Case Name: Charles S. Higgins, and Ano., App'lts, v. James D. Bell, as Commissioner of Police and Excise of the City of Brooklyn, Resp't
Court: New York Supreme Court, General Term
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1889-06-28
Citations: 25 N.Y. St. Rep. 501
Docket Number: 
Parties: Charles S. Higgins, and Ano., App’lts, v. James D. Bell, as Commissioner of Police and Excise of the City of Brooklyn, Resp’t.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York State Reporter
Volume: 25
Pages: 501–501

Head Matter:
Charles S. Higgins, and Ano., App’lts, v. James D. Bell, as Commissioner of Police and Excise of the City of Brooklyn, Resp’t.
(Supreme Court, General Term, Second Department,
Filed June 28, 1889.)
Brooklyn (City of)—Police and excise board —Inspection of steam boilers—Laws 1873, chap. 863; 1874, chap. 614.
The provisions of Laws of 1873, chapter 863, forming a system of government for the city of Brooklyn, and giving to the hoard of police and excise, power to inspect steam boilers, is not repealed by the act of 1874, providing for the inspection of steam boilers by certain insurance companies.
Appeal from an order made at special term of this court, and entered herein in the office of the clerk of Kings county, on the 14th day of March, 1889, denying a motion made on the part of the appellants herein, to continue a temporary injunction obtained by them restraining the respondent from inspecting their steam boilers in the city of Brooklyn, on the ground that they are exempted by law from such inspection by virtue of chapter 614 of the Laws of 1874—appellants being in possession of the guaranteed certificates, unrevoked and in full life, of an insurance company organized for the purpose of making guaranteed steam boiler inspections.
Laws of 1873, chapter 863, provides a charter for the city, of Brooklyn, and inter alla created a board of police and excise, and gave to that board power to inspect steam boilers in the city.
Sonter & Steelman, for app’lts; Frank E. O’Reilly (S. II. Dailey, of counsel), for resp’t.

Opinion:
Pratt, J.
The act of 1873 was a special local act forming a system of government for Brooklyn. By well settled principles, the general act of 1874 would not effect a repeal of the special act; especially is this so, as the scope of the act of 1874 is limited to an amendment of the acts of 1862 and 1867, which were not in force in Brooklyn.
It follows that the exemption from police inspection granted by the act of 1875, did not extend to boilers within the city of Brooklyn. They were continually subject to the provisions of the charter of 1873.
The act of June 9th, 1888, combining all the Brooklyn acts, expressly imposes upon the commissioner of police, the duty of inspecting steam boilers. Were it the intention of the legislature to exempt from such inspection such boilers as were insured, we must believe they would have found means to express their purpose.
The order appealed from must be affirmed with costs.
All concur.