416 



NEW YORK. 



ico. There has been vast improvement in the flocks 

 in recent years; the wool grown is diversified, 

 scaling all the way from the finest delaine merino 

 to the coarsest carpet, though the latter is be- 

 coming less each year. The total clip for New 

 Mexico for the year was more than 18,000.000 

 pounds. The number of sheep in the Territory is 

 estimated to be more than 4,000,000. The vast 

 production of wool has resulted in the establish- 

 ment of other industries, sueh as wool-scouring 

 and wool-pulling plants and tanneries in various 

 parts of the Territory. 



Political. At the annual election the llepub- 

 lican Territorial ticket was successful by 3,710 

 plurality and a Republican Delegate to Congress 

 was elected. 



NEW YOBK, a Middle State, one of the orig- 

 iiiiil thirteen, ratified the Constitution July 26, 

 17ss ; area, 49,170 square miles. The population, 

 according to each decennial census, was 340,120 

 in 1790; 589,051 in 1800; 959,049 in 1810; 1,372.111 

 in 1820; 1,918,608 in 1830; 2,428,921 in 1840; 

 3,097,394 in 1850; 3,880,735 in 1860; 4,382,759 in 

 1870; 5,082,871 in 1880; 5,997,853 in 1890; and 

 7,268,012 in 1900. Capital, Albany. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Theodore 

 Roosevelt, Republican ; Lieutenant Governor, Tim- 

 othy L. Woodruff; Secretary of State, John T. 

 McDonough; Comptroller, William J. Morgan, who 

 died Sept. 5, 1900, and was succeeded by his 

 deputy, Theodore P. Gilman; Treasurer, John P. 

 Jaeckel; Attorney-General, John C. Da vies; State 

 Engineer and Surveyor, Edward A. Bond; Super- 

 intendent of Public Instruction, Charles R. Skin- 

 ner; Superintendent of Insurance, Louis F. Payn, 

 whose term of office expired on Feb. 11, when he 

 was succeeded by Francis Hendricks; Superin- 

 tendent of Banking Department, Frederick D. 

 Kilburn; Superintendent of State Prisons, Cor- 

 nelius V. Collins; Superintendent of Public Works, 

 John N. Partridge ; Commissioner of Labor Statis- 

 tics, John McMackin; Railroad Commissioners, 

 Ashley W. Cole, George W. Dunn, and Frank M. 

 Baker; Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Alton 

 B. Parker; Associate Judges, John C. Gray, Denis 

 O'Brien, Celora E. Martin, Edward T. Bartlett, 

 Albert Haight, and Irving G. Vann, together with 

 Judson S. Landon, William E. Werner, and Edgar 

 M. Cullen, who are judges of the Supreme Court, 

 and were designated by the Governor, on Jan. 1, 

 191)0. to sit in the Court of Appeals. 



The term of the State officers is two years. They 

 are elected in November of even-numbered years. 

 The Legislature meets every year in January. 



Finances. The Comptroller, William J. Mor- 

 gan, died on Sept. 5, 1900, and was succeeded by 

 Theodore 1'. Gilman, Deputy Comptroller, who 

 then continued in office until the close of the year. 

 According to the report issued by Mr. Gilman, 

 the balance in the treasury on Oct. 1, 1899, was 

 $4,504,814.74; receipts from all sources, $32,006,- 

 883.51; total, $36,511,698.25. The payments were 

 $29,221,895.70, leaving a balance in the treasury 

 on Sept. 30, 1900, of $7,289,802.55, distributed as 

 follows: Canal fund, $1,I90.6:5:!6; school fund, 

 $440,370.07; general fund, $5,280,134.63; and trust 

 and miscellaneous funds, $378,665.49. The State 

 tax rate was 1.96 (the lowest, with one exception, 

 in over forty years), compared with 2.49 in 1899 

 and 2.08 in 1898. It was distributed as follows: 

 General, including care of insane, 0.68; school, 

 0.76; canal, maintenance, 0.21; canal, payment of 

 debt, 0.13; canal, extraordinary repairs and new 

 work, 0.18; total tax levy, 1.96 mill. This tax 

 oh the estimated valuation of property in the State 

 of $5,461,302,756 will realize as follows: General 



purposes, including care of insane, $3,713,685.87; 

 free schools, $4,150,590.09; maintenance and re- 

 pairs of the canals, $1,146,873.58; payment of canal 

 ' debt, $709,969.36; extraordinary repairs and new 

 work, $983,034.50; total, $10,704,153.40. The rev- 

 enue from indirect sources for the year is estimated 

 at $13,013,100.06. It was not necessary this year 

 for the State to borrow money to pay expenses of 

 the government. 



Valuation. The State assessors during the 

 year were J. Edgar Leaycraft, George I. Priest, 

 who were appointed on April 3, 1899, and Lester 

 F. Stevens, appointed on Jan. 10, 1900. The re- 

 port of the commission for 1900 shows an increase 

 in the assessed value of real estate of $397,744,563, 

 and a decrease in the personal property subject to 

 local taxation of $12,838,635; also that the total 

 equalized value of real and personal estate has 

 increased over that of last year by $384,90f>,!i-JS. 

 This increase of $384,905,928 in the assessed value 

 of property is largely due to advances in valuations 

 made in New York and Richmond Counties, and 

 to growth in all the counties comprising the city 

 of New York. The increase of values found by 

 the local assessors in metropolitan counties de- 

 creases the proportion of direct taxation for State 

 purposes to be borne by the other counties. The 

 figures show very nearly seven and one half times 

 as much of direct taxation imposed upon real es- 

 tate as upon personal property. 



Legislative Session. The session of the Legis- 

 lature began on Jan. 3, 1900, and continued until 

 April 7, 1900. As elected, the Senate consisted of 

 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats and the Assem- 

 bly of 92 Republicans, 56 Democrats, and 1 Inde- 

 pendent Democrat, with 1 vacancy caused by 

 death. 



Timothy E. Ellsworth was continued as Presi- 

 dent pro tern, of the Senate, and Samuel F. Nixon 

 was again chosen Speaker of the Assembly. Of 

 the bills passed by the Legislature, 775 were ap- 

 proved by the Governor. 



Among the more important measures that re- 

 ceived the signature of the Governor were the 

 following: 



Authorizing the State to cede to the United 

 States Government a part of Hart's island, in the 

 harbor of New York, for a lighthouse and signal 

 station. 



Appropriating $80,000 for the Quarantine Com- 

 mission for reclaiming land and erecting a building 

 for cabin passengers at Hoffman island. 



Providing for an additional justice of the city 

 court of New York city and additional attendants. 



Defining the jurisdiction of the commissioners 

 of deeds within the Greater New York and ratify- 

 ing certain acts performed by them. 



Appropriating $39,000 for expenses incurred in 

 the prosecution of the violators of the election law 

 in the metropolitan election district, the Gardiner 

 investigation, and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit 

 investigation. 



Amending the election law to provide that in- 

 spectors of election in New York city shall re- 

 ceive $7.50 for each registration day and revision 

 of registration for special elections: $7 for Election 

 Day and $5 for count of votes: poll clerks slmll 

 receive the same :is inspectors for count of votes, 

 and ballot clerks $8 each. 



To permit the county treasurer of any county 

 and the comptroller of New York city, \\ith tin 

 consent of the State Comptroller, to settle traii-tei 

 tax suits on certain estates. 



Authorizing New York city to raise $10.000 to 

 pay the back salary or per diem compensation of 

 city employees who enlisted in the army or navy 

 during the war with Spain to which they would 



