Ni:\V YORK. 



525 



all the institutions was 20.210. of which 10,156 

 were in tin- Stale hospitals. H.213 in the institutions 

 of New York and Kings Counties, ami "'I? in the 

 private asylums. 



The taxpayers are saved over $1,500,000 annually 

 by the operation of the law providing for the State 

 can- of the insane. 



State Knirincer. The engineering problems of 

 the State are under the supervision ol a State engi- 

 neer, who receives a salary of s:,.onn. The incum- 

 bent during the year was Campbell W. Adams. 

 His reports discussed in detail the canal-improYe- 

 nient surveys and plans, concerning which he said : 

 " Twenty-five fully equipped corps of engineers 

 were in'the field, 'making the surve . .-it on- 



to letting the contracts under the 19,000,000 bill. 

 Nine of these corps were at work on the eastern 

 division. 7 on the middle division, and 9 on the 

 western division, the distance allotted to each being 

 about IS miles, making a total of about 450 miles, 

 or the total length of the Erie, Oswego, and Cham- 

 plain Canals. 



Considerable space in the report was devoted to 

 the topographical map of the State, which has been 

 prosecuted under the joint supervision of the State 

 engineer and the United States Geological Survey, 

 the State and General Government each paying 

 half the cost. One fifth of the State has already 

 been surveyed and mapped in this manner at the 

 cost of about 10 a square mile. 



Canals. The care of these water ways is in charge 

 of the Superintendent of Public Works', who receives 

 a salary of $6,000. The present incumbent is George 

 W. Aldridge. His annual report shows that the 

 whole number of tons of freight carried during 1896 

 was 3.714.894. of which the Erie Canal carried 2.742,- 

 43s : Champlain. 802.510: Oswego. 57.245: Black 

 River. 57.953; Cayuga and Seneca. 54.739. Of the 

 total tonnage, 852.467 tons were products of the 

 forests, 1,126.665 of agricultural products. 152.322 

 of .manufactures. 270.603 of merchandise. The ton- 

 nage for the past season was 214.580 tons in ex< .-> 

 of that of 1895. The average price for transporta- 

 tion of wheat from Buffalo to New York was f of 1 

 cent a bushel the highest since 1890. 



Railroads. This department is cared for by 3 

 commissioners, each of whom serves for five years 

 and receives a salary of $8,000. The incumbents 

 during the year were Samuel A. Beardsley. who 

 was succeeded on Dec. 29 by Ashley W. Cole ; Alfred 

 C. Chapin : and Michael Rickard, who was succeeded 

 on Dec. 17 by Frank M. Baker. Their report for 

 the year ended June 30, 1896, shows an increase of 

 sin.*! 1 1.237 in the gross earnings of the lines within 

 the State. They further report that the railroads 

 are in better condition than they were in 1895. and 

 consequently better prepared to reap the advantages 

 of more prosperous business conditions. A decreased 

 percentage of accidents to passenger trains is noted. 

 Of the 170.315.449 passengers carried on the steam 

 roads during the year, only 3 persons were killed 

 from cau<< - beyond their own control. 



Labor Statistics. This department is in charge 

 of a commissioner, who receives a salary of S3.000 a 

 year. The present incumbent is John T. McDon- 

 ough. His report showed that on July 1. 1894. there 

 were 157.197 members in 860 labor organizations. 

 These unions added 15.416 members to their lists 

 during the year, while in the same time 67 new or- 

 ganizations were formed, with a membership of 

 7.618. making a total on July 1. 1895. of 927 unions 

 and assemblies, with 180.231 members an increase 

 of 23.034. 



In 198 trades and callings for 1895 112 organiza- 

 tions report an increase in wages, 70 a decm^e. 7<>4 

 report no change, while 41 did not give the wage 

 rates. As to the working time in the same number 



upations. is organizations report an increase, 

 68 a decre,-t>c. 7s;i report no change. 



The figures show that 75-57 per cent, of the mem-. 

 her- of the unions were at work in July, 1M4. while 

 in July. I*'.i5. MK:S per cent, were employed. 



Factory I Detection. This charge is "in tin 

 of a State inspector, who receives a salary of s2.U(i(i. 

 James Conolly was the inspector until May 1. when 

 he was succeeded by Daniel O'Leary. His annual 

 report shows that 27,425 inspections were mad* 

 6.240 more than in 1895. In the establishments 

 visited there were employed 537.702 persons. i5!.-,'2<; 

 of whom were women, including 53.9!<7 under 

 twenty-one years of age. There were 12.100 chil- 

 dren over fourteen and under sixteen years of age 

 in these establishments. Eighty-four children un- 

 der fourteen years were found employed, cojn pared 

 with 211 for 1895. and only 185 illiterate children, 

 compared with 310 for 1895. During 1895 there 

 were 27 fatal accidents in the mines. For the year 

 1896 there were 9. During 1895 nearly 20 of" the 

 fatalities were the result of falling roof rock. In 

 1896 not a single death was reported from this cause. 



Fisheries. These are under the charge of a State 

 fish culturist, who receives a salary of $3,500. The 

 present incumbent is A. X. Cheney. During 1896 

 217.936.751 fish fry were planted, of which 190,519.- 

 218 were supplied from the State hatcheries and 

 27.417.533 by the United States. In 1896 195.000,- 

 000 fish fry were planted in the waters of the State. 

 During 1896 13,000.000 shad fry were placed in the 

 Hudson river, together with 55.000 salmon. Fifty 

 thousand white fish were planted in Lake Ontario, 

 and the remaining fry otherwise distributed among 

 the inland waters of the State. 



National Guard. The supervision of the State 

 militia is chiefly under the charge of the Adjutant 

 General on the Governor's staff. The incumbent 

 during Gov. Morton's term of office was Major-Gen. 

 E. A. McAlpin. His report shows that there are 

 about 500,000 men in the State subject to enroll- 

 ment for military duty who would be fit for such 

 service. The Guard consists of 851 commissioned 

 officers and 12.556 enlisted men. The work per- 

 formed by the troops at State camp was satisfac- 

 tory, and Col. Robert H. Hall and Capt. J. B. Bur- 

 bank. U. S A., on duty at the camp, deserve great 

 credit. Six thousand and fifteen officers and en- 

 listed men were paid for their services in camp. 

 All the organizations of the National Guard and 

 Xaval Militia, including headquarters of brigades, 

 are provided with quarters, with the exception of 

 the Fourth Signal Corps and headquarters of the 

 Fourth Brigade, but the quarters occupied by the 

 Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Separate Compa- 

 nies, in Schenectady. are unsafe and inadequate. 

 The headquarters of the Twenty-ninth Separate 

 Company, in Medina, are insufficient. The head- 

 quarters'of the Xinth Separate Company, in White- 

 hall, are unsuitable. The pensions paid members of 

 the Guard who were injured while on duty aggre- 

 :.75(j annuallv. 



Historical Department. The office of State 

 historian was created by the Legislature in "! 

 and to that place Hugh" Hastings was appointed. 

 In his first annual report he describes the means by 

 which it is proposed to save the historical docu- 

 ments of the State. The plan adopted contemplates 

 the publication of five series of works, as follow : 



First, the colonial period up to the breaking out 

 of the War of the Revolution. 



Second, the period between 1775 and 1800. 



Third, the period from 1800 to the close of the 

 second war with Great Britain. 



Fourth, the period from the close of the second 

 war with Great Britain to the outbreak of the war 

 of the rebellion, including the war with Mexico. 



