NEW YORK. 



NEW YORK CITY. 



615 



Prisons. The number of convicts in the sev- 

 eral State prisons on Sept. 30, 1890, was 3.508, 

 against 3,480 on Sept. 30, 1889. Of these, 1,151 

 were at Auburn, 804 at Clinton, and 1,553 at 

 Sing Sing. The cost of maintaining the Auburn 

 prison during the year was $136,391.57, while the 

 earnings of prisoners amounted to $86,923.98, 

 causing a deficiency of $49,467.59. At the Clin- 

 ton prison the cost of maintenance was $129,- 

 153.74, and the earnings $34.870.27, leaving a de- 

 ficiency of $94,283.47. At the Sing Sing prison 

 the cost of maintenance was $168,722.16, the ex- 

 penses $153,457.58, and the deficiency $15,264.15. 

 The total deficiency in the 3 prisons was $159,- 

 015.64, while for the previous year it was $369,- 

 274.25. 



The act of 1889 providing for the employment 

 of prisoners was passed so late in the session that 

 its provisions could not be put in operation be- 

 fore Sept. 30 of that year, which was the beginning 

 of the fiscal year. The law has proved reason- 

 ably satisfactory. It aims to secure the employ- 

 ment and education of convicts, with a view to 

 their reformation and the diversification of pur- 

 suits in the prisons so as to reduce, to the lowest 

 degree, injurious competition with free labor. 

 Prisoners may be employed both on the piece- 

 price system and on the State account, but not 

 more than 100 of them shall be employed in any 

 one industry. 



At the Asylum for Insane Criminals there were 

 236 inmates on Sept. 30, an increase of 17 for the 

 year. This institution is overcrowded. A new 

 prison for the criminal insane is nearly com- 

 pleted at Matteawan, Dutchess County, and when 

 this is occupied the present one at Auburn will 

 be used as a part of the recently adopted policy 

 by which the State cares for the insane hitherto 

 kept in the poor houses in the several counties. 

 The total expenditures were $49,204.59. 



Militia. The aggregate strength of the Na- 

 tional Guard of the State for 1890 was 13,426 

 men artillery, 398; infantry, 12,890; cavalry, 

 103 ; signal corps, 35. This is 406 less than the 

 aggregate strength in 1889. The capital invested 

 by the State in armories, etc., amounts approxi- 

 mately to $5,174,751, not including the Seventh 

 Regiment Armory, the two rifle ranges, or the 

 land on which armories are to be built at Cohoes, 

 Malone, and Geneva. Those would raise the total 

 to about $6,000,000. The annual appropriation 

 by the State is $400,000, the quota from the Gen- 

 eral Government is $34,173.72, and the annual 

 rental paid by counties, exclusive of $15,000 on 

 Seventh Regiment Armory bonds, is $59.000. 



Canals. The amount expended during the 

 year for ordinary repairs and for operating ex- 

 penses was $826,934.84, and the total tonnage for 

 the season was 5,246,162 tons. The canals were 

 opened on April 28, and were closed on Dec. 1. 

 In that time they carried 38*72 per cent, of all 

 the grain delivered in the city of New York. 

 The work of lengthening the locks so as to allow 

 the locking of two boats at a time is still in 

 progress, and about three fourths of all the locks 

 from Buffalo to Albany are now doubled in 

 capacity. By this means two or three days are 

 saved in a round trip. 



Banks. The resources of the savings banks 

 of the State on Dec. 31 amounted to $667,865,- 

 396. The bonds and mortgages held by them 



amounted to $258,326,578, the par value of 

 stocks and bonds to $292,347,360, the market 

 value of the latter to $338,321,886, the cash on 

 deposit to $36.366,306, and the cash on hand to 

 $8,433.656. There was due to depositors $574,- 

 669,972, and the surplus amounted to $89,741,- 

 231. The open accounts numbered 1,477.819, 

 making the average deposits $388.20. There 

 was paid in salaries $1,324,133. The interest 

 credited and paid in 1890 was $19,235,506. 



Railroads. The report of the railroad com- 

 missioners for the year ending June 30, 1890, 

 presents the following figures: Gross earnings 

 of railroads, $163,974,833.87; operating ex- 

 penses, $107,959,410.80 : net earnings. $56,015.- 

 423.07; interest charges, $27,520,491.31 ; taxes 

 paid, $5,496,092.37; dividends, $15,250,052.76; 

 surplus, $4,382,244.42; miles of road in opera- 

 tion, 7,590; stock and debt, $1.288,688,907.56; 

 cost of road and improvements, $1,225,335,120.- 

 ' 65. All these figures show a moderate increase 

 over 1889, except in case of the surplus, which 

 is reduced about $150,000. 



Political. The only State officer to be elected 

 this year on a general ticket was a judge of the 

 Court of Appeals to succeed Judge Robert Earl, 

 a Democrat. The Republican State Committee, 

 at a meeting in New York city, on Sept. 2, de- 

 cided not to call a State convention of the party, 

 but nominated Juge Earl for re-election, although 

 he was, politically, an opponent? Resolutions 

 were adopted heartily commending the admin- 

 istration of President Harrison and the action of 

 Speaker Reed and his Republican associates in 

 the House. The McKinley bill, commercial reci- 

 procity, protection, and the Federal Elections bill 

 were strongly approved. 



On Sept. 23 the Democratic State Committee 

 met at New York, and, without calling a party 

 convention, nominated Judge Earl. It passed 

 resolutions urging union in New York city on 

 Congressmen, Assemblymen, and city ticket, and 

 issued an address attacking the Elections bill, the 

 Administrative Customs bill, and the Republican 

 record in Congress. 



The Prohibitionists placed in nomination Silas 

 W. Mason, and the Socialist-Labor party Francis 

 Gerau. 



At the November election Earl received 927,- 

 243 votes ; Mason, 33,621 ; and Gerau, 13,337. 

 Members of the Assembly were chosen at the 

 same time as follow: Republicans, 60; Demo- 

 crats, 68. There was no election for members of 

 the State Senate, the terms of Senators elected 

 in 1889 not expiring this year. As the Senate 

 of 1890 contained 19 Republicans and 13 Demo- 

 crats, the Democrats will have a majority of 2 

 on joint ballot with the new Assembly, and will 

 elect a Democratic United States Senator in 

 1891. The election held at the same time in the 

 several congressional districts resulted in the 

 choice of 23^ Democratic and 11 Republican Con- 

 gressmen, a gain of seven by the Democrats. 



NEW YORK CITY. Government. The 

 city officials who held office on Jan. 1, 1890, 

 were: Mayor, Hugh J. Grant, Tammany Demo- 

 crat ; President of the Board of Aldermen, John 

 H. V.Arnold; Register, Frank T. Fitzgerald; 

 Sheriff, James A. Flack. 



Finances. According to the Mayor's message, 

 the condition of the city debt is as follows : 



