620 



NEW YOKE. 



others by discrimination in freights is done 

 chiefly by companies which are not under 

 the laws of New York, and that there is no 

 law which forbids this species of favoritism. 

 Such a means might be provided in a judicious 

 railroad law. But the Committee refrains 

 from making any suggestions on this point. 

 It rinds that all the relations and conclusions 

 of the railroad system should be thoroughly 

 understood before the Legislature is able to 

 enact a just and liberal law on this important 

 and delicate subject. This avowal is the re- 

 sult of thorough investigation and long expe- 

 rience. The minority of the Committee like- 

 wise presented a report, expressing the belief 

 that the combination is at variance with the 

 best public interests, and a burdensome toll 

 upon the whole people of the State. They, 

 therefore, think that some legislation on the 

 subject is a necessity, and recommend the 

 passage of a bill which fixes the rates per ton, 

 by the car-load, as follows : Up to 25 miles, 4 

 cents ; 25 to 50 miles, 3 cents ; 50 to 100 miles, 

 2 cents; and for. all over 100 miles, 1 cent. 

 Five hundred dollars' fine is imposed for viola- 

 tion, district attorneys being made the prose- 

 cuting officers in the matter. No final action 

 was taken by the Legislature. 



The report of the Fish Commissioners for 

 the year 1877, presented late in the session, 

 contained some points which have not been 

 noticed here. It is well known that some 

 waters abound in fish, while others are bar- 

 ren of this form of life. This is in some de- 

 gree owing to the difference in quality of tem- 

 perature, but largely, as the Commissioners 

 believe, to a want or abundance of food. To 

 make barren waters productive of fish, it is only 

 necessary to transfer into all of the waters the 

 vegetables, insects, or other minute forms of 

 animal existence, which are found in waters 

 abounding with fish. With a view of learning 

 what kinds of vegetation, animalcule, etc., 

 make some of the streams productive, the Com- 

 missioners have had them carefully examined 

 by a scientific entomologist and botanist, by 

 whom they have been studied with the aid of 

 the microscope and other appliances, and the 

 results of these investigations are spread "out 

 in the report. It is their purpose to follow up 

 their experiments in this direction, to learn 

 more about the sources and varieties of life 

 which feed the fishes, and to distribute them 

 into different parts of the State. 



The financial condition of the State at the 

 close of 1878 was more satisfactory than it had 

 been at any time within a long series of years, 

 t had no general fund debt, no bounty debt, 

 and no floating debt. There has been a steady 

 and uninterrupted advance toward lower ex- 

 penditures, lower taxes, and a rigid accounta- 

 bility. On the BOth of September, 1877, the to- 



I funded debt was $10,957,054.87, classified 



follows: general fund, $926,694.87; canal 



fund, $9,900,360 ; bounty fund, $130,000. On 



the 30th of September, 1878. the total funded 



debt was $9,154,054.87, classified as follows: 

 general fund, $122,694.87; canal fund, $9,020,- 

 360 ; bounty fund, $11,000. The general fund 

 and bounty debt in the above statement have 

 since been paid. The actual reduction of the 

 debt during the year by cancellation has been 

 $1,803,000. 



The following statement gives a general 

 account of the financial operations of the 

 year : 



Aggregate balances in the Treasury of all the 

 funds, October 1, 1877 $5,759,484 22 



Aggregate receipts during the fiscal year end- 

 ing September 30, 1678 12,404,505 01 



$18,163,939 28 

 Deduct payments during the year 13,870,055 69 



Balance in the Treasury, September 80, 1878. $4,293,883 54 



Amount of receipts into the Treasury, on ac- 

 count of the general fund revenue, during 

 the year ending September 80, 1878 $6,097,469 29 



Payments 6,983,307 67 



Apparent deficiency, September 80, 1878. . . $885,888 88 



The outstanding balances in the hands of 

 county treasurers of taxes of 1877 and 1878 are 

 such as to change this deficiency into a surplus 

 of $1,391,904. 



The tax levy for 1878 was at the rate of 

 mills, and was expected to produce $7,941,21,, 

 as against $8,726,511 for the previous year. 

 The following statement shows the decrease 

 of taxation in a series of years : In 1874 the 

 State tax was, $15,727,482.08; in 1875, $14,- 

 206,680.61; in 1876, $8,529,174.32; in 1877, 

 $8,726,511.01 ; in 1878, $7,941,297.94. 



The principal canals of the State were opened 

 on April 15th and continued open until Decem- 

 ber 7th. The tonnage of the season amounted 

 to 5,170,822 tons, against 4,955,963 for the year 

 1877, being an increase of 214,859 tons. The 

 expense of operating the canals has decreased 

 $310,580 from the cost in 1877. At the same 

 time they have been kept in an excellent con- 

 dition. The net revenue for the fiscal year end- 

 ing September 30, 1878, was $248,902.38; net 

 revenue for the fiscal year ending September 

 30, 1877, $3,031.33; showing an increase of 

 $245,871.05. The following statement shows 

 the total payments on account of the canals, 

 excluding principal and interest of canal debt, 

 during a series of years: 1874, $3,842,892.75; 

 1875, $2,751,538.72 ; 1876, $1,659,844.79 ; 1877, 

 $1,318,142.48; 1878, $903,347.02. 



The number of convicts in the State Prisons 

 is as follows, in round numbers: Sing Sing, 

 1,600; Auburn, 1,200; Clinton, 600. There are 

 also about 800 State prisoners in the various 

 penitentiaries authorized to receive them. The 

 cost of the support of those confined in the 

 penitentiaries is paid from the State Treasury, 

 but the prisoners are not under the supervision 

 of the Superintendent of Prisons. The excess 

 of the expenses over the earnings of these 

 prisons in 1876 was $704,379. The results of 

 the same for the fiscal year 1878 have been as 

 follows : 



