582 



NEW YORK (STATE). 



ments between and adjacent to their tracks in 

 repair. The opposition to the bill was carried 

 before the Governor, but he approved it, and 

 gave in a memorandum filed with it his reasons 

 for not regarding the objections as valid. 



A company having an old franchise for an 

 underground railroad in Broadway, New York, 

 secured the passage of a bill through both 

 houses so modifying and enlarging its privileges 

 as to permit the excavation of nearly the entire 

 street-way, and the construction of a railroad 

 on the arcade plan with separate tracks for 

 through and way travel and underground side- 

 walks, etc. This was vetoed, on the ground 

 that it was opposed by property-owners, whose 

 rights were not sufficiently guarded. 



Protection of Adirondack Forests. The question 

 of protecting the Adirondack region from the 

 destruction of the forests was strongly urged 

 upon the attention of the Legislature, and a bill 

 was introduced at the instance of the New 

 York Chamber of Commerce providing for a 

 commission to ascertain the proper boundaries 

 for a State reservation, and to acquire the land 

 included therein. This met with strong oppo- 

 sition from the northern counties, and, after a 

 number of substitutes had been considered, a 

 bill was finally passed providing for the ap- 

 pointment of a commission to investigate the 

 subject and report on the necessity of legisla- 

 tion. This commission was appointed by the 

 Comptroller, and consisted of Prof. C. S. Sar- 

 gent, of Harvard University ; D. Willis James, of 

 New York; William A. Poucher, of Oswego; and 

 Edward M. Shepard, of Brooklyn. Their in- 

 vestigation was made during the summer and 

 autumn, and their report was submitted to the 

 Legislature of 1885. 



Prison-Labor. The subject of contract labor 

 in the prisons and penitentiaries of the State 

 occupied much attention. The question of its 

 abolition had been submitted to the people at 

 the election of 1833, and was favored by a large 

 majority of those voting upon it. At the be- 

 ginning of the session a bill was introduced in 

 the Assembly by Mr. Howe, of New York, at the 

 instance of the State Prison Association, provid- 

 ing for the appointment of a commission to in- 

 quire into the working of the various systems of 

 employing convicts, and make a report with rec- 

 ommendation, not later than the 1st of March. 

 This was passed, and Theodore W. Dwight, 

 George B. Sloan, Walter N. Thayer, Norman 

 N. Allen, and Darius A. Ogden were appointed 

 on the commission ; but there had been so much 

 delay in the passage of the measure that in the 

 time allowed they could only make a prelimi- 

 nary report, and ask for an extension of time. 

 Meanwhile, a bill was passed, against the ad- 

 vice of the Superintendent of Prisons, pro- 

 hibiting the making of any new contracts or 

 the renewal of those existing. On the 1st of 

 March a bill reached its final passage extending 

 the time of the commission, and still leaving 

 the scope of its inquiry such as to include the 

 contract system. This was vetoed by the Gov- 



ernor, on the ground that the commission had 

 then ceased to exist, and because the abolition 

 of the contract system was not recognized and 

 the object of inquiry limited to providing a sub- 

 stitute for it. Another bill was brought in, 

 reviving the same commission and allowing it 

 until the 15th of January, 1885, to complete its 

 investigation, but this failed to pass, and the 

 matter was left with the contract system prac- 

 tically abolished, nothing provided to take its 

 place, and no agency set at work to prepare a 

 substitute, or guide future legislation. 



Miscellaneous Legislation. Among the other 

 bills passed during the session was one prohibit- 

 ing the manufacture and sale of oleomargarine 

 and other imitations of butter, and providing for 

 a commission to see that its provisions were en- 

 forced. Under this Josiah K. Brown, of Onei- 

 da county, was appointed Dairy Commissioner. 

 A new bill prohibiting the manufacture of ci- 

 gars in tenement-houses, intended to avoid the 

 defects on account of which a former act for 

 the same purpose had been declared unconsti- 

 tutional, was passed. The sum of $1,000,000 

 was appropriated to continue the work on the 

 new Capitol. An effort was made to secure 

 the adoption of the codification of the civil 

 law of the State known as the Field Civil Code, 

 but without success. Various efforts to change 

 the excise regulations of the State, including 

 a constitutional amendment prohibiting the 

 manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, 

 were defeated. A bill prohibiting members of 

 the Legislature and others employed in the 

 public service from receiving and using free 

 passes on railroads was defeated, and one pro- 

 viding that not more than twelve hours' work 

 a day should be exacted from conductors and 

 drivers on street-cars was vetoed by the Gov- 

 ernor on the ground that there was nothing in 

 it to prevent a reduction of wages correspond- 

 ing to the reduction of the hours of labor, and 

 it could be of no practical benefit to working- 

 men on street-railways. 



Investigations. A special committee of the 

 Assembly made an investigation into the man- 

 agement of the Western House of Refuge, at 

 Rochester, during the session, and submitted 

 an unfavorable report. It said that many 

 charges that had been made were unfounded, 

 but the dormitories were dreary, cramped, and 

 unfurnished fastnesses, fit only for felons, the 

 hospital accommodations totally inadequate, 

 the educational provisions far from satisfactory 

 in their administration; the methods of discipline 

 very faulty, excessive and cruel punishments 

 being inflicted by irresponsible overseers and 

 unfit assistant superintendents, and the system 

 radically defective and in need of thorough re- 

 vision. Recommendations for improvement 

 were made, but no legislative action was taken. 

 The Governor, in vetoing certain items of ap- 

 propriation for increasing the means and facili- 

 ties of this institution, said : 



The institution for which these appropriations are 

 intended has within a few months been investigated 



