The sun., 1901-12-30

OF the State Government, has alrsady been
prepared by Assemblyman lothian p.
Aids, chairman Of the Ways and Means
si1eraaioe sS%t5ee il sSoWss redycaos in sppro
| priations compared with the bill for the
present year OF about s2go 900, The big cut,
however, will be In the Annual Supply bill,
which usually carries about V,ooo,0oo. Inc
| Governor believes that this amount viii be
cut at least q quarter. In his message TO
| the Legislature the Governor Will point out
that owing TO economies Effected by the
! last Legislature and the revenues from tne
new tax laws the next Legislature coula
hardly without an effort abolish the direct
| State tax levy, which for the present year
amounts to 20 mills, raising about p,OoO,-
| OOO The Constitution, however, requires
the levying annually OF .19 OF mill In order
to pay the canal debt incurred Tor the 1870
Improvement.
The Governor had been informed on
Oct 1 last that the surplus In the state
treasury would be ~ 200 900. This esti-
mate, however, was 81 ,0Oo.0o short the
real surplus being So,9OO,O00 -,
out where the provisions Of the Corporation
Tax laws passed by the last Legislature
can be strengthened. As an illustrator
II Ia shown that the license fee OF one-eighth
Of per cent. imposed upon iors,gn s,s,. cor Sa.
brought In only s2i 600 where II was eI-
pected to show a revenue Of 100000 year
Some of the big foreign corporations nave
evaded this law by Incorporating IN TINS
State on a capitalization sufficient 10 eVaoe
the law.
While tho Governor will not r-,ake any
direct Recommendation for canll improve
ment, he calls the attention OF the legls-
lature 10 two possible solutions OF the Ques-
ton. The canal tonnage during the lase
season, while IL exceeded that OF last year
by 40, 600, would have been much larger hao
there been boats enough TO handle the trano'
The States canal policy las been 80 uh-
settled that when boats gave out uuI
the past five wears new ones were not oull'
TO take their places, the boatmen not KNOW
ing whether to build a l0oo-ton barge
or only a 4S0-t ton boat Therefore tne
Governor will suggest that the locks on
the Erie canal be heightened, AT COSY
Of SiS, 900 900, so as to allow the passage Q,
,oOo-ton barges. loaded so that they woulu
draw only about six and a half feet OF water.
Then the canal could be operated as
stands at present. After the locks nave
been lengthened the Governor 9 idea then
would be 70 continue to complexion AZ an
expenditure of about 3i4 0Oo,0 600. the nine
foot Improvement contemplated by he
1895 plan. This would allow the l'Vo,,on
barges TO oad 30 ~ TO draw seven and nAii
feet Of water. The Governor points out in
his message that toll Of 20 cents Ton is
asks the Legislature II II would be wise 70
restore the toll charge on our State canais'
say at about the rate Of Is cents ton.
It is estimated that bonds could be issued
for the canal improvements referred 10
and that the toll suggested would provide
sinking fund to pay them on IN eighteen or
twenty years Thus the Western shippers
would be made t. pay for tive canal i'm
provements, as it Is claimed that four
fifths of the canal traffic come through
from the West. The Governor VIII cali ,De
Legislatures attention to the fact that
grain by rail Is handled free by the elevators
at Buffalo and New York and that there
should be means devised TO protect the
canal boatmen from extortionate elevator
charges at the canal terminals. Oi course,
this scheme contemplates a submission TO
a vote of the people of the question as 70
whether OF not iOC0-ton barge locks should
be installed. II the people should vote IN
favor Of il, after the locks were lengthenedi
the question would be submitted 70 vote OF
the people a. TO whether the nine-foot
depth in tho canal at places should be con-
tinued throughout and the 1893 plan In that
respect completed,
Since the Good Roads law has been Ia
operation the state has Appropriated
500 900 during the four years to pay the
states one-half share for road improve
ments OF this amount $4,000 was ap-
propriated by the last Legislature. The
Governor in his message Will strongly
favor the good roads movement ana ne
and the Republican leaders have agreed
that the next Legislature Appropriate
$500. 600 for good roads so far this year
boards of supervisors have authorized
good roads which il would cost 81 500 600
to build the state paying one-half, but II
A. thought that 81 600 900 spent next year
will be a long step in favor Of the system
Gov. Odell has learned that the improved
roads which have been completed have
given unqualified satisfaction 10 the people
who have used them and who have helped
20 paw for them. and in nearly every case
the immediate result has been the pre-
sentation Of petitions for tho improve
ment Of other roads In the same counties.