The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-01-05
TElE0RAPkIC.
THE GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
To the Senate and Asstmblv.


by the constitution requiring me to communicate
annually to you the condition OF the State
port of the Comptroller which will be laid before YOU al
an esry day By that document you viii he informed
that the indebtedness of the state the soth Decam
her last as follows :-Gereral fund debt So l39.
$40 So Canal debt SIC TAB TAG ST. making the whole
debt of the State $685. $50 AZ The liability of the
State account of railroads which nny be act down IA
contingent State debts. 20 81 5Gs 600 max
ing aggregate OF indebtedness direct oontir gent
OF 49, The revenues from the Canals for ths
year ending S0th September last So 279 60 The
expenses ofthe Canals for the period ipcludip,
the sum of So $4,000 76 for tolls refunded were Ssas
s297,e 50. From this cum there has been taken tn.
tho king funds under the nth
article OF the Constitution amounting In the aggregate
to 81 $50 o0o leaving balance OF 1919 IT'S o. This last
mentionsd sum is pledged by the Constitution the en-
largement OF the Erie and the completion of the Gene
see Valley and Black River Canals Appropriations have
been made by your prede embracing the whole
sum and anticipating $40 900 Of the surplus r.venuss
of the current year The If tolls aimee aoth
TENDER last, amount to SLAB 423 75 The expenditures
for the same period have not yet been ascertained
The amount Of the State Stocks originally issued and
1856: Of this there has been redeemed Ssio 0O6,
leaving balance outstanding Of 81 2SS73 To this
to be added nine nths interest the entire Canal
debt from 30th September, ls47. to July LIST. ls4s
$685. 335 a. making aggregate of 81 924 065 81 To
meet this indebtedness ut maturity there will be der;
we'd from thu sinking fund under the Constitution and
onstenth of the mill tax for each OF the years s45 aud
1886, means amounting in the whole to 81 100 54s 81
and leaving a deficiency unprovided for on july Ist
ls4S, Of $S2l,6l7 Is In my last annual message In
vtet the attention of your predecessors the import
Of completing the Erie enlargement and the Gsns
to be expected under the restraints OF the seventh
article Of the Constitution, and then eYpre,red the OPT
MON that If the contributions to the sinking
funds except such funds as would be necessary
the accrung interest upon the public debt should be
suspended until the unfinished public works were COM
pleted might reasonably indulge the hope that the
increasing revenues promised by the enlargement
would pay indebtedness earlier dsy than was
to be expected under the limitations of the Constjtu
tn Chanp tboto
ION The limits prescribed to this communication will
scarcely permit to speak Of the facts connected with
the necessity OF enarging the Erie Canal and the DELAYS
incident to its navigation with It's present limited capa
city; besides it is believed this information will better
ten years after the completion of the Erie aud Cham
plain Canals the debt which had been for their
% nsa Sse S, rrusy paid and the State
joymspt of the revenuesof three great channels of
trade and Of the specific which he'd been d.
verified from the general purposes Of the as
we'll Of all Its ordinary but it was found
thus early that the locks aqusducts and other
cal structures the canal already worn with time
aud use and that the Erie Canal owing to Its limited al
menasns and inadequate ockage. had failed to secure
to our ssens the greatest benefits of cheap
transportation Tor their own productions and that full
command Of the western trade which hal been sntci
rAted.
Enlargement having thus become necessary It was
wisely determined to perfect 1t in desirable manner
and with capacity sufficient for the vast increase Of bu
siness, then foreseen and since realized In 1896 the
State engaged In thu construction Of the Black river
nal to connect Lake Ontario and the Erie Canal
broad region deprived Of facilities ket and also
the Genesee Valley Canal designed to connect the head
trade tributary to New York The estimated cost Of sill
these works. submitted by the proper department.
equste appropriations till 1888 when by IA elaborate
examiration of the financial condition Of the State
made by committee Of the House Of Assembly, It
shown that the works might bs prosecuted vIgor
ousy, because while they estimated to cost only
fifteen and half Millions the Of the canals
alone such that necessary State might
dOllRr6 IA o.
that from the canals before 1857 40 mll;os
necessary yet be bursed from the same reve
before 1868 without the resort to tax the d.
version Of of the other Of the State This
calculation was based an estimate Of such constant
from all thu canals that In lS49 ten
completion of enlargement the
Of the canals would reach three millions of dollars This
estimate not only in the comprehensive results, but in
tS minute details has been the of time
The enlargement has not been completed and the year
s4s mas net put the csiculatien has been fully
verified and the tolls have already reached to nearly
Of three aud half millions of dollars The State
adopted In 1888 the more vigorous policy based this
and pursued till lSa2 Notwithstanding the
dfcovery made in 1889 that the In the canals
instead Of fifteen aud half millions of dollars as ut first
estimate, would rise to the Of Sa04l5557 IL Is
clearly by the demonstration of time and ex-
perience that the State ha nymy prudenty per-
vered in that policy to the end should now with
out having paid any taxes or incurred any necessity for
taxation whatever had free navigation from the great
lakes, through Jefferson Lewis and Oneida counties to
Rome and IRON the Allegheny river through Allegheny
the lakes and canal 70 feet wide and feet deep With
durable double lock and firm and capacous &c ueduots
from Lake Erie to the Hudson river.
Thus our great system of inland navigation would
have completed and perfected The and cost of
the Erie Canalwoud have been greatly
imburssd. The remaining cost Of these structures
would have been discharged in 1851 and the State LETT
IN the enjoyment of revenues even at such reduced
Of tos or less than $4,000 600 PEI annnm Instead
Of occupying this high vantage ground now re-
sumiug the Genes-ss Valley Canal, which was rslin.
auished after third had been sructed The
Ans al half al
the enlargement OF the Erie Canal when
" halt G the cost Of the enterprise hal been paid We
resume these works after having paid half million of
dollars damages to contractors after having lost for Eve
years the interest than fifteen millions alresdy
expended and and losses from tn
Of materials and the dill pldaton OF unfinished
works and structures. But our constituents, with
dtable uuanimty and enlightened urgency, expect the
Legislature will sanction tbs most energetic efforts that
can be made under circumstances so peculiar to COM
plete ertsrprizes which longer Of merely specu
tive Importance but have become through the lapse OF
time, tie advance Of the country and the vigorous
rivalry of competitors for tn Western trade ndispeD
sable to our prosperity and to the maintenance Of
that high dapcy hitherto secured 10 by thu
hghtensd and energetic policy Of predecessors
10 this connection there Is subject of more imme-
dats interest to the people Of this state than the
struction Of safe and commodous harbcrs the Wes-
tern lakes, and the improvement Of tho of
rivers The former 10 mostly to ensbls tue Wss-
tern States principal customers bring their pro-
ducs to canals for transportation The latter is
quired to facilitate its transit to markets The ra
pid increase Of commences upon those inani has
correspondent with the Increase in the population and
wealth of the States that lie upon their borders Ali
Inmates In regard to the tonnage trade of the Lakes
be imperfect from the absence Of any regular sys
TEN Of statistics The enrolled and licens toni age in
ls4l exhibited In III official report ofthe Treasury De-
partmep amounted to tons; from the
it ascsrtaned to have amounted In 1916 to 06 SS6
tons Lieut. Col Albert In very able report, AIDE in
resolution Of the Senate of the United States
estimated the mott value OF the Lake for the
year Is46 ut 9i 9l0 to which he adds 81 $50 900
for tho passenger trade making total Of 500 6i 90
estimated that for the next ten years th, trade
80
Is47, at $I70,645257. The number Of entries and
clearances for the whole American Lake commerce
in l646, amounted to Is S55, while all the entries
and cearsnces Of ell vessels belonging to the
United States and engaged in foreign trade amounted
to 1882 The vessels employed In this vast inland
trade, nearly rivalng all foreign commerce. aud
which IL considered hazardous that of the high
seas, require safe and commodious hsrbors piers aud
light houses for their protection The early attention
OF Congress called to this subject and appropria
ons solicited for the construction of these nec.