492 



NEW YORK. 



Copyright, 1897, Rockwood, Jf . Y. 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT, 

 GOVERNOR OP NEW YORK. 



$2,120,086: school tax, $4,043,065 ; inheritance tax, 

 $1,997,210; excise tax, $4,215,800; corporation or- 

 ganization tax, $334,812; and annual tax on cor- 

 porations, $2,162,434. The expenditures during the 

 fiscal year exceeded those of last year by $3,393,727. 

 The State tax rate is 2.08 mills, compared with 

 2.67 mills in 1897. This is the lowest rate adopted 



by the Legislature 

 since 1856, except 

 in 1891 and 1892, 

 when the large 

 amount refunded 

 by the national 

 Government to the 

 State allowed an 

 abnormally low 

 rate. It is distrib- 

 uted as follows : 

 For canals, 0.17; 

 for schools, 0.84 ; 

 for canal mainte- 

 nance, 0.19 ; for 

 canal special ap- 

 propriations, 0.07; 

 for State care of 

 the insane, 0.81 ; 

 total, 2.08. The 

 general appropri- 

 ations made by 

 the Legislature, in- 

 cluding the appropriation bill carrying $6,372,262.06, 

 and the supply and supplemental supply bills appro- 

 priating $1, 850,000, amounted to $10,112,605.86. To 

 this are added appropriations made in 1897, but not 

 included in the tax levy of that year, amounting to 

 $630,000, making $10,742,605.86. The estimated 

 revenues from the corporation tax, inheritance tax, 

 liquor tax, and other sources, including a surplus 

 of $1,533,707.92, is $10,749,457.92, leaving only 

 $6,852.06 to be raised by taxation for general pur- 

 poses. The appropriations for canal bridges and 

 repairs amount to* $224,126.14. and deducting a 

 surplus of $29,000 the amount to be raised for this 

 purpose is $195,126. 14. The free-school tax amounts 

 to $4,112,200. 



Valuation. The State assessors during the year 

 were Martin Heennaiice, Rollin L. Jenkins, and 

 Edward C. Adams, each of whom received an an- 

 nual salary of $2,500. The report of the commis- 

 sion for 1897 shows that the* total assessment of 

 real and personal property was $4,999,268,900, of 

 which $4,349,882,088 was real and $649,386,812 per- 

 sonal. Comparing with 1896. this is an increase of 

 $308,055,502 in real and $105,075,255 in personal 

 property: a total of $413,130,757. Of the total as- 

 sessed value of real estate, $1,787,066,091 is credited 

 to New York, an increase of $55,556,948; $570,107,- 

 742 to Kings, an increase of $14,796,745 ; $106.139,- 

 634 to Queens, an increase of $23,266,973; $24,- 

 371,551 to Richmond, an increase of $3.831,398; 

 $45,049,701 to Suffolk, an increase of $26,070.655 ; 

 and $168,034.356 to Westchester County, an in- 

 crease of realty assessment of $73,640,727. Of the 

 total assessed value of personal property, $380,217,- 

 <)_':; is in New York, an increase of $5,241.261; in 

 Kings. *:$:UW8,721, ttn increase of $6,152,087; in 

 Queens, $4,336,643, an increase of $1,864,193: in 

 Uiehmond. $1,628,709, an increase of $1,513,484; 

 in Suffolk, $5,421,543, an increase of $3.626.958; 

 and in Wcstchester County $24,057.229. The total 

 increase in assessable values was $413,130,707, as 

 compared with $138,272,791 for the year previous. 



Legislative Session. The regular session of the 

 Legislature began on Jan. 5, 1898, and continued 

 until March 31. As elected, the Senate consisted of 

 :!"> I Republicans, 14 Democrats, and 1 Independent 

 Republican, and the Assembly of 79 Republicans, 



68 Democrats, 2 Independent Republicans, and 1 

 National Democrat. Timothy E. Ellsworth was 

 continued as President pro tern, of the Senate, and 

 James M. E. O'Grady was chosen Speaker of the 

 Assembly. The Legislature passed 849 bills, of 

 which 676 were approved by the Governor. 



By far the most important bills were those au- 

 thorizing the appointment of a commission to in- 

 vestigate the expenditure of $9,000,000 on the 

 canals and the consideration of other matters affect- 

 ing the canals before the Legislature, and extending 

 the time of the Canal Investigation Commission to 

 July 1, 1898, to report to the Governor and allow- 

 ing the Governor to extend it until Aug. 1, 1898. 



Other measures enacted were : 



Authorizing the Governor to appoint a commis- 

 sion of five to inquire into the expediency of revis- 

 ing the tax laws. 



Providing that within thirty days after this act 

 takes effect the Governor shall appoint a commission 

 of five persons to examine into the commerce of New 

 York, the cause of its decline and the means of its- 

 revival, together with a summary of conclusions to 

 be drawn therefrom, and to suggest such legislation 

 as they deem advisable relating thereto. 



Amending the town and election law to permit 

 biennial town elections in autumn, and providing 

 that the Board of Supervisors of any county may, by 

 resolution adopted at an annual meeting of such 

 board, fix a time when the biennial town meetings 

 in such county shall be held, and such time, when 

 so fixed, shall not be changed for the period of four 

 years. 



Authorizing cities of the first and second class, 

 in the discretion of those officers or bodies of such 

 cities that have charge of the appropriation of the 

 public funds, to purchase works of art. which must 

 be the production of professional artists who arc 

 citizens of the United States. 



Authorizing cities of the third class to expend 

 $200 annually for a Memorial-Day observance. 



Legalizing assessments made on the estate of a] 

 decedent, instead of on his personal representatives. 



Authorizing executors and trustees to acquire on 

 exchange lands for certain purposes. 



Providing that an adopted child to receive, free 

 of taxation, a bequest of property from a foster 

 parent, must have been adopted before its fifteenth 

 year, and the relationship must have existed for at 

 least ten years. 



Providing that all investments of money by 8. 

 trust company chartered by a special act prior t<> 

 May 18, 1892, shall be at its sole risk, and that it-; 

 capital stock and property shall be liable, with tin- 

 exceptions provided in the general law governing 

 trust-company investments. 



Amending the banking law to permit saving;; 

 banks to invest in the first-mortgage bonds of any 

 railroad corporation of this State the principal 

 part of whose railroad is located within this State. 



Providing that insurance companies organized 

 exclusively for the purpose of insuring cheese fac-^ 

 tories and creameries may extend their business l<> 

 any number of counties, not exceeding one count/ 

 for each $100,000 of insurance in force. 



Revising the military code. 



Amending the public-health law, to provide that 

 every practitioner of dentistry must display in i 

 conspicuous place upon the house or in the officj 

 wherein he practices his full name. If there ar? 

 more chairs than one in any office, or " dental par- 

 lor," the name of the practitioner using each chair 

 must be displayed on or by said chair in plain sight 

 of the patient. 



Providing that any person who represents liin - 

 self or herself to be a member of, or who claims to 

 represent, a labor organization which does not exbt 



