New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-01
A FLOOD OF ANNUAL REPORTS
WORK or MANY CITY DEPARTMENTS.


STATISTICS FROM The EXCISE AND OTHER BOARDS
"A DIVISION ON HIGH LICENSE.
The Excise Commission has made report OF
It's operations for the past year. There are now
sOls places licensed to sell spurious liquors, ale.
beer or wines to be drunk on the premises VI
that number 5la are restaurants. There are
twenty steamboat licenses. The license fees range
from $50 to $3.50. Much the largest number OF
licenses, 5258, bring in $500 each. On April
i, 1887, there was classification of licenses
At that time the total number Of drinking places
was 1853, the total number is now 1897, de-
crease Of 1885, The number Of restaurants then
was asa; there are row 3D. The number OF
store keepers licensed then was 534 IT is now 1913
During the yearthere has been 286 licenses issued
and 372 applications rejected
The receipts for licenses during the year 1887
have been 81, So, $780, an increase OF $505, 200
over the previous year. The receipts Of the last
fiscal year, from May l. 1885, to May !, 1887
were Ss27,370. 1t is estimated that for the pres
emit fiscal year they will be not less thanSl,40
900. The number Of United States special tax
stamps issued in this city during the past year
was 1888. being 1879 In excess OF the number
Of excise licenses That excess is made up OF
those who do not sell liquor in quantities less
than five gallons and therefore require no excise
license brewers rectifers, druggists, manufact-
urers, and dealers Of various Sorts
SUGGESTIONS FROM THE MAJORITY REPORT.
Commissioners Andrews and Won Claim, ma
jority of the Board make various suggestions
They think that the Excise law should be revised
and simpliGed. They ask that the laws be SO
changed that the widow or immediate heirs OF a
dead man my continue his business until the
term for which the license WAS issued expires;
that licenses may be granted to any resident OF tne
State instead Of being confined to residents OF the
city: that licenses may be issued Tor a less tr"
than one year. to include balls, EXCURSIONS iairs
etc. that there may be more liberal treatment OF
drinking places or bars connected with places Oh
amusement They also recommend that certain
drinking places in the discretion Of the Board OF
Excise be allowed to remain open all night these
places to be in the vicinity OF the ferries railway
stations markets and printing offices. and that IL
would be q positive advantage to the community IL
licenses could be granted to certain places to open
on Sunday during specified hours for the accom-
mediation of that large part OF the pubic 10 WHOM
the use of beer and wines is from habit neccs-
sity forming part Of their daily diet. Ihey also
believe that great advantage would result from
the adoption of the system of licensing the house
as well as the proprietor.
PRESIDENT wOoDMAN's VIEWS.
President Woodman does not agree with his
colleagues He declares that every new step
should be in the line of further restriction and
repression He declares that it would be in the
highest degree unwise to do anything to enlarge
the scope of the drinking shop or scteg CITIZEN It's
grin ON the community lie thinks that the
three most pressing needs are restriction BY limit
of population, restriction by high license ana re-
striction by severity The law should prohibit
the granting of any new bar-room licenses whel-
ever the number OF existing places has attalaed
the proportion of to each 800 of the popula-
ton. Estimating the census of this city at
1900, 0O0 this would give 5000 drinking places
against the 5000, or ono TO each l0O Ol popu-
lation now licensed The law should IMPOSE
license fee large enough TO reduce the bar-rOohs
speedily to at least One-haf their present NUMBER
The elect OF high license would dc "a marked
improvement IN the character and conduct OF
these places. man who paid 5000 or 81 NV
license fee would be conservative ally Oh inc
law. MIR. Woodman declares that the law should
forbid the establishment Of any new drinking
place, except hotels and restaurants, FOR the sale
of intoxicating liquors within 500 feet OF any
church, school, hospital or asylum NO primary
should be held in drinking place, and no license
should be granted to any one not citi@ch., me
bond of licensed person should be increased from
$3.50 to $1,000. The lIccnsee who has been CON
vcted of violation Of the Excise law should be
incapable of holding or receiving license Tor
three years thereafter. The Excise Department.
should be City Department with single head,
with the power of appointment and removal vested
in the Mayor. Woodman opposes both the keep
ing open of certain saloons all nights and the
opening of others on Sundays during certain hours
SOME FIRE DEPARTMENT FIGURES.
THE NUMBER OF ALARMS AND OF BUILDINGS
BURNED SOME HEAVY LOSSES AND ASSURANCES.
The Fire Department makes the following re-
port of its operations for 1881 There were 3,l42
alarms OF fire, OF which S47 were slight, l0l con-
siderable, and 25 buildings and contents were
destroyed There were 80, $4,000 gallons of water
used, If which 4, 1885, 800 were drawn from the
rivers There were four members OF the Depart
ment killed or fatally injured and 90 whose hurts
did not result fatally Fourteen citizens lost their
lives by fire and 81 were injured. The number OF
officers and men Of all grades is go. There are
So land engine companies, marine engine com
panies, ~ hook and ladder companies and 1888
horses The largest fire ~as that Of the Belt Kali
road Company's stables 1T Tenth and Eleventh
ayes, Fifty-third and Fifty fourth Sta This
caused loss of S692.s2o
sl,40O, 643; on contents. SAL 1852, total OF
S5.572,5O5. The estimated insurance WAS as
follows: On structures 81 S.50s,675; on con
tents, sl9,590,4l7. total OF S3S, 9O92. Inc
uninsured loss was as follows: On structures.
S3l0,54s; Oh contents, S39l,S6O, a total OF
S7O2,40S. There were nine persons indicted for
arson OF these, eight were tried ana seven con-
vcted and in one case the jury disagreed. The
sentences varied from three months III the Peni-
Tertiary to sixteen years In State Prison three
persons charged with arson werc pronounced IN
sane and sent TO the insane asylum
The Bureau Of Buildings reports the following:
Number OF applications for permits for ne" build
ings and alterations, 4253 proposed new buildings,
4344; estimated cost. S67 .065020; buildings to be
altered, 2,2s7 estimated cost S6307 9s5 buildings
provided with reescapes 1881 passenger elevators
ms pected 2,016; unsafe buildings made safe or re-
moved o33, complaints received, 327b From August
new buildings and alterations. 26,371: number OF
buildings proposed to be erected and altered 3ssol
estimated cost, S394ooo'73l cost OF ADMINISTRATION
S335,250.
In $50 the number of fires due to defective con-
structon of buildings was per cent OF the WHOLE
and in 1897 30 per cent
THE CITYS CREDIT HIGHER THAN EVER.
STATEMENTS FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND
ITS BRANCHES
The work of the Finance Department and