NEW YOKE. 



483 



with six commissioned pilot-boats, have, during 

 the year, piloted into the harbor of New York 

 and Jersey City, 113 steamers, 91 ships, 263 

 barks, 293 brigs, and 102 schooners ; and out 

 of the same harbor, 105 steamers, 89 ships, 

 172 barks, 148 brigs, and 39 schooners, making 

 the total number of vessels of all classes, 

 piloted during the year ending December 

 31st, 1,414. 



There was no election held in the State in 

 1869, except for county officers, members of 

 Assembly, and part of the Senate. The Legis- 

 lature thus elected was divided as follows: 

 Senate Democrats, 13 ; Eepublicans, 8. As- 

 sembly Democrats, 34; Republicans, 26. 



NEW YORK. The receipts into the treas- 

 ury of New York during the year ending Sep- 

 tember 30, 1869, amounted to $17,794,347.85, 

 including a surplus of 748,521.41 passed over 

 from the funds of the preceding year. The 

 expenditures for the same period were $17, - 

 532,435.68, which left in the treasury, at the 

 end of the year, $261,912.17. The State tax 

 levy amounted to 5 mills on the dollar for all 

 taxable property, and was distributed as fol- 

 lows: for schools, 1J mills; for canals, -J- mill ; 

 for general purposes, 1 J mills ; for the bounty 

 debt, 2J mills. The entire sum raised by this tax 

 'was $10,463,179.33. Of the canal fund there 

 was at the beginning of the year a balance in 

 the treasury, and elsewhere invested, of $4,- 

 698,922.44, the receipts of the same fund 

 during the year were $6,119,985.70, making a 

 total of $10,818,908.14. The payments from 

 the fund amounted to $6,963,963.55, leaving an 

 unexpended balance on the 1st of October of 

 $3,854,944.59. The entire indebtedness of the 

 State amounts to $34,848,035.73, which shows 

 a decrease of $4,016,413.01 during the year. 

 Of this debt $12,725,210.96 existed prior to 

 the late war, and the residue of $22,122,824.77 

 consists of the bounty debt incurred during 

 that struggle. The sinking funds of the State 

 are sufficient to liquidate this entire indebted- 

 ness in eight years at the present rate of 

 application. A considerable portion of the 

 sinking fund is derived from the revenue of the 

 State canals, amounting, during the past year, 

 to $2,882,772.58 over and above all expenses. 

 The entire receipts from tolls, rents, etc., 

 amounted to $4,161,280.10, while the expenses 

 were $1,278,507.52. This entire surplus is ap- 

 plied to the sinking fund, but a considerable 

 portion of it is devoted to the payment of 

 what is known specifically as the canal debt. 

 This amounts to about $8,500,000, exclusive of 

 the "enlargement loan," authorized in 1859, 

 amounting to $1,606,000, of which $726,000 

 falls due in 1872, and the remainder in 1877. 



There was a falling off in the revenues 

 derived from the canals during the year, and 

 loud complaints have been made with regard 

 to their management. It is claimed that these 

 great public works could readily be made a 

 grand highway for the transportation of mer- 

 chandise, completing the water communication 



from the grain-growing region of the North- 

 west to the port of New York; and the 

 authorities are called upon to enlarge their 

 capacity, improve their condition and the sys- 

 tem of management, and to reduce the tolls. 

 The calls have been made by the Boards of 

 Trade in different parts of the State, and by 

 large meetings of persons interested in the 

 commercial prosperity of the State. One pro- 

 lific cause of complaint is the corruption 

 which has crept into the contract system 

 for keeping the canals in repair. In response 

 to emphatic calls on behalf of the people, and 

 on the recommendation of the Governor, the 

 Canal Commissioners, and the State Engineer, 

 the subject was taken up by the last Legisla- 

 ture, and a considerable share of attention 

 bestowed upon it throughout the session, but 

 with no important results. A bill was in- 

 troduced to repeal the contract system of re- 

 pairs, and, after long debate, passed the Senate, 

 but was lost in the Lower House. The opposi- 

 tion which was made to it was mainly due to 

 important changes which it provided for in the 

 system of management, abolishing the office of 

 Superintendent, and largely increasing the au- 

 thority of the Auditor. Among the other meas- 

 ures discussed in the Legislature affecting these 

 works was one which proposed a constitutional 

 amendment authorizing a loan of $10,000,000, 

 to provide for the enlargement of 'the channels, 

 and improvement of the locks. This did not ob- 

 tain a very strong support. Several other bills 

 were introduced, but failed of passage. At the 

 opening of the session in 1870, the Governor 

 renewed his recommendations that careful 

 attention be given to this important subject. 

 "Experience has shown," he said, "that the 

 canals cannot, under existing laws, be so 

 managed as to insure the best results for the 

 State, or for those who are engaged an$ in- 

 terested in the business of transportation. 

 The contract system of repairs has proved a 

 failure, and I renew my recommendation of 

 last year that it be abolished." There are now 

 considerably over 1,000 miles of canal in the 

 State, and the main lines are 70 feet wide and 

 7 feet deep. Their total cost was upward of 

 $40,000,000, and their annual earnings are 

 over $4,000,000. 



Another class of public works, which are of 

 great importance to the State, and annually 

 occupy a large share of the attention of the 

 Legislature, is that of railroads. According 

 to the latest report of the State Engineer and 

 Surveyor, there are in the State 4,568 miles of 

 railroad, which were constructed and equipped 

 at a cost of $208,185,782.82; and the various 

 companies have a capital stock paid in to the 

 amount of $152,647,019.04, the whole author- 

 ized capital being $196,502,910; the cost of 

 maintaining the roadways for a year is $13,- 

 074,594; the cost of repairing machinery, 

 $7,491,850, and the expense of operating the 

 roads, $15,250,716. The total earnings and 

 payments for a year are as follows : 



