts at local government with the establishment of a civil council in 1720 and a general court in 1721. Halifax’s founding in 1749 marked a shift, with the establishment of Quarter Sessions, allowing for local governance with administrative and judicial functions. The system was influenced by both the Virginia and New England-style systems, with Quarter Sessions and an Inferior Court of Common Pleas.

New England settlers in Halifax demanded greater local self-government, leading to conflicts and eventual incorporation of Halifax in 1841 after a push by figures like Joseph Howe. Despite earlier attempts at incorporation, Halifax faced disallowance due to resistance from the Legislative Council. Meanwhile, outside Halifax, the Quarter Sessions system persisted until 1879 when county incorporation became compulsory, replacing the old system with elected municipal councils. Towns also sought incorporation, Dartmouth being the first in 1873, with eight towns incorporated by 1888.

Towns had to meet population and area requirements for incorporation, with mayors and councillors elected for two-year terms. The councils had broad powers, including taxation and infrastructure development. By 1954, Nova Scotia comprised 18 counties, 24 rural municipalities, 39 incorporated towns, and 2 cities, each with its own local government structure, independent of county or district authority. By 1961 Dartmouth became the third incorporated city.

Functions of local government expanded over time, responding to social and economic changes. Traditional roles included regulation and service provision, such as supporting the poor, maintaining roads, and education. However, more modern demands led to the development of new services like community planning, housing, and recreation.

Financially, municipalities initially relied on property taxes but faced challenges due to increased demands and inflation. Provincial assistance, through grants and shared responsibilities, became essential, especially during times of war and economic downturns. Tax rental agreements and conditional grants help fund services like education and social assistance, reflecting a shift towards greater Provincial and Federal involvement.

Since the 1996 amalgamation, which unilaterally consolidated several local entities into one unit, local government in Nova Scotia has undergone significant restructuring. The dissolution of distinct municipalities has reshaped the landscape, upending established institutions, the concept of local government itself and the constitutional frameworks upon which it relied.


Background:
Although there were no parliamentary institutions of any kind in the area during the French regime, local government of one sort or another has existed in Nova Scotia from the founding of Port Royal in 1605. It began not with elected municipal councils, nor with incorporated towns and cities, not even with the Court of Sessions or the Quarter Sessions. In its beginning it was essentially an extension of the arm of the central government.

…central administration at Annapolis Royal was modified and a measure of local government was provided. At Annapolis Royal a civil council was established in 1720 and a general court in 1721. The Acadians continued to choose their own deputies annually; Acadians acted as collectors of quit rents, notaries, herdsmen and overseers; and one Acadian (notwithstanding the difficulty over oaths of office) was commissioned justice of the peace in 1727. At Canso from 1720 there were justices of the peace, who were also usually captains of the militia there. Moreover, during his visits to Canso, Lieutenant-Governor Armstrong gave at least a semblance of local government to the place, by consulting the justices of the peace and a committee of the people there. “the least appearance of a Civil Government:’ he wrote, “being much more agreeable to Inhabitants than that of a Martial.”

Quarter Sessions:
With the founding of Halifax by more than 2500 people from the Old Country in 1749, the seat of government was transferred to it from Annapolis Royal, and soon a system of local government by Quarter Sessions was established in the new capital. This system had been in operation in England for a long time; it was now transplanted in Nova Scotia. The Court of Quarter Sessions, composed of Justices of the Peace appointed by the Governor and Council, enabled the central government to extend its influence into local affairs. The Quarter Sessions had administrative as well as judicial functions; these included the appointment of local officers; licensing of taverns; control over weights and measures; fixing of certain prices; levying of poor and county rates; and control over roads and bridges, prisons and hospitals, and other public works.

The first Justices of the Peace for the Township of Halifax were commissioned on July 18, 1749. In December of the same year justices of the County Court were appointed, and a commission of the peace for the appointment of justices of the town and county of Halifax was issued. The justices of the County Court took their oath of office on December 27, 1749. and the County Court met for the first time on January 2, 1750. Although the first records of the Quarter Sessions are not now available (few being extant prior to 1766), it is likely that the Quarter Sessions first met on the same day as the County Court. Thus it seems quite clear that the Quarter Sessions were established at Halifax early in 1750. A year later the people were given a direct voice in choosing certain minor town officers. On January 14, 1751 the Governor and Council ordered that the town and suburbs of Halifax were to be divided into eight wards, and that the inhabitants were to be empowered annually to choose eight town overseers, one town clerk, sixteen constables and eight scavengers, for managing such prudential affairs of the town as should be committed to their care by the Governor and Council. For several years the annual election of constables was the only part of local government in which the people directly participated, and this was afterwards taken over by the Quarter Sessions.

If settlers from Old England founded Halifax, people from New England soon constituted the most important element in the new town. They quickly arrived in considerable numbers, in order to take advantage of the opportunities in trade or of the privileges accorded to settlers. Jealousy soon arose between the New World and the Old World settlers. with those from New England insisting upon a greater measure of local self-government and upon the adoption of practices to which they had previously been accustomed. At the outset the government had been modelled after that of Virginia, and accordingly, a County Court, meeting monthly, had been established. By March 2, 1752, however, a change was made in line with New England practice. The County Court became an Inferior Court of Common Pleas, meeting not monthly, but quarterly, on the first Tuesday in March, the first Tuesday in June, the first Tuesday in September, and the first Tuesday in December. As the justices of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas were also Justices of the Peace, the Quarter Sessions opened the same day as the Inferior Court, and the same Jurymen attended both courts.

For a few years, until a House of Assembly was established in 1758, the Governor and the Council of Twelve at Halifax enjoyed a monopoly of power and patronage. At the first session of the Legislature, however, the Assembly (more than half of whose members were of New England origin) initiated legislation to provide a municipal council for Halifax. Rather than agree to this bill, the Council now prepared a bill of its own for erecting Halifax into a parish, with power to provide for its own poor. A conference between the two houses was held, and a compromise seemed to be reached; yet, when the Assembly embodied this agreement in a bill for choosing town officers for the town and suburbs of Halifax and for prescribing their duty, the Council continued to procrastinate. It apparently resented the Assembly’s initiative and early in the following year it rejected the bill on the ground that it was contrary to His Majesty’s instructions. It is clear that when machinery was provided in 1759 for township government in Halifax victory lay with the Council.

Strange to say, this machinery was provided by a bill entitled “An Act for Preventing Trespasses” [extended to Dartmouth in 1818 “An act to extend the provisions of c15 of 1761 relating to Trespasses, to the Town of Pictou and the Town Plot of Dartmouth, 1818 c23“, see also “For regulating the Dartmouth Common, 1841 c52“, “An Act for Preventing Trespasses“] which was introduced in the Legislative Council and afterwards amended by the Assembly and by the Council. It empowered a joint committee of the Council and Assembly to nominate four suitable overseers of the poor, two clerks of the market, two fence viewers, two hog-reeves, and four surveyors of highways for the town of Halifax to serve until the autumn when the Grand Jury should nominate, and their Court of Sessions should appoint their successors. Thereafter annual selections were to be made in this manner. This machinery became the model for township government in Nova Scotia until 1765, when the mode of appointing town officers was modified. At that time the Grand Jury, selected by lot, was empowered to nominate two or more persons for each office, and the Court of Sessions was empowered to choose and appoint the officers from these nominees. Subsequently, in 1811, it was arranged that the number nominated was to be as the justices in sessions might direct, “as the numbers before limited by law were found insufficient.”

The New England Form of Township Government:
For a brief period the New England form of township government, with the direct democracy of the town meeting, was in operation in part of Nova Scotia. It was introduced at the beginning of a substantial wave of New England migration in 1760. In an attempt to fill up land recently vacated by the Acadians or never previously occupied, the authorities had promised New Englanders central and local institutions similar to their own. Between 1760 and 1765 approximately 8,000 New Englanders migrated to the agricultural townships in the Annapolis Valley, along Minas Basin and across the Isthmus of Chignecto, and to the townships for fishermen and lumbermen along the South Shore. Those who arrived in 1760, accustomed to choosing their own officers and managing their own affairs, immediately inaugurated the same sort of township government in Nova Scotia. A provincial statute was passed to enable proprietors to divide their lands, and they appointed their own committee for this purpose until His Majesty disallowed the Act in 1761. [1760 c3, “An ACT, To Explain An Act, made and passed in the Twenty Third Year of His Majesty’s Reign, entitled, “An Act to enable Proprietors to divide their lands held in common and undivided”]

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1760 c3, “An ACT, To Explain An Act, made and passed in the Twenty Third Year of His Majesty’s Reign, entitled, “An Act to enable Proprietors to divide their lands held in common and undivided”

The Extension of the Quarter Sessions:
The local autonomy and the direct democracy characteristic of township government in the new settlements were soon replaced by the extension of central authority and by the adoption of the principle of indirect rather than direct election. The British and Virginian way of Quarter Sessions prevailed over the New England style of township government.

In 1759 the province was divided into the five counties of Halifax, Annapolis, Kings, Lunenburg and Cumberland. Two years later, after His Majesty disallowed the act passed to enable proprietors to divide their lands, committees for that purpose were appointed by the Governor and Council. In the same year the judicial organization of Quarter Sessions and Inferior Court of Common Pleas that already existed in Halifax County was extended to Lunenburg, Kings and Annapolis Counties, and provision was made for the nomination of surveyors of highways by the Grand Jury at the General Sessions of the Peace. This mode of appointment was soon expanded to include all town officers that were chosen prior to the Act of 1765. It left the choice of the officers exclusively to the Grand Jury; but by the Act of 1765 the Grand Jury could only nominate two or more persons for each office, and then the Court of Quarter Sessions those and appointed the officers from those nominees. The central government regained control over the associated proprietors of the township by a statute prescribing that township lands could be apportioned and divided into individual shares, only after a writ had been obtained for that purpose from the Supreme Court. The provost marshal or his deputy, to whom this writ was to be addressed, had to act by inquisition of a jury in the presence of two Justices of the Peace. As new counties and districts were created, the Quarter Sessions extended into them. This system of local government by Quarter Sessions was the general mode in Nova Scotia for more than a century

Personnel In the Quarter Sessions:
In the Court of Quarter Sessions the sheriff, an appointee of the Crown, was the executive officer. Prior to 1778 there had been one provost marshal for the whole province; but thereafter there was a sheriff for each county. Until 1849 the county sheriff was chosen and appointed by the Governor and Council from a list of three names prepared by the Chief Justice or the presiding Justice. An amendment in 1849 provided for the list of three names to be made by the Chief Justice and a puisne judge for, if the Chief Justice were absent, by two puisne judges, acting with two members of the Executive Council. The Justices of the Peace were also appointed by the Crown, and they held office during the pleasure of the Crown. The Grand Jury was a select few who represented the people. It was composed of residents having freehold property of a yearly value of £10 or personal of £100. Each year the sheriff prepared a list of those qualified to serve, and at a stated time the required number of names was drawn from the box.

The Incorporation of Halifax:

[There have been at least three previous attempts to incorporate Halifax: one in 1758, as noted earlier in the Quarter Sessions section, another in 1785, and a third in 1814. However, each of these endeavors faced disallowance, either from the Legislature or the Legislative Council. In later historical accounts of Joseph Howe, one aspect that has notably been removed is his involvement in the push to incorporate Halifax. This involvement primarily revolved around his confrontation with the magistrates, which, within the framework of the existing Quarter Sessions system, represented the closest semblance to a municipal institution we would recognize today.]


Abuses crept into the system, and there were criticisms of its operation in Halifax. Grand Jury after Grand Jury attacked it; there were complaints of unfair assessment, of inefficiency and neglect in the collecting of poor, and county rates, and of other forms of maladministration. The Grand Jury appealed to the Lieutenant-Governor to remedy the situation, and he requested the House of Assembly to do so. Early in 1835 a letter signed “The People”, but written by George Thompson, charging the magistrates of Halifax with misconduct, was published by Joseph Howe in The Nova Scotian. Howe was then prosecuted for criminal libel; he defended himself in a famous trial, the outcome of which was a triumphant acquittal, establishing the freedom of the press and foreshadowing reform in local government. The cry for incorporation grew more insistent. Eventually the old system was swept from Halifax, with the incorporation of the city in 1841. By the charter of that year Halifax was endowed with municipal privileges and securities. This development in local affairs took place seven years before responsible government was won in the wider field of provincial politics in 1848.

An Interlude:
Outside the city of Halifax, the system of local government by Quarter Sessions persisted relatively undisturbed for over thirty more years. In 1850, however, there was an attempt to divide Halifax County into townships and to provide each of its townships with an elected warden and councillors, who were to assume the administrative powers previously exercised by the Justices of the Peace. But a bill to achieve these ends met the disapproval of the Colonial Secretary.

In 1855-56 two provincial statutes provided machinery for the creation of municipal government in counties desiring it by majority vote. The Act of 1855 applied to the Counties of Yarmouth, Annapolis, Kings and Queens; that of 1856 to all the other counties. These acts were permissive not compulsory. They remained on the statute book until 1879, but the fear of heavier county rates prevented any County from adopting the principle of incorporation during those years.

Another Act of 1856 permitted the voluntary incorporation of townships. The municipal council of each township was to consist of five councillors, one of whom was to be the presiding officer, under the name of town reeve. It was to have power similar to that of a county council over roads, poor relief, assessment, and other matters. Only one township-Yarmouth-took advantage of this legislation and ventured upon the experiment of municipal incorporation; and it abandoned it by a majority vote of the electors, after a three years’ trial, in 1858.

As time passed, however, the larger communities sought more amenities. In order to provide them, they began to request incorporation. Thus the towns seemed more eager than the counties to obtain the privileges of self government, and especially the privileges of assessing for local purposes and of borrowing money. Prior to 1888 eight towns were incorporated. These were Dartmouth, (1873), Pictou (1874), New Glasgow (1875), Windsor (1878), North Sydney (1885), Sydney (1885), and Kentville (1886), each of which was incorporated by special Act.

A New System: Elected Municipal Councils:
By the County Incorporation Act of 1879, the incorporation of counties was made compulsory, and the old system of local government by the Quarter Sessions was at last swept away. Its principal object was to compel the Counties to tax themselves directly to keep up their roads and bridges. It provided for the incorporation of every county and sessional district in the province. Each municipal council was to consist of a warden and councillors, with the warden being chosen by the councillors. From the enactment of this statute to 1892, councillors sat for one year; since 1892, however, their term has been three years. Six of the eighteen counties are divided into two districts, making in all twenty-four rural municipalities. These are divided into polling districts, each of which is entitled according to population to at least one representative in the council. The councils have power to assess for specified purposes, including education, the support of the poor, prevention of disease, administration of justice, court house and jail, protection from fires, and so forth.

The Towns Incorporation Act of Nova Scotia was passed in 1888, revised in 1895, and embodied in the consolidation of 1900 and the revised statutes of 1954. It requires a majority vote of the ratepayers of the town in support of incorporation before it can be granted. It also requires a certain population within a specified area-in 1954 a population of over 1500 within an area of not more than 640 acres was required for any new incorporation. A mayor and not less than six councillors are elected for each town. The mayor and councillors generally hold office for two years; but one-half of the council usually retires each year. The mayor and the councillors are eligible for re-election.

The council has power to assess, collect, and appropriate all sums of money required by the town for erecting, acquiring, improving and furnishing buildings for public schools, fire department, police office, lockups, town hall or other town purpose: streets, sewers, water, town courts, police, support of the poor, salaries, and other town purposes. It appoints town officers, excepting the stipendiary magistrate. Every part of the province is contained within a city, or a town or a rural municipality. The province is divided into eighteen counties. Twelve of the counties constitute separate municipalities; and the remaining six counties are divided into two districts or municipalities each making a total of twenty-four rural municipalities. In addition, there are thirty nine incorporated towns and three cities: Halifax (1841), Sydney (1904), and Dartmouth (1961.)

Each town or city is geographically but not politically part of a county or district, and except for joint expenditures is independent of it.

Local Government in Nova Scotia:
Local government as we know it, has arisen to meet the needs of the people. but it is something more than an agency designed to provide services and to regulate private interests for the public welfare. It has a theoretical foundation as well as a practical responsibility. It is closely linked with the democratic philosophy. Consequently it must be considered not only for its efficiency but also for its place in the democratic process. Local government contributes to the strength of democratic institutions; being close to the people it makes government more responsive to local needs and enables the citizen to participate actively in the affairs of the community. It also serves as a training ground in governmental practices and procedures for those who may later serve the province or the nation.

Structure:
The basic structure of the present system of local government in Nova Scotia must now be outlined. it rests upon the County Incorporation Act of 1879. the Towns Incorporation Act of 1888, and the special Acts by which the three cities were incorporated. It has some relationship to the earlier system of local government by Quarter Sessions, in that the Act of 1879 provided for the compulsory creation of 24 rural Municipalities, based on the boundaries of the Counties and Sessional Districts. Twelve of the eighteen Counties became separate Municipalities, while the remaining six were divided into two Municipalities each. Today there are 66 municipal units: 24 rural municipalities, 39 towns and three cities. These types of municipal units are similar in certain essentials. They are self-governing. Local matters are decided and local services are provided by elected bodies directly representative of the citizens. In addition, they have School Boards, which are chosen partly by the local Council and partly by the Governor-in-Council of the Province. But there are a number of differences. Although for administrative and electoral purposes all rural Municipalities are divided into districts, not all towns are divided into wards. Generally each district in a rural municipality elects one councillor, but some choose two, and a few return three each. In 1959 each of the 24 rural municipalities had from 4 to 24 districts, with from 8 to 26 councillors-a total of 323 districts, with 361 councillors. From late in 1961, however, the Municipality of the County of Halifax has 27 districts and 27 councillors. instead of 22 districts and 26 councillors as heretofore. Municipal councillors are elected for three-year terms.

On the other band, towns may be divided into wards (or electoral purposes, although such divisions are not compulsory. Thus, in 1959, only 11 of the 40 incorporated towns were divided into wards. According to the Towns Incorporation Act, each town must elect at least 6 councillors, each for a two-year term, with half of them retiring each year. If the town is divided into 3 wards, one councillor may be elected (rom each ward per year. Six of the towns are divided into three wards each. New Waterford, North Sydney and Sydney Mines, however, have 8 councillors and 4 wards each, while Glace Bay has 12 councillors and 6 wards. The eleventh 1959 town was Dartmouth, which then had 4 wards and 8 councillors; it has since been incorporated as a city.

Another difference is seen in the way in which Wardens and Mayors are chosen. The Warden of a Municipal Council is chosen by the councillors from among themselves, whereas the Mayor of a Town or a City is elected at large. The Mayor of Halifax, who is elected for a one-year term, may not immediately re-offer after having served for three consecutive years. The Mayor of Sydney is elected at large for a two year term, as is the Mayor of Dartmouth.
The three cities are divided into wards. Halifax now has seven wards; Sydney has six; and Dartmouth has seven. Halifax elects two aldermen for each ward on three-year terms, half being elected each year. Sydney elects a council of 12, half elected each year from six wards for a two-year term. Dartmouth has two aldermen for each of seven wards, half of them elected each year, each elected for a two-year term.

Villages may provide themselves with additional local services, administered by themselves rather than by the Municipal Council. This may be done under the Village Service Act or by special legislation, by incorporating village or service commissions for that purpose. Such villages and service commissions do not constitute separate municipal unit~; only the commissions are incorporated; and the village ratepayers still remain part of the municipality. Under the Village Service Act, the commissioners may provide street lighting, fire protection, sewers, water works. streets, roads, sidewalks, police, garbage disposal, parks, and village buildings. Service commissions incorporated by special legislation may provide fire protection, street lighting, or other services. At the end of 1960 there were 16 village commissions, incorporated under the Village Service Act, in operation, and about 20 service commissions incorporated by special Acts of the Legislature.

Within towns and cities there are a few instances of a similar nature. For example, in the City of Halifax the water utility is operated by an independent body; and in the towns of Bridgewater and Glace Bay water and electric services are provided in the same way.

The school boards of the cities, towns and municipalities are in no case elective, (except (or the. Town of Berwick,) but are appointed partly by the local councils and partly by the Governor-in-Council. Within rural municipalities prior to 1956 school trustees, incorporated, and operating for the provision of school facilities under the Education Act, had power to borrow money and to impose taxation. Since then, however, the dominant control over education in the rural municipalities has passed to the Municipal School Boards. Although school trustees still exist in the rural municipalities, they act generally only as a local agent for the Municipal School Board and they no longer have power to levy taxation or to borrow money. There are no school trustees within any town or city.

Certain joint services required by municipal and urban units-such as court houses, jails, and welfare homes, or offices for the sheriff, registrar of probate, and registrar of deeds are provided by rural municipalities for themselves and for the towns and cities within their limits. They are paid for, under a Joint Expenditure scheme, by which each unit pays a proportion of the cost.

Although each of the three cities in the province has a Mayor and a Council, Halifax has adopted a variation on the basic Mayor-Council theme, a form of the Council-Manager plan. It has not only a Mayor and a Council, but also a manager or executive director of all civic departments who is appointed by the Council.

Functions:
There has been an expansion in the functions of local government. In the old days the dominant idea was that government should only control and regulate the activities of citizens in the common interest. Two things, however, have caused substantial increases in municipal expenditures. One is the fact that social and economic changes in a rapidly moving world have created a demand not only for new services but also Cor higher and more expensive standards for those services that were previously provided by municipalities. The second is the effect of inflation upon all costs, municipal or otherwise.

The day of “the little red school house”, with one teacher for eight or ten grades, is about over. Instead we have large regional schools in central locations, costing sums of money which only a few years ago would have been regarded as astronomical, both to build and to operate, with fleets of buses to convey to school those pupils who live more than a mile or so away from it.

Another instance of the change in circumstances and in attitude is seen in the subject of transportation. The automobile and the motor truck have made paved streets desirable, if not necessary; the car driver and the truck driver of this generation regard them as necessary; the driver of the horse and wagon of the previous generation would have said that they were all very fine, but he couldn’t afford them.

Community planning, now universally regarded as necessary, is a comparatively recent development. Slum clearance and low rental housing provided by the municipality, with the co-operation of other levels of government, are now being undertaken. They were almost unheard of a few years ago.

All of these developments have created financial problems for the municipal governments. There has been an expansion of their work and of their outlay. This has resulted not only in the tax levy of Nova Scotian municipalities having been multiplied by four in less than twenty years, but also in assistance from the provincial government in two ways. One form of assistance is given by cash grants, some amounts being earmarked as direct aid for specific projects, and others being general grants without specified purposes.

The traditional functions of local government included both regulatory activities and certain services provided for citizens. Municipalities have always had a good deal to do with protecting persons and property, and the Municipal Acts all contain long lists of the specific kinds of regulation with which Councils may deal. For municipalities they range from regulating the firing of guns, the management of log booms, and the restraining of domestic fowl from going at large, to controlling brush burning, “abating all public nuisances,” and licensing “hack-men, waggoners and cart-men.” For towns and cities, they include regulating halls “for preventing accidents therein”; making building by-laws; fixing closing hours for shops; licensing restaurants and trades, gasoline pumps and swinging sign-boards; and preventing “unusual noises” and loitering. All of these regulations imply some curbing of freedom in the common interest. and failure to comply with them may involve legal proceedings and penalties. Of the traditional services the most important were the support of the poor, roads, and education.

Recent developments have produced changes even in the field of regulation, as well as in the sphere of services. There are now “truck-men” in addition to “hack-men waggoners and cart-men.” “Automatic machines” have been added to the list of licensed games. Towns and cities have had to be given power to control parking and, in many cases, to install parking meters. In general, however, the lists of kinds of regulation have remained much the same. Certain phases of law enforcement, including court houses, jails, or lock-ups, besides police and other personnel, are also the responsibility of municipalities.

If social and economic changes have affected the regulatory functions of municipal governments, they have greatly increased the demands of people and tremendously expanded the social services. The community is called upon to do many things to improve the health, the welfare and the comfort of its citizens. Local government is therefore concerned with the improvement of the social, cultural and recreational environment in a wide variety of ways. These include adult education, public libraries, traffic police for schools, public concerts and plays, auditoriums, parks and playgrounds, swimming-pools and rinks, health clinics, juvenile courts, housing and slum clearance. There is a growing consciousness of the need for community planning and for zoning. Urbanization and suburbanization, and the emergence of metropolitan areas, have their attendant problems. These raise questions as to whether they are to be dealt with by annexation, by the co-operation of two or more units in matters of mutual concern, or by other means.

Although Nova Scotia passed its first planning Act as early as 1912, municipalities for a variety of reasons proceeded slowly with the work of planning. The Act was completely revised in 1939. Amendments passed in 1956 provided for planning on a regional rather than on a strictly municipal basis. Interest in the field of planning is increasing and a beginning has been made in regional planning with the formation of three Metropolitan Planning Commissions (to August 31,1961). These are (1) the Richmond Inverness Metropolitan Planning Commission, including the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the adjoining southern portion of Richmond and Inverness Counties; (2) the East River Valley Planning Commission, including the Towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton Trenton and Westville, and the adjoining area of the County of Pictou; and (3) the North Side Metropolitan Planning Commission, including the Towns of North Sydney and Sydney Mines and the adjoining area of the County of Cape Breton. Subdivision regulations to enable better control by Planning Boards over subdividing have been enacted for eleven municipal units. The number of municipal units having zoning by-laws is increasing. In the field of housing and urban redevelopment, the City of Halifax began construction of low rental housing about ten years ago, and it has recently completed a survey for slum clearance and embarked upon this project.

Finance:
When municipalities were created, they were obliged to collect money to pay for the services which they provided, including roads and bridges, education and the support of the poor. For those purposes they had to resort to the direct taxation of real and personal property. It was their aversion to this sort of taxation which delayed the establishment of municipal self-government.

For some time there was criticism of the new system in some of the municipalities. But generally they seemed to get along fairly well with the revenue from taxation on real and personal property. The services they provided were neither elaborate nor expensive, though they were reasonably adequate for the demands of the day. By the County Incorporation Act of 1879 the management of the road and bridge service was transferred to the municipal councils instituted by the Act. At that time the Provincial Government reduced its expenditure on this service and left it up to the new municipal councils to maintain the former standards by supplementing that amount out of their own revenues. Eventually this dual control proved impracticable; in 1907 the Province reassumed the expenditure of all provincial moneys for roads. For another ten years the municipal councils continued to look after the statute labour on the highways, and then they lost that control when this was ended. The coming of the automobile had created the need for change. Greatly improved highways were necessary, and the Province began to assume responsibility for this service. At the outset the Province asked the rural municipalities to make a contribution towards the cost of highways based on a fixed rate of taxation on their assessments. This provided about $250,000. In 1961, however, for highways of the standard now in existence the Legislature has appropriated $15,000,000 for maintenance and improvement, to be raised by taxation, and an additional $16,000,000 for construction, to be raised by borrowing.

If the coming of the automobile caused a change, other changes were made by the depression of the thirties and by the second World War. The depression led to a greater measure of planned regulation and to a continuing drive for a more adequate system of social services. During the war municipalities did very little in the way of capital construction or expansion of services. It would have been regarded as unpatriotic to enter the money market to borrow money j that was left for the Dominion in order to ensure necessary financing for the war. It would also have been regarded as unpatriotic to enter the labour market or to purchase material; those also were reserved for war purposes. Consequently, when the war ended municipalities found it necessary to undertake the immediate replacement of some of their capital assets. The attitude of people had also changed. No longer were they satisfied with the type of service previously provided by municipalities; they now wanted better services sometimes much better services, and handsomer buildings, including finer buildings to accommodate a larger school population. They wanted all the streets in the municipality to be paved. With the construction of many new houses, there was also a corresponding increase in the demand for water, sewer and other services which these require.

Along with new demands went higher costs. Inflation had arrived, and seemed to be here to stay. Everything the municipalities bought or built cost a great deal more than it would have cost before the war. But if costs had changed, so had the attitude of the people. All this meant that the municipalities had to provide increasingly large sums of money, and they declared that they were unable to do so from the traditional taxes on real and personal property. If these services were to be provided then the Provincial or the Federal Government would have to help.

Even earlier, as we have seen, the Province had assumed responsibility for highways. There had also been increasing Provincial participation in school administration from 1864-65, when a free school system, supported by compulsory assessment, bad been established in Nova Scotia. Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1962 require the Province to pay over $23,000,000 towards the cost of education.

The system of unconditional or unspecified grants made by the Province to the municipalities is of quite recent origin. It also arose during and because of the war. Prior to 1942 the municipalities had the right to levy a tax on income, though it had not been used a great deal in Nova Scotia. Then as the Dominion required large sums of money for war purposes, an agreement was made in 1942 between the Province and the Dominion, under which the Province for itself and for the municipalities withdrew from the income tax field so as to leave it to the Dominion alone. This was the first of what are sometimes called “tax rental agreements.” Under that 1942 agreement, the Dominion made certain payments to the Province. In order to compensate the municipalities for their potential loss because the income tax had been taken from them, the Province made cert.1.in grants to them. The major part of the grants now being paid by the Province to its cities, towns and rural municipalities is based on population. The total of these grants for 1961 is approximately $1,000,000.

Grants for specified purposes are also being paid by the Province to the municipalities in a number of fields. Those for education have already been mentioned. Another example is social assistance (formerly called “poor relief”) in which the Province and the Dominion together pay a total of two-thirds of the cost, provided certain standards are met and certain specifications are followed. Similar assistance is made to the county homes, as long as the stipulated standards are maintained. In the operation of county mental hospitals (formerly called “local asylums”), the Province pays one-half the cost, if the required standards are met. The public health scheme under which free hospital care is now provided to the general public has relieved the municipal units of practically their entire expenditure for this purpose.

Notwithstanding the greatly increased participation by the Province in these services, the municipalities have also expended increasingly large sums upon them. Their disbursements on education rose from a little over $3,000,000 in 1943 to a net total of approximately $16,600,000 in 1959. Their total tax levy increased from $8,306,543 in 1942 to $13,620,650 in 1949, and then to $31,626,165 in 1959. Their total general revenue, excluding joint expenditure boards and district or area rates, was $41,560,135 in 1959. Of that amount, about $31,000,000 was raised by taxation, while sums of $2,132,245 and $3,530,607 were received from the Federal and Provincial Governments, respectively.

It is clear, from the increased levy by the municipalities and from the increased participation by the Province and the Dominion, that the cost of providing the public with what were formerly known as municipal services has shown a very great increase indeed.

“Local Government in Nova Scotia”, Fergusson, C. Bruce. 1961. The Institute of Public Affairs, Dalhousie University. https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/handle/10222/11024

Old Stone House: On North St. to Rear of Belmont Hotel

old stone house
old stone house

“Old stone house on North Street to rear of Belmont Hotel. Sole remaining house of stone construction for all walls. Exact age unknown – century or more at least built in 1830s. Has been residence of Frank Greene for 40 years. See article by Wetmore in Halifax Mail Star, March 12, 1954, or see “Story of Dartmouth” book. Photo by Wetmore.” https://archives.novascotia.ca/photocollection/archives/?ID=5323&Page=201742643

“Believed to be over 125 years old and the sole remaining old stone house in Dartmouth, this staunch residence is one of Dartmouth’s landmarks. It was once a school and is said to be built of Shubenacadie Canal stones.”

Sturdy Old House Takes Town Back 125 Years

A relic of the past, the sole remaining old stone house in Dartmouth, has historical walls which – could they but speak, might have many tales of an early Dartmouth to tell. Solidly rising from the corner of North and Edward Streets in Dartmouth, the landmark is believed to be over 125 years old. For many years now, antique lovers or those who relish the solid, simple lines, characteristic of some 18th century architecture, have been captivated by the impressive edifice at first glance.

Many Visit

Mrs. Frank Greene, owner and resident of the house, reports that many times cars have stopped outside the house while the occupants stared at the weathered stones and firm lines of the building.

Several times strangers have come to her door, and asked Mrs. Greene if it would be possible to see inside the house and every time Mrs. Greene has willingly obliged.

Mrs. Greene – and until last year her husband, the late Frank G. Greene – has lived in the old stone house for over 40 years.

There is no cellar under the house and the walls rise straight up from the rock bottom. Stones that built these walls could have come from the old Shubenacadie canal locks, it is thought.

Inside? … Well, there have been some changes made since a century ago but the principle is the same.

Th rooms for the most part are large, the walls thick, and there are three floors including the ground one. On the first and second floors there are spacious rooms that must have been living rooms or parlous at one time, although both are in use they are not utilized as such today.

Beside a couple of bedrooms on the second floor there are two more large ones up a narrow flight of stairs, and under the eaves. In any case, the total is eight rooms altogether.

There is no basement under the house and consequently no central heating unit. Each room has its own individual coal stove which until recently was the sole means of heating the large building. When the Greene’s moved to the house several fire-places and gates were to be found in the larger rooms. these have since been boarded for, as they were not often used, they proved to be what Mrs. Greene termed as “dirt catchers”.

Other renovations included that of the inside color scheme which has changed often in the course of time. Also the windows were originally composed of many small panes of glass which were replaced with larger sheets of glass after the 1918 (sic) Halifax Explosion.

Historian Comments

One of the early owners of the property – at what is now 17 North Street, was John Hawthorne, who died about 1820. The next record of any owner is that of a Thomas Miller, a blacksmith connected with the old Shubenacadie Canal. Local historian J. P. Martin said he thought it possible that Miller might have built the house around 1830 which, he said, would explain the presence of sturdy stones that might have come from the canal.

John Tempest, a leading one time figure in the Halifax business world, was the next known occupant.

Becomes School

Then the stone residence became a private school which was run by Mrs. William Forbes, mother of Rev. E. W. Forbes, Hawthorne Street, Dartmouth. Mrs. Forbes was the former Mrs. Agnes Russell, the late sister of Judge Benjamin Russell. It was after she was a widow that Mrs. Forbes opened school in the house.

A teacher, presumably, stands in the doorway, while another boy is sitting in a pony-cart complete with pony. The road by the house is vague and not yet defined by curb and gutter.

A gifted and talented marine architect and shipbuilder who lived around the latter part of the 19th century, occupied the old stone house until turn of the century when he died. He was Ebenezer Moseley of Halifax, Dartmouth and Le-Have.”

“Old Stone house”, 1954. https://archives.novascotia.ca/photocollection/archives/?ID=5321

“Old Stone House”, 1954. https://archives.novascotia.ca/photocollection/archives/?ID=5322

North at Edward today…

Annual Report 1951

101-1m-1951-1

The Mayor’s Report

Citizens of Dartmouth, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have the honor to submit my report as Mayor of the year 1951. The year just closed marked another year of progress for Dartmouth, one in which the official census figures showed a population in excess of 15,000, an increase of 40 percent over the 1941 census.

During the year 1951 we marked the completion of our new Junior High School, which is widely acclaimed as the most modern in its field, and also observed the official opening of the Dartmouth Memorial Rink. Both of these were in. operation during the year and are filling a long-felt need in the Town. An addition to Notting Park Elementary school was also started late in the year.

Good progress was made in the special water project involving the construction of a reservoir outside the Town. Further progress was also made in the Windmill Road widening project. Both of these undertakings are scheduled for completion in 1952.

The Harbour Bridge came a step nearer with the expropriation of land by the Bridge Commission and the removal of many homes from the site.

Curb, gutter and sidewalk work was slowed somewhat due to credit restrictions as was new housing, however, business expansion continued with the completion of the Dominion Store and the Wool-worth building. Building by-laws were approved and are now available in a convenient booklet.

Debenture issues by the Town were very well received; we continue to enjoy an excellent reputation in financial circles. The re-assesment survey started in January was completed ahead of schedule, raising our assessments to approximately $21,000,000.

For the first time in history, Town elections were held on the first Tuesday in December with the newly elected members of Council taking office on January first. These elections were marked by the election of our first lady councillor.

Two hundred and fourteen prefabricated houses were purchased from the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation at $1000 each and were permanized by placing concrete foundations under them and making ether repairs at an additional cost of approximately $1000 per house. These houses were offered first to the occupants and then to other citizens at $2800, $3000 and $3200, making low cost housing available to many. They will ultimately show a substantial profit to the Town.

The Civil Defence program made steady progress through 1951. Three members of the organization took special courses in Ottawa at the expense of the Federal government and others plan to take courses during 1952. The nucleus of an organization is set up and plans are being carried out to expand further during 1952.

Traffic conditions were given special study by a committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Town Safety committee and some measures to improve conditions were undertaken immediately and recommendations concerning traffic lights were referred to the in-coming Council.

The Works committee budget was the largest in the history of the Town and many new streets were constructed, particularly in the south end of the Town. The patching program was started earlier and the street sweeping service extended. Flood conditions at the Lake Road and at the foot of Synott’s Hill were corrected during the year and a section of the Lake Road was resurfaced. We should look forward to further development of a paving program in 1952-53.

Welfare costs rose sharply in 1951 due to increased hospital rates. The Police and Fire Departments continue to expand with the increased demands being made on them.

I should like to express my thanks to the members of Council and the various committees and also to Town employees and citizens generally for the co-operation afforded me during the year.

I have the honor to be, Yours faithfully, C. H. MORRIS, Mayor.

Finance Committee

The steadily rising cost of living index made its weight felt in Dartmouth finances In 1951 with the result that the tax rate showed a slight increase, fifteen cents over the previous year, or $4.40 per $100 of assessment. Continued expansion and need for further services and facilities also contributed towards the slight increase in the rate.

Total revenues in the Town during that period amounted to $670,558, the largest ever recorded in the Town’s history. Despite this fact, however, a deficit of $25,000 was shown on the year’s operation.

Main reason for the deficit was an unexpected increase in the cost of hospital services to the Town which in themselves resulted in a deficit of $10,000. In addition temporary borrowing debt charges, covering the Memorial Rink and Bicentennial Junior High School amounted to $12,000 while the Works Department was over-expended an amount of $5000. These combined with the small surpluses shown by several committees resulted in an overall deficit.

The Finance committee points out that during 1951 an amount of $13,500 was included in the budget covering the Town’s costs the Halifax County Vocational High School in Halifax. This had not been paid at the end of the year, but was due and is being held in a special reserve account for this purpose.

Total assessment for the Town of Dartmouth during the year 1951 was $12,000,175. The amount of taxable property in the town amounted to $9,455,475. During the year a reassessment survey was undertaken and this is dealt with under a separate report.

New Town Clerk Appointed

town hall

During the year R. D. Thomson, Town Clerk who had been in the employ of the Town for 13 years, resigned from that post to accept employment in private business.

The loss of such an efficient employee, and one who was held in such high regard by the Department of Municipal Affairs and leading Municipal figures throughout Nova Scotia was a serious blow to the Town.

Fortunately the Town was in the position of having a capable Deputy Town Clerk in Clifford A. Moir who was able to step into the vacancy resulting from Mr. Thomson’s resignation and who has since carried on in a well qualified and capable manner.

A full time tax collector in the person of Reginald Bonang was appointed during the year and he aIso served in the dual capacity as collector of public welfare accounts an d tax collector. As a direct result of his efforts; a marked increase was shown in collection of accounts.

Revenues for the Water Department stood at $132,423.49 during the year as compared to revenues of $128,978.10 in the previous year. All properties in the Dartmouth area are now metered and number approximately 3000. Gross surplus for the Water Department as of the end of the year stood at $43,362.82.

During the past year the Town put off the issuance or further debentures and as a result overdraft interest running as high as $1000 a month was being paid the bank. Purpose of delaying the Issuance of debentures was the higher rate of interest which would have had to be paid during that time because of the unsteady fluctuation of the bond market. This item alone contributed materially towards the over-expenditure experienced during the year.

During 1951 the Town purchased 214 prefabricated houses in North Dartmouth from Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation and permanized them with the installation of permanent foundation walls and other minor improvements. These were then offered for sale, first to the original tenants and then to eligible purchasers as they became available. The buildings were sold at prices of $2800, $3000 and $3200, depending upon the size.

The Dartmouth Park

Virtually all the efforts of the Dartmouth Park Commission in 1951 were concentrated in one section, the downtown corner of the Town Park bordered by Synott’s Hill and Park Avenue.

Chairman of the Park Commission Walter Meredith explained that the $2250 allotted by the Town to the Park Com-mission during the year was expended in this section, as the Commission felt this area was most often seen by motorists passing through Town, and most used by residents of the Town.

Construction of a lovely rock garden was the main project of the beautification program and this to date has met with considerable public favour. Due to the roughness and steep slope of this area it was decided that a terraced rock garden was most practical. Footwalks were cut through the garden and these were gravelled. Retaining walls were constructed and the whole area was planted with shrubs, many of which were donated by Towns· people and which helped greatly to beautify the garden. Other donations of suitable plants or shrubs will be accepted gratefully by the Commission.

Most of the money available was expended on labor and the remainder went towards providing grass seed, fertilizer and plants.

Regular maintenance of other Park districts, including upkeep of paths and driveways, was also continued throughout the year by the two man staff. Only tree planting undertaken in the Park during the year was a donation by the Dartmouth Lions Club in the form of a group of trees planted around the cenotaph in the centre of the Park.

During the year the Birch Cove property at the Dartmouth Lakes was turned over by the Town to the Commission and plans for beautification and clearing out of this area are now under consideration.

Public Health and Welfare

Increases in costs of hospitalization and medical care were responsible for almost half of the total amount the Town budget was over-expended in 1951. Of an estimated expenditure of approximately $21,000. total costs of Public Health and Welfare to the Town amounted to $31,125.90, a $10,000 increase.

Some of this amount is recoverable, but under the present legislation hospital debts incurred by Dartmouth residents are the responsibility of the Town for immediate payment, and the Town must collect payment from the persons responsible. Far example in 1951 total hospital costs to the Town amounted to $24,067.95 of which $5064.79 was recovered, leaving a balance of $19,003.16.

Grants to private charity organizations throughout the year totaled $3950. This amount was’ made u p of donations as follows: Victorian Order of Nurses $3000: Halifax Visiting Dispensary $200; Canadian National Institute of the Blind $200; Children’s Hospital $250 and Salvation Army $300.

Maintenance of inmates in charitable institutions during the year cost the Town of Dartmouth $6,266.47 of which $5,642 was expended at the Halifax County Home.

One bright spot , attributed to the relative prosperity of this area, was the fact that the cost of food, fuel and burial charges for indigents amounted to on1y $208.87.

Child Welfare investigations and ·work undertaken by the committee in the 1951 period cost a total amount of $Z773.95 including payment of $1943.77 to the Department of Child Welfare.

The polio epidemic which struck Nova Scotia last summer paid a visit to Dartmouth and sent a number of patients to hospital resulting in an unexpected expenditure in this field. The total cost of the epidemic to the Town of Dartmouth was $3742.85 of which $1197.40 has already been collected leaving a balance of $2545.45 uncollected, some of which is recoverable.

Medical Health

Medical Health in Dartmouth lost one of its Fathers in the death of the Town’s beloved Medical Health Officer Dr. H . A. Payzant.

Committee members, especially ‘appreciating the amount of time and effort the deceased had put into his work as Medical Health Officer in Dartmouth, have expressed their sincere regret in hi s passing. The Town Council meeting in a special session passed a special motion of regret at the passing of a man who had done so much to keep Dartmouth school children well, and the Town’s health at a high standard.

His efforts were centered around the work of the Victorian Order of Nurses in Dartmouth who achieved a great amount of work in Dartmouth schools during the 1951 period.

During the year the V.O.N. continued their educational program including Well Baby Clinics, School Nursing, Immunization Clinics and Health Supervision.

In 1951 the Nurses held 80 well baby clinics with 1353 babies examined. and advice offered. to mothers, 312 babies were immunized against diphtheria and whooping cough, while 132 were vaccinated. A total of 708 visits were made to babies in their homes for health supervision.

In the school nursing service provided by the V.O.N. the nurses checked 2867 children attending classes, having to exclude only 17 children for various reasons during the year. Defects discovered in various checks were reported to parents. A rapid inspection of all students was done three times during the year, while 90 children received free dental care at 7 dental clinics. 702 students were immunized against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. 1500 students were given the tuberculin patch test with all positive re-actors and high school students being x-rayed by the MobiIechest x-ray unit. No active cases of tuberculosis were found.

Public Works Department

Expenditure of over $70,000 on street construction 2nd maintenance in 1951 highlight-ed a busy year for the Public Works Department. During the year a general policy of maintaining present good. streets and doing a small amount of new work was initiated with an overall plan which is hoped within the next few years to put all Dartmouth streets in good repair.

Of this amount approximately $10,000 was expended on an extensive patching program throughout the whole Town, designed to keep present streets from deteriorating as much as possible. The Town Engineer, J . Walter Lahey explained that many of the older Town streets are worn out and the Town is confronted with the same repair work year after year, until gradually these areas can be completely replaced.

After the patching program in 1951, came considerable construction of new streets. Included among those which received primer and penetration asphalt during that period were sections of Church street, Park Avenue, Thistle Street and Victoria Road, while complete jobs were done on Stairs, Howe and Wallace streets. In addition to this treatment, application of more material was given to the end of Haig Street, the upper end of Hester Street, all of Johnstone Avenue. all of Dustan Street, Fenwick Street, Rodney Road, Milverton Road, Murray Hill Drive, Blink Bonnie Terrace, part of Old Ferry Road, Newcastle Street, part of Maitland Street. Erskine Street, George Street, Bligh Street, part of School Street, Harris Street, Cairn Street, Graham, Murray and Francis Streets, and part of Crichton Avenue. Some street construction, in conjunction with sewer extensions was undertaken on Best Street which was reconstructed from Fairbanks Street to Shore Road, out of virtually solid bed rock. Catch pits were installed on Mott Street.

In addition to these, a considerable amount of time and money was expended in a tremendous improvement to the Prince Albert Road entrance to the town where a storm sewer was constructed in front of the MicMac club, and the street was repaved. This project, costing approximately $15,000, was financed half by the Town and half by the Province. There were no excessive snow removal costs in 1951, but from five to six thousand dollars was expended in sanding and salting streets. Three carloads of salt were put on Town streets using the new salt spreader, a modern piece of equipment purchased. by the Department during the year. It proved to be a most efficient and economical piece of machinery.

Other pieces of equipment purchased by the Town Works Department during the year Included the Hough loader at a cost of $16,000. This versatile piece of equipment proved exceptionally valuable to the Town and performed far more efficiently than anticipated. Complete with a snow plow attachment it was used for this purpose, as well as a bulldozer during the remainder of the season, and as a loader for both snow and earth. Another versatile piece of equipment was the self-propelled tractor compressor which was purchased in the Fall and was used in addition as a sidewalk snowplow in the winter. Dartmouth was a step ahead of most other places in the Province in purchasing this type of modern equipment but since their value has been proven locally many other areas have purchased the various new machines mentioned.

The long-overlooked drainage problem at the Dartmouth Park at the corner of Park Avenue and Commercial Street was solved during 1951 by the construction of a storm sewer up the side of the hill and across the Park to the juncture of School Street and Wyse Road. As a result of this work there have been no floods or wash-outs since, in this area.

Water and sewer extensions handled by the Works Department during 1951 included work on Milverton Road, Crichton Park Road, Clear View Crescent, Murray Hill Drive, and Victoria Road. A major undertaking during the year in this phase of the work was the commencement, and near completion, of a sewer installation up Prince Albert Road to Hawthorne, to connect with the Crichton Avenue sewer and aimed at alleviating a serious problem resulting from the small sized sewer originally serving this fast-developing section. This important installation will cost approximately $35,000.

The Windmill Road ·widening project, a plan which has been under consideration by the Town of Dartmouth since 1918, finally bore fruit in 1951 when property was acquired from residents bordering along the street to enable a wider street construction. The subsequent disposal of a building, and straightening of the street was undertaken but; due to a failure of the Provincial government to finalize negotiations covering the cost of paving the artery, this work had to be delayed until 1952.

An estimated two miles of curb, gutter and sidewalk were constructed in Dartmouth in 1951. Streets to. receive this attention included Johnstone A venue, Dahlia Street, Pine Street, and Wind:: mill Road (section Lyle Street to School Street). Due to the fluctuating bond and financial market the Department of Municipal Affairs advised against borrowing any further money for such work this year, although petitions for several more miles of work were on hand.

The newly purchased power lawn mower came in for considerable use during the summer especially on the new Memorial Park which was graded and seeded during the year. The Town undertook an extensive street cleaning program during the past year; several extra men were hired on to handle the street sweeping and washing, and all streets with curb, gutter and sidewalk came in for attention in this regard. Favourable comment on this was heard from all over Town.

Inauguration of a garbage pick-up system for the business district proved successful and this additional service was extensively used by the downtown business firms. Street lighting continued to improve. as new light fixtures were installed and new lights added.

Other highlights of a busy year for the Public Works Department included the construction of a number of catch pits; to reduce the possibility of floods on Town streets, and aimed at decreasing maintenance costs. This was a very necessary undertaking and fairly expensive. The aerial survey was completed during the y.ear and maps and plans turned over to the Town. Snow removal in the downtown business district, for the first time in history, resulted in additional parking space for patrons of downtown business places. This was done in a year of record high snowfall for the Town, a creditable achievement.

A number of new subdivisions in the Town were opened up and developed during the year, making way. for further residential development. Included among these was work in the new Murray Hill subdivision, Crichton Park subdivision, and the Hazelhurst subdivision.

Board of School Commissioners

Rapid expansion and consolidation of school facilities through-out the Town, to keep pace with a fast increasing population of children partly from the influx of Naval families into this area, resulted in the Board of School Commissioners experiencing one of its busiest years in the Town’s history.

It was during this time that the Bicentennial Junior High School, costing approximately half a million dollars, furnished, was completed and put into use, and that plans were finalized for the construction of a new school building on the Notting Park campus as a replacement for old Victoria School, and to handle increased enrollment from this district.

Physical Assets

The Dartmouth school system is now composed of six schools Including the new Bicentennial Junior High, along with Hawthorn, Park, Findlay, Notting Park and the High School.

Latest addition to the school system, the new Junior High, is believed to be at least the equal, and in many respects the finest Junior High School in Nova Scotia. It has many assets such as a spacious auditorium, efficient household science and industrial arts rooms and large sized, well lighted classrooms which will stand Dartmouth in good stead in future years.

At the close of the 1951 Board meetings plans were well along for the construction of a new Primary school at Notting Park, to be connected with the present Notting Park building by a breeze-way.

Considerable progress was made in improving school grounds following a plan laid out several years- ago. Paving of sections at both Hawthorne and Findlay schools at a cost of about $6000 was the highlight of this phase of the work.

The fruits of a year of testing various light systems was seen in 1951 with the complete installation of fluorescent lighting throughout Hawthorne school. As a preliminary to this, a special test room had been installed at the school.

The regular program of painting and decoration throughout the school system was continued, keeping all property in a Good state of repair.

School Operation

In 1951 total cost of operations of the Dartmouth school system was $207,417.45 of which the biggest item, teachers’ salaries amounted to $129,291.

Of the total revenue the School Board received $152,660 from the Town general account while the remainder was made up in grants received from the Municipal School fund and mainly the Provincial government grants.

The total teaching staff amounted to 63 members including Supervisor of Schools Ian K. Forsyth. More than twenty-five per-cent of these teachers are men. Every effort is made by School authorities to select the finest teachers available, from the Province and beyond, to replace teachers who have retired.

In curriculum, especially the academic section, the high standard of teaching was maintained throughout. This is especially evidenced by the fact that when Dartmouth students wrote Provincial matriculation examinations their marks were well above the average for urban districts in the Province.

Thoroughly modern Household Science departments were set up and operated during the year at the new Junior High School with a staff of two trained instructors. This year for the first time. in the past 30 years a fun time Industrial Arts Department was established and operated at the Junior High. These facilities were made available, in so far as the Industrial Arts course is concerned, to Grades 7 to 10 inclusive and in the case of Household Science to Grade 11 as well.

In the field of physical education a program which has attracted interest throughout the Province was. carried out with two competent instructors employed. The field of music also saw two teachers employed, thus- enabling the teachers to inculcate the gift of song to all students.

There were a wide variety of extra-circular activities throughout the year, and one which attracted considerable interest was the Evening Vocational classes under the joint sponsorship of the Department of Vocational Education and the Board of School Commissioners which carried four adult classes in home sewing to a successful conclusion.

The other extra activities, including sports of all types, and inter House competition filled important niches in the school life and assisted the students in making themselves more valuable and efficient in future life.

Cemetery Committee

Continuing a long range program to improve Dartmouth cemeteries, the 1951 Cemetery Committee cleaned out a large section of the old Public cemetery (Park Avenue and Victoria Road).

All dead brush, trees and rubbish were cleaned out of this section and gravestones were straightened. Plans were laid for the seeding of this section in 1952. A section of property cleared of all’ rubbish and shrubbery in 1950 was loamed this year and then seeded, following the policy which will next year see the same action taken on the piece cleared in 1951. This sectional Work is planned to continue until the whole cemetery is completed, probably in 1954.

Some work was also undertaken on Mount Hermon cemetery where a low section was filled in, and a new Roman Catholic section opened above School street, approximately opposite Shamrock Drive. The roadways through the cemetery were leveled and the road edges trimmed back to provide a 16 foot driveway. Some small trees and perennials were planted and this beautification plan will continue.

To continue this work and still keep the cemetery self-sustaining it was found necessary to increase both lot rates grave opening charges in 1951.

Water Committee

Undertaking of one of the greatest water system improvements ever seen in Nova Scotia be-came a realization in Dartmouth in 1951 after a number of years of planning.

After ratepayers of the Town had voted $700,000 for this important project, immediate action was taken to commence the proposed plan laid out by the Engineering Service Company of Halifax and this firm was retained by the Town to supervise the project.

During the year an enormous reservoir, capable of holding more than five million gallons of water was gouged out of the top of a hill 375 feet above sea level. An extensive pipe line system to carry this high gravity pressure supply of water into the higher sections of the Town was installed, including 14,000 feet of 24-inch pipe and 1300 feet of 16-inch pipe, to bring this new supply of water to the Town boundary. This main will connect with the new -water system laid in the Town during the past year and will help to serve these higher level customers. In reality, when this project is completed and in use sometime this coming summer, the Town will be provided with two complete and independent water systems.

Mr. John Kaye of Engineering Service Company has reported that costs for the project have run very close to the original estimated amount of $700,000 but he believed that the total cost of the project would not exceed this estimate.

This includes the purchase of property on which the reservoir is situated, plus considerable watershed area, also the cost of purchasing and installing almost three miles of pipe line, plus the construction and equipping of a modern pumping station at the water source, Lake Lamont.

The main water project, including excavation of the reservoir and laying of the pipe, has been handled on contract by the Atlantic Construction Company, while the pump house is being Constructed by Foundation Maritime Limited. Spokesmen for the Engineering Service Company have told the Town that the new system will probably be filled with water early in the summer at 1952 but actual use of the water by the Town will depend upon the length of time .it takes the mud and sediment to settle from the water in the reservoir, and also upon how many leaks are discovered in the more than three miles of newly laid, and yet untested water mains.

Routine Operations

The routine operation of the Town’s water system continued as usual in 1951 wit h very few major breaks or similar problems arising during the year, according to Town Engineer Walter Lahey.

Total revenues received by the Water Committee during the year from sale of water amounted to $132,482.49 as compared to $128,978.10 during the year 1950.

Throughout Dartmouth itself all water was provided on a metered basis,· as was all water sold to the Municipality of Halifax County, or other outside purchasers. The gross surplus for the Water Department for the year stood at $43,362.82 according to figures provided in the financial statement.

Public Safety Committee

Laying the preliminary groundwork for the Civil Defence organization in Dartmouth, and attempting to educate the public in the importance of this work proved to be one of the most important undertakings of the Public Safety Committee in 1951.

Appointment of Mr. J. J. MacIntosh as Director of Civil De-fence in Dartmouth, and organization of a committee which included responsible and civic-minded men in the Town was successfully undertaken and the nucleus laid for a sound Civil Defence group.

As in 1950, the Public Safety committee again in 1951 directed the operations of both the Town Police and Fire Departments. Combining of both Forces under one central direction proved. highly successful and avoided duplication of plans.

The committee expended much effort and time in 1951 drafting out plans for a metered parking lot in the downtown area on Commercial Street opposite the Dartmouth Ferry. It was decided to recommend that several old buildings on Commercial and Portland Street, owned by the Town, be torn down to make way for a 32 car parking lot. It was proposed that the parking lot be graded and paved to provide a permanent parking area.

Considerable study was given to the traffic problems in the downtown business area and it was recommended to Council that four sets of traffic lights be installed. Consideration of the proposed extension of a new artery, to provide a new route for through traffic connecting with Newcastle Street on one end and Commercial on the other, was also passed on to Council.

A new Police car was purchased, and three men were taken on the Police force, two as replacements, and one new man, to strengthen the force. There was no increase of men in the Fire Department. In both of these Forces a salary scale was established, with a minimum of $1900 and a maximum of $2300 for regular Firemen and Police constables.

A big step was taken when all the Union Protection Company equipment was moved to the Fire Station. Now all equipment, including clothing and truck, is housed in the new Fire station building.

There were no major expenditures in the Fire Department, except for the purchase of a 35 foot aluminum ladder thus completing a full set of ladders on the ladder truck, replacing all the wooden ladders of the Department.

A breakdown of activities and expenditures for each Department follows:

Fire Department

The high standard of efficiency in the ·Dartmouth Fire Department, under the direction of Fire Chief George Patterson, was maintained during 1951 when the Department responded to 189 alarms. Total fire loss during the twelve month period was $28,512. of which $23,372 was covered by insurance, and $5140 was uninsured.

This fine record was accomplished with a force composed at 40 volunteer firemen and ten regular men, including the Fire Chief. Total expenditure for the Fire Department in 1951 amounted to $69,255.75 of which the biggest item, $39,000, covers the cost of providing water for fire fighting and also provides funds for the installation of fire hydrants and connections. Actual cost for operation of .the Department amounted to $30,255.75.

Police Department

Under the leadership of Police Chief John Lawlor, the Dartmouth Police Force had a busy year during 1951 with increased traffic patrols, and checking on traffic violations in the downtown area, taking considerable extra time.

A considerable number of hours was spent in actual traffic direction during the past year, accentuating the early need for installation of traffic lights. The regular Police Force in 1951 was composed of 14 men with a Reserve force of 25.

A total of 539 cases were taken before Police court during the 12 month period, with a total of 496 convictions. Six offenders were sent over to County Court and two went before Supreme Court, with two convictions resulting.

In addition to regular duties a total of 1386 complaints were received and investigated during the year, with a total amount of $3380 in fines being collected, along with $1904.75 in costs.

A new patrol car was placed in use during the year.

Recreation and Community Services

The development and promotion of sport for the youth of the Town, aiming towards the successful development of sound future citizens, was accentuated in endeavours pursued by the Recreation and Community Services committee of the Town in 1951.

The efforts of the committee were also turned towards the development of the D.A.A.A. grounds and ball park, with a view to milk:n g necessary improvements in this valuable property so that residents of the Town could continue to enjoy top flight baseball on a field comparable to any east of Montreal. Negotiations were undertaken with officials of the Arrows Ball Club wit.h a view to negotiating a satisfactory lease for the Park.

Baseball was also highlighted in efforts to construct and grade out a ball field for the smaller youngsters, at the foot of Summer House hill in the Town Park.

Approximately $300 was expended at the Commons field in re-surfacing the field, and also for the erection of the backstop and construction and repairs to bleachers. Considerable work was done on the playing field here with a view to improving its condition for use by pupils from the “Bicentennial Junior High School, which is located nearby.

The public swimming pool at the corner of Commercial Street and Park Avenue, a mecca for youngsters of all ages, was patronized even more than usual in 1951. To encourage use of the facilities provided here by the Town for the benefit of the community the committee had both the swimming and the wading pools completely re-cemented and put in good condition, They were also disinfected to ensure safe, clean bathing for the children. Again this year two supervisors, one male and one female, were in charge while the pools were in operation between Dominion and Labor Day. A large number of children was given instruction in the principles of Water safety with a number receiving Red Cross swimming badges.

One of the most important community services coming under the direction of this committee during 1951 was the Tourist Bureau operated throughout the summer months by the Dartmouth Junior Board of Trade. Efforts were made to landscape the property and the complete program here w ill be completed next year.

Painting of benches and general maintenance and upkeep of grounds in Victoria Park was another committee effort, together with general maintenance in Wentworth Park. These areas are important to the Town with the rapid residential growth of the past few years.

An important service provided partially through the efforts of the committee, the Dartmouth Public Library, has again proven its value to the cultural and educational background of the Town. Attendance more than doubled the population of the Town in 1951 with 29,906 persons visiting the library while circulation reached a new high of 32,778.

Town Planning Board

Completion of the revised building by -laws and their enactment by Town Council was one of the main accomplishments of the Town Planning Board in 1951. They are now available in convenient book· let form to the general public for a fee of $1. They provide a more up-to-date building code for what has proven to be tremendous development in the building field in Dartmouth during the past few years.

Construction of single dwellings remained at a high peak in Dartmouth during 1951 although the total building figures in that period dropped slightly over the previous year. Total value of building permits issued in the year was $949,963, almost one million dollars.

Of this amount two thirds, or $618,832, accounted. for single dwellings for which a total of 73 building permits was granted. During the year also permits were issued for 38 apartments, com-posing a total value of $51,300. Continuing their trend towards improving the appearance of the Town’s business district, various merchants applied for applications to remodel store fronts with a total estimated! value of $15,500.

Biggest individual building permit granted during the year was to Dominion Stores Limited for a master market on Canal Street at a total estimated cost of $80,000. Other big items include the $30,000 expansion of the Dartmouth Medical Centre; construction of the Woolworth store valued at $50,000; and a number of minor items including a $20,000 service station construction, and consider-able work in alterations and additions.

Some consideration was given to the laying of a groundwork for the preparation of Zoning by-laws to be used in conjunction with the new building by-laws, and it was decided to pass this item on for action to the incoming Planning Board.

Dartmouth Rink Commission

A new era in the sports development of Dartmouth was herald-ed in 1951 with the official opening and operation of the Dartmouth Memorial Rink.

Authorized by vote of the ratepayers in 1950, the $175,000 structure, located virtually on the same site as the old Mar k-Cross arena, fills a long-felt need in the Town. Built of permanent type materials, including brick tile, and especially designed structural steel the new building came in for a terrific amount of use during the Spring of 1951, just after it opened, and during the Fall and Winter season to follow.

Actual opening date of the beautiful new rink was slated for early in January but due to delays experienced in the installation of the freezing equipment this was held back until February when at a special ceremony Han. Geoffrey Stevens, M.L.A. officially tossed in the first puck to open operations.

Included among the varied activities to take place at the ice palace in 1951 were the operation of a large number of hockey leagues, ranging all the way from midgets and bantams up to the participation by the Chebuctos in the Valley Hockey League. Other promotions held at the rink included the Dartmouth Kiwanis Club’s Ice Follies show which promises to grow bigger each year, plus numerous public skating sessions, and rental of ice to private parties and firms. During the year every effort was made to insure provision of skating session and hockey time for the younger children and this is expected to increase annually through the efforts of such organizations as the Dartmouth Minor Hockey Association headed by Colenso Bowles.

Financially, during its first year of operation the Rink showed an operating profit of $142.48. This is before payment has been not in full operation during that period, this profit might not have operated only for a portion of a year, and the leagues, and such attractions which would bring money into the Rink coffers were not in full operation during that period this profit might not have. been as large as hoped for but this situation is expected to improve following a complete year’s operation. Rink Commission members were confident of a successful operation, especially if arrangements can be completed for a permanent type flooring to be laid over the brine pipes so that the Rink. building can be used for special money making attractions during the summer months. Arrangements are now underway in this regard.

The Reassessment Survey

While it may not have been the major undertaking of the year. 1951’s general reassessment survey in Dartmouth will have a far reaching influence on the Town’s financial structure for years to come, and will serve one of its main purposes in seeing that each citizen pays a just and equitable portion of taxation.

In the words of the Assessment committee composed of Chairman James L. Harrison and members, Mayor Claude H. Morris and Deputy Mayor D. T. Marsh, this is what was done:

“The Assessment committee in 1951 was composed of the same personnel who in 1950 had studied assessment procedures in Dartmouth and had recommended a complete overhaul to ensure a modern and equitable system.

The committee reported in part- “In order that each citizen pay a just and equitable portion of taxation, complete revaluation should be carried out in Dartmouth – – – a person familiar with modern assessment systems and procedures should be engaged to completely overhaul our assessment department – – -this supervisor should prepare the various tax maps, the necessary records and forms, the proper scales and tables of land and building values, and from the co-ordination of these and actual physical measurements, arrive at the goal of a scientific appraisal of all properties in Dartmouth.”

During the past year a revaluation and reclassification of all property was undertaken with a modern system of assessing and recording instituted.

Mr. M. E. Mullan was engaged at a salary of $4500 to organize, supervise and conduct the reassessment. Mr. Mullan has had experience in the construction field and in assessment work in Ontario and had recently been engaged in reassessment work in Halifax County.

In commencing the reassessing in Dartmouth, the Town was divided into sixteen pricing zones for the purpose of evaluating land in different sections of the Town. In the downtown area a lot with a 40-foot frontage was taken as the standard; in residential areas a lot 50 by 100 was decided upon as a standard. A system of graduated plus and minus factors was set up to provide for wider, deeper, narrower and shorter lots, and formulae were set up to calculate values for unevenly shaped or extraordinarily situated lots. Minus factors were also applied to land assessments to allow for lack of pavement, sidewalks, water or sewer, and other physical conditions.

Valuations on buildings were calculated from reproduction costs obtained by co-coordinating physical measurements with costs of material and labor and allowing for depreciation and condition factors. Other factors influencing the building value that were taken into account were: type of heating plant and plumbing; particulars of interior and exterior construction and finish, plus unfavorable exposure influence, such as proximity to railway and fire stations, cemeteries, old buildings and undue noises.

“A field sheet was designed with sections for recording all information dealing with the land and building values and showing each step in arriving at each individual assessed value.

“An assessment manual for the use of our Assessment Department was drawn up with all formulae and factors included as well as a schedule of rates for personal property.

“During 1951 the sum of $13,259.57 was expended on the re-assessment work.

“In 1952 the various Tax Maps will be completed and toe remaining details of the survey cleaned up. A study will also be made of alternate methods of assessing personal property and applying poll taxes.

“Your assessment committee is confident that completion of the reassessment work will result in equitable and just distribution of the tax’ burden among the ratepayers.”

The Dartmouth Ferry

Entrance to Dartmouth as seen from the ferry.

With total assets less accumulated depreciation standing at $983,377, almost one million dollars, the Dartmouth Ferry Commission could look over the past year as one of consolidation, in which a policy aimed at keeping the Town-owned industry on as sound a financial footing as possible, had been successfully pursued.

The Dartmouth Ferry Commission is keeping a close watch on its immediate future plans, and the effect on its vehicular and possibly pedestrian traffic when the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge is completed. At the annual meeting it was decided to increase the rate of depreciation on a number of items, so as to leave the Ferry as free of debt as possible in case a changeover should become necessary.

The annual financial statement of the Ferry at the conclusion of 1951 showed an operating profit on the year of $9284.92 which was turned over to the Town of Dartmouth according to statute. It also revealed that total financial revenues from ferriages during the same period amounted to $531,440.81, the second highest recorded in the history of the Town.

Gross revenue for the year totaled $536,683.02 a total second only to 1950’s revenue. The highest number of pedestrians carried on Dartmouth ferries since the peak year of 1944 used the service in 1951, a total of 4,585,218. The second highest number of motor vehicles also used the facilities in 1951 with 551,423 being carried across the Harbor. Last high was in 1950 when 561,076 vehicles were transported.

The importance of the Dartmouth Ferry operation to the economic stability of the Town is accentuated by the fact than in 1951 almost quarter of a million dollars was paid out of revenue for salaries and wages of employees. Actual total was $227,206.18 In addition to this Dartmouth merchants and business men benefited directly to a consider able extent. by the approximately $70,000 expended for operational purposes with Dartmouth business firms.

Another direct contribution made to the operation of the Town by the Ferry was the payment of $30,531.63 covering taxes and water rates in 1951.

The Commission’s fixed assets were increased during the period. by $5824.54 covering improvements to the main dock in Halifax. with reductions of $46,898.56 due to the sale of the steamer S.S. Chebucto to Upper Canadian interests for $5000 leaving a balance on fixed assets as of December 31, 1951 of $1,141,470.46.

The Ferry’s debenture debt at the end of 1951 totaled $246,500. which amount is being retired by annual payments from revenue.

As the result of unusually heavy repairs on the ferry steamer S.S. Halifax a portion of the cost of repairs, $28,345 was charged against the unforeseen contingencies reserve fund leaving a balance at credit of $134,854.03. The financial report of the auditors shows an underappreciated balance on boats and property of $362;220.01 with provision made in 1952 for depreciation of an amount totaling $44,834.

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