NEW YORK. 





Factory Inspection (James Connolly, Si ate 

 : i\ Inspector). The sixth annual report of 



this department shows that in 10. 1 1'J I net oiiug vis- 

 ited during t h- year there wviv emplox. .| I'J'.'.nTii 

 whom 17,-l!t."> were children between 

 fourteen and sixteen years of age. There \\> TC 

 IOC. children under sixteen reported us having 

 been injnrecl more or less seriously in factories 

 during the year, and 23 children \ve|-e fatally in- 

 jured. The employment of young girls in the 

 toliaeen industry is condemned because of the 

 injury to their health, and it is urged that they 

 lie prohibited from working at this trade. 



The inspectors served notices of suit for viola- 

 tion of the weekly payment law upon the Cha- 

 teaugay Ore and Iron ( 'ompany, of Platt sburg; 

 the Crown Point Iron < 'ompany, of Crown Point ; 

 theShanley \ Alfred Lumber ('ompany, of Shan- 

 le\ ; and the St. Regis Leather ( 'ompany, of St. 

 Rei;is Falls; and it is expected that suits will be 

 brought promptly to trial. 



The report shows that New York State has 

 the best law so far as it applies to the employ- 

 ment of children in factories, but it is defective 

 in not prohibiting children under fourteen from 

 being employed in mercantile houses. Statis- 

 tics are given showing that the employment of 

 children is being rapidly diminished. In 1887 

 there was an average of p2 children between the 

 ages of fourteen and sixteen years in every 1,000 

 persons employed in the factories which were 

 inspected; in fsss this was reduced to 60 in each 

 1.000; in 1889 there were 53; in 1890, 48; in 

 1891, 41. The report further says that the re- 

 vision commission has been at work upon a codi- 

 fication of the factory acts. 



State Forests. The annual report of the 

 State Forestry Commission shows that the prac- 

 ,tice of girdling and peeling the trees to obtain 

 spruce bark for temporary shanties has almost 

 entirely ceased. The reports of the trespasses 

 committed during 1890 shows that over $2,000 

 was collected by the commission in the settle- 

 ment of actions for trespass. There has been a 

 considerable decrease of the acreage of the forest 

 preserve in the Adirondacks through the cancel- 

 lation and redemption of the State's title through 

 the State Comptroller's office, this decrease dur- 

 ing 1888-'90 amounting to 30.000 acres. 



The financial statement of the commission 

 shows an unexpended balance of $G,000 at the 

 close of the fiscal year. The commission, having 

 finished the work of examining lands for the 

 proposed State park, were able to put their for- 

 esters at work upon the examination of lands 

 offered for sale under the law of last year au- 

 thorizing the purchase of lands suitable for a 

 State park. This act appropriated $25,000. 



Over 2,000 acres in Essex and Warren Coun- 

 ties have already been selected, and which will 

 be acquired upon being accepted by the com- 

 missioners of the land ollice. After the law first 

 went into effect the lands offered the commission 

 were either held at a higher price than that al- 

 lowed b\- the law, or else were outside of the 

 proposed lines for a State park. The report 

 states that the lack of foresters to make examina- 

 tions was an additional reason for not carrying 

 out earlier the provisions of last year's law. 



Arbitration and Mediation. This board 

 consists of three members, as follows: William 



I'nrcell, Gilbert Robertson, Jr., and Florence F. 

 Iioiiovan. In their annual report for tie 

 ending Nov. I, IK'.M). th.-v say that in the cigar- 

 making industry upwanf of KM) strike* occurred. 

 most of which were < -oniined to ihe metropolitan 



di-tricl, and in every case the qiicMion of wages 

 was the principal subject of dispute. Toward 

 the end of June, 1H<M, the cigar-makern of Hing- 

 hamton demanded an advance in the prices paid 

 for r.-lling and bunch-making, and upon this 

 demand being refused a strike ensued in 15 of 

 the largest factories in that city. 



On May 31, IK'JO, the workmen of the P. Cox 

 Shoe Company, of Rochester, went on strike, 

 after presenting certain demands in writing, to 

 which the company made written reply, offering 

 to adjust all differences except that in reference 

 to the method of using certain machinery, in 

 November the proprietors of 19 of the principal 

 shoe factories of Rochester entered into an a 

 ment to dismiss from their employ all members 

 of the Boot and Shoe Workers' International 

 Union until the strike against the P. Cox Shoe 

 Company should be abandoned and the right 

 should be conceded to all employers to operate 

 machinery in such manner as they might elect. 

 On Dec. 1 this lockout commenced, and in the 

 following week the board made formal inquiry 

 into the causes of the controversy. This inves- 

 tigation and subsequent attempts to settle the 

 dispute developed the fact that the parties to 

 the controversy could easily have adjusted the 

 differences which led to the strike, and the only 

 obstacle to a settlement was the question of the 

 disposition to be made of the former workmen 

 of the P. Cox Shoe Company and those who took 

 their places. 



The most important strike of the year was 

 that upon the New r York Central and Hudson 

 River Railroad, investigation of which was made 

 and special report sent to the Legislature soon 

 after the commencement of the session. 



Political. The Republican State Conven- 

 tion met in Rochester on Sept. 9. The platform 

 approved the legislation of the Fifty-first Con- 

 gress, the administration of President Harrison, 

 and the policy of the Secretary of the Navy. The 

 McKinley tariff, including reciprocity, was men- 

 tioned at length with approval. It was resolved 

 that "every dollar issued by the Government, 

 whether paper or coin, should be as good as 

 every other dollar." The Union veterans of the 

 civil war were thanked; the speedy construction 

 of the Nicaragua Canal was commended: the 

 vigorous enforcement of the United States alien 

 contract law was urged ; the amendment of the 

 ballot law by substituting the blanket ballot 

 was apprOYea; and the financial policy of the 

 Republicans in the previous Legislature was de- 

 clared sound. The following nominations were 

 made: For Governor. . I. Sloat Fassett : Lieutcn- 

 ant-(iovcrnor, John W. Vrooman ; Secretary of 

 State, Eugene F. O'Connor: Comptroller. Arthur 

 C. Wade: Treasurer. Ira M. Hedges; Attorney- 

 General, William A. Sutherland; Kngineer and 

 Surveyor. Verplanek Colvin. 



The Democratic State Convention met in Sar- 

 atoga on Sept. 1(5. The platform pledged fidel- 

 ity to the national Democratic platforms 

 and 1SSS. It declared -against the coinage of a 

 silver dollar which is not of the intrinsic value 



