NEW YORK (CITY). 



555 



160 tons $2 ; disinfection of vessels, steamers 

 $8, ships $7, barks $6, brigs $5, schooners $3. 

 Night boarding, $8 ; transportation of sick to 

 yellow-fever hospital, $5 ; transporting sick 

 to contagious hospital, Blackwell's Island, 

 $20. The fee for vaccination is 25 cents per 

 capita, less 10 per cent. The disbursements 

 for 1886 were $21,332.14; and for 1887, $21,- 

 113.50. 



Assessment and Taxation. The annual report 

 of the State assessors shows an increase in 

 real and personal property from 1886 of $136,- 

 445,834. The assessment on real estate has 

 increased over $468,000,000 since 1883, while 

 personal property has increased in the same 

 time $21,000,000. A large portion of the re- 

 port is devoted to the equalization of New 

 York County. The assessors say due com- 

 plaint comes from the county of New York. 

 New York complains of too high equalization, 

 while fifty-nine counties complain that New 

 York is too low. New York has been largely 

 reduced and pays a much smaller State tax 

 than formerly. In 1873 New York paid its 

 highest per cent, of the State tax, namely, 

 51-846. In 1877 it paid 44-644, in 1882 it paid 

 47'150, and in 1887 2 per cent, less, while be- 

 tween these years its assessed value increased 

 over $137,000,000. The census of 1870 fixes 

 the value of real estate and personal property 

 in the city at $3,484,000,000. Seventeen years 

 later, after the addition of a large portion of 

 "Westchester, the total assessment Was $1,381,- 

 000,000, or about 39 per cent, of the census 

 value. Assuming that 50 per cent, of the cen- 

 sus value was personal property, the realty 

 owned in 1870 equals $1,742,000,000, or about 

 $361,000,000 more than was assessed in 1887. 

 Not considering the annexed district, the in- 

 crease in New York since 1870 is estimated at 

 $500,000,000 ; so that, if the census of 1870 ap- 

 proximately established the value of its re.-ilty, 

 the returned assessed value should have been 

 about $700,000,000 more. The increased as- 

 sessment of real estate from 1883 to 1887 was 

 $168,738,000. In 1887 the equalized value of 

 New York County was $1,323,666,950, in 1874 

 it was $812,709,047, an increase of $510,857,- 

 903. In 1887 the equalized value of all other 

 counties was $1,701,562,838, in 1874 it was 

 $937,989,871, an increase of $763,572,967. In 

 these years the equalized value of the city was 

 increased by the State board about 62 per 

 cent., while the value of the remaining coun- 

 ties was increased 81 per cent. 



Bribery Trials. The principal criminal trial 

 was that of Jacob Sharp, charged with bribing 

 members of the Board of Aldermen in 1884 

 to vote for the franchise of the Broadway Sur- 

 face Railroad. This protracted trial took place 

 in the summer, and resulted in the conviction 

 of Sharp. The conviction was affirmed by the 

 General Term of the Supreme Court on appeal, 

 but in November the Court of Appeals reversed 

 the lower courts and granted a new trial on 

 the ground of errors in admitting testimony. 



Political. The autumn canvass was marked 

 by the advent of the Progressive Labor party, 

 and by a movement of Independent Democrats 

 in combination with the Republicans to elect 

 De Lancey Nicoll District Attorney over John 

 R. Fellows, the regular Democratic nominee. 

 Both were assistants in the office, and Mr. 

 Nicoll was credited, in the public view, with 

 having been the chief agent in the bribery 

 prosecutions. The Progressive Labor party 

 was formed by the Socialists, who had been 

 refused admission to the Syracuse convention 

 that nominated Henry George for Secretary of 

 State. In November the regular Democratic 

 ticket was successful. The vote for City Comp- 

 troller was: Democratic, 110,439 ; Republican, 

 65,291; United Labor, 33,278; Progressive 

 Labor, 5,636 ; Prohibition, 1,068. For District 

 Attorney the vote was: Fellows, 99,798; Nic- 

 oll, 77,556 ; United Labor, 32,747 ; Progress- 

 ive Labor, 5,276 ; Prohibition, 709. 



The New Croton Aqueduct. This great public 

 work originated in the following resolutions, 

 adopted by the Senate of the State of New 

 York, Jan. 9, 1883 : 



Whereas, With the return of business prosperity the 

 rapidly-increasing growth of the city of New York 

 causes a constant increase in the complaints which 

 have prevailed for years past that, by the insufficiency 

 of the city's water-supply, the people are deprived of 

 the ordinary conveniences of domestic life, the public 

 health is endangered, the security of property by fire 

 is diminished, and the pursuit of commerce and manu- 

 factures is retarded ; and, whereas, in a report dated 

 Feb. 22. 1882, the Commissioner of Public Works 

 submitted to the Mayor of said city a plan for a new 

 aqueduct, prepared by the chief engineer of the 

 Croton Aqueduct and other engineers ; and, whereas, 

 this body may be called upon to consider legislation 

 to secure to said city an additional water-supply ; 

 therefore 



A'esolved, That the Mayor of the city of New York 

 is hereby requested to select and appoint within five 

 days from the passage of this resolution five citizens 

 of said city, who in conjunction with himself shall 

 without delay examine into the said plan and report 

 to this body within twenty days as to the practica- 

 bility of the proposed plan, the probable cost, the 

 time required for its execution, and such other views 

 and recommendations as they may deem proper. 



In accordance with these resolutions, the 

 Mayor, Franklin Edson, appointed the follow- 

 ing-named gentlemen as the committee : Or- 

 lando B. Potter, John T. Agnew, William 

 Dowd, Amos R. Eno, and Hugh N. Camp, 

 with Mayor Edson, ex officio, also as a mem- 

 ber. The report of this committee to the Sen- 

 ate of the State of New York, under date of 

 March 7, 18S3, presented the following resolu- 

 tions, unanimously agreed upon : 



1. That a new aqueduct should be built immedi- 

 ately of sufficient capacity to carry all the available 

 water in the Croton water-shed, and together with 

 the existing Croton Aqueduct carry any additional 

 supply which the city may hereafter secure in that 

 direction from other sources, and, when practicable, 

 should be built in rock-tunnel. 



2. That the work of construction of such an aque- 

 duct and all subsidiary dams and reservoirs should 

 be intrusted to an unprejudiced commission selected 

 from our best citizens. 



