The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-06

a.. Peoples acknowledgements n Con-
-,,.,op 10 Inquire into the m OF
cav York, tho Cause OF lts Decline. ana
an, Means or ITS Revivai-Adviee TO Lnbor-
A.. nrn-Tho Adirondack Forest Preserve
-comncads tho Ie1ow civil Service Law
FAVOR, Biennial sessions OF tho Legislature.
STATE OF NEW YORK:
EXECUTIVE CnAMBER,l
ALBANY, Jan. b, 1898.
q. M, legislature Of Neto York:
Tho course Of the Legislature now convened
Iii affect in many important respects, for q long
sno TO come, tho policy of the State. Isubmit
,hs suggestions in this message, not only as for
mai recommendations, but as the expression OF
An active purpose to aid in carrying them out.
The valuation OF the State is . .5o6, 9s5. 894.
Tho State tax for tho present year is S2.67 on
1000. This ratio produces the sum Of 3d.
oas Bsl. so. or this amount more than S9. 600.
600 are paid to run tho public schools and for
,he care Of the insane. Tho last subject was
rlaced under State control in the year 1895, so
that the tar rate prior to that year was smaller
than It can possibly DO now or hereafter. and
4, worthless as q comparison with the ratio Of
later administrations. which have dealt with
these largo expenditures. Last years tax rate
can DO reduced this year. because the amounts
tn COmpICUo tno SuDlIOl anu Duy hulTOuudCk
land will bc less. The receipts from licenses to
sell liquor, tax on Inheritance. &C.. wero 80. 245,-
l72. 81, an excess over last year Of 1914. 944- 81.
Tho expendii ures for asylums, hospitals, re-
formatories. &C.. were 1892. 559.s5. Tho
total funded debt OF the State on Sept. 30
was S5, 765. $50. During tho year just passed,
the revenue from tho Liquor Tax law has in.
creased moro than $43s. 900.
BANKING.
Thero are 212 banks Of discount organized
undor the State Law. Last year there were
913. Tho resources Of these institutions have
eained in twelve months over $55. 0O0, 900;
more than 90 per cent. Their discounts and
deposits have both increased, tho latter nearly
e43, 900, 900. The magnitude Of tho Banking
Department appears in the total resources Of
the institutions under Its charge. viz. 81, $780,
GOA 900, an Increase of more than $751; 900, 900
since the report O year ago.
The condition of any business community 10
likely to show at tho bank. For that reason
the figures named express both Improvement
for last year and encouragement for next.
INSURANCE.
Tho insurance companies, including fro,
marine. lifo and casualty, doing business in
Now York. arc 22s in number. and represent q
capital OF. $77, $40. 975. with q surplus of $685..
800, 5O5. Their condition appears to be most
satisfactory. The insurance business is rap
idly increasing. The labors Of tho Insurance
Department during the year 1897 largely ex-
ceeded those Of any year preceding. Tho i'm
portance of q careful supervision of an enter
prise 30 enormous and far reaching 10 apparent.
Nearly every householder in the State is an
investor in one or moro of these companies,
and all tho laws relating to the subject should
DO carefully framed and considered, to tho end
that the companies and the people, mutually
dependent, shall be guaranteed their respective
rights.
Tho law passed by tho last Legislature relat.
ing to grade crossings will ultimately remove
this prolific source of railroad fatalities. The
operation of tho law will require q considerable
annual outlay by the State. but it should DO
made. = The railroad mileage for last year has
slightly increased. The number of miles is now
over nine thousand, and the reports of the Rail-
road Commission show that the business dur
ing tho past few months is largely in excess of
that for the Same months last year.
CANALS.
Tho work of deepening tho canals, for which
On appropriation of nine million dollars was
made. cannot be completed for that sum. Tho
amount has been disposed of by payment or con-
tract, and less than two-thirds of the intended
Improvement has been provided for. Complet.
ing tho work Is the last half Of the same project
that begun 1t. 1t is a subject Of tho utmost i'm
portanoe. Tho canals have been q potent fac
tor In tho development of tho State. Tho Eric
Canal was completed in 1925, and over 1t for
more than seventy years the enormou traffic of
the West has found Its way to the Atlantic sea-
board. Tho cost Of building all tho canals, of
Maintaining them since. and charging them
how. is upward of $97. 62s, s67.45. and yet the
commerce passing over them paid that enor.
nous amount In tolls in less than sixty years.
The canal problem Is too serious to be decided
by tho Legislature. The anime million dollar ap.
propriation was voted by the people. If q fur
Their sum IL to be expended for the continuance
Of the work, It also should first receive tho peo'
ple's sanction.
EXCISE.
Tho amount received during tho past year
from the operation Of the Excise law was
9l2. 275, 247. CO.: One-third Of this amount, over
100000. has been paid the State. and the
other two-thirds. over $4,000 DOC. has been divid.
ed among different: localities. On the LIST day
Of October there were %, 054 licenses outstand.
ing. Tho number in force before the present
law went into effect was 33.437, and the amount
OF money received therefrom was SO 49,.
376.5s. hardly moro than one-quarter of the
present income from the sumo source. Iho re-
ceipts.have nearly quadrupled. and tho mum.
ber Of licenses has decreased almost one-sixth.
Tho records of tho police courts in f~orty-one
cities and four hundred and thirty incorporated
villages show that Notwithstanding an increase
In population the cases of drunkenness have
fallen of to a marked degree. The uniform
law and rate of taxation throughout the State
have done much to eoualize tho privileges of this
traffic and to remove many of Its Objectionable
features. II amendments are proposed which
will improve the present act I shall favor their
adoption.
AGRICULTURE
Tho appropriations for this department have
been wisely made. The item which has proved
the most satisfactory was that to encourage the
cultivation of the sugar beet. This industry IL
now largely experimental. but the results at
tanned this year were such as to Justify the lib.
eral cooperation of the State. Inducements to
farming In New York are not as great as they
formerly were. Tho development OF the West
has gradually trenchcd upon the lucrative en-
llOymcnts of the Eastern farmers. until their