New-York tribune., 1912-04-18
STERILIZATION BILL
NOW STATE STATUTE
Gov. Dix Signs Act Designed to
Reduce Number of Unde-
sirabIe Citizens.
GANSEVOORT MARKET TO GO
Measure Making 1t Site for New
1,000-Foot Pier Among I'M
portant Laws Approved
by the Governor.
IBy Telegraph to The Tribune.


Albany, April 7.-Governor Dix, by sign
ing the bill OF Assemblyman Bush pre-
venting certain classes Of undesirable citi-
Gems from having children, made law one
OF the most important measures passed by
the Legislature.
The new law provides for the appoint
ment by the Governor Of a board of exam
liners. composed of a neurologist. surgeon
and a practitioner of medicine. The duty
OF this board is thus set forth:
To examine into the mental and physical
condition and the record and family history
of the feeble minded. epilepuC Crllnluai
and other defective inmates confined in the
several state hospitals for the insane, STATE
prisons, reformatories and charltaole ana
penal institutions in the state, ana II, IN
the Judgment Of the majority Of said board
procreation by any such person NouId pro-
duce children with an inherited tendency
10 crime insanity, focble-mndedness. idlocy
or imbecihty. and there IS no prooaDhy
that the condition of any such person SO
examined Will improve to such an eAtenl as
to render procreation by any such person
advisable, or if the physical or mental CoIl-
dition of any such person Will be supstahs.
TALLY improved thereby, then said board
shall appoint one of its members 10 perform
such operation for the prevention OF pro-
creation as shall b. decided by sdld board
10 be most effective. .,, -,
operation OF this law shall be those who
have been convicted OF the crime OF rdPe'
or of such succession Of offences against
the criminal law as IN the opinion OF the
board shall be deemed TO he suftclent eNi-
dence Of confirmed criminal tendencies.
All persons selected to be operated upon
are given the right Of a court hearing be-
fore the operation.
In arguing for the measure in the AS
semblv Mr.. Bush said a similar law had
t,,- a1 of thaTC CT 81
and he declared that 1t would result in
great decrease in the number of persons
who are feeble-minded or have criminal
tendencies He believed this to be aoso-
Iutely necessary because Of the great in
crease in the number of inmates of state
institutions for the insane and of state
prisons.
Governor Dix also signed the two bills Of
Senator Pollock which will permit Com
missioner Tomkins. of the Department OF
Docks to turn Gansevoort Market. In New
York. into a 1000 foot pier for steamships.
one Of the bills strikes from the Now
York City charter the provision dedicating
the Gansevoort Market to market purposes
exclusively, and the other permits the
Sinking Fund Commissioners TO assign to
the Department of Docks and Ferries the
market site, Will doJOlii1h6 i'Nf-'N' 80 -0-
the required pier.
Because OF a recent order of the war De-
partment at Washington preventing the eX-
tension of piers further out into the river
the Gansevoort Market site is said to be
the only one in the city that could be made
into a 1.oOO-foot pier The second of the
Pollock bills had been virtually defeated
through the efforts Of Senator Travis and
bn CT RI fp6 a ~
paign among farmers and commission men
who wanted to retain the GanseVoort Mar
ket. Commissioner Tomkins, however
came to Albany, hacked by the Merchants
Association and brought about the pas
sage of the bill by amending It 10 provide
that before the market is taken for pier
purposes another site for market must be
secured by the city authorities.
The Governor also signed the bill of
Senator Foley authorizing the New York
City Sinking Fund Commissioners to sell
or lease to upland owners lands under
water alons the East River between 10Th
and SD streets.
Governor Dix continued his policy OF
signing New York City grab bills by ap-
proving the bill Of Senator Cullen abol-
ishinc the grade Of doorman in the city
the same standing and privileges as patrol
men This means that the two hundred
Goorrnen i'm New York will have their
salaries Increased from $1,000 to Sl,40o
year, an addition to the city's payroll of
$e00N.
Other New York City bills signed include
three by Senator Black giving greater pro-
lection to wives abandoned by their hus-
Lands. Senator TraViS's bill prescribing the
method by which. and the terms and con
Citions under which. shall be determined
the. amount Of any Indebtedness incurred
by New York City for a public improve
1ncnt after January ], 1919, which may be
excluded in asccrtainng the power Of the
city TO become other wise indebted and
Senator r. -. Sulivan's bill deducting
from salaries Of officers or employees not
exceeding thirty days pay for delinquency
or misconduct.