494, 



NEW YORK. 



which time the Legislature passed the following 

 bills: 



Providing for the appointment by the Governor 

 of a supervisor of elections fora district larger than 

 the city of New York. This measure, known as the 

 Metropolitan Election bill, had for its object the 

 removal of the control of the election from the 

 New York City Police Board, which had become a 

 partisan body by the removal of the Republican 

 members bv Mayor Van Wyck. This bill was 

 promptly signed, and the nomination of John 

 McCullagh as State Superintendent of Elections, 

 made by the Governor, was immediately confirmed. 



Appropriating $500,000 for expenses of the Na- 

 tional Guard and the Naval Militia. 



Providing for the balloting of soldiers serving 

 with the United States army. 



Providing for absolute bipartisan representation 

 on boards of election inspectors. 



Law. The annual report of the Attorney-Gen- 

 eral showed that during 1897 but 9 actions were 

 begun against corporations for the purpose of dis- 

 solving them. More than 500 opinions were written 

 on various questions referred to the Attorney-Gen- 

 eral for determination. For violation of the agri- 

 cultural law 683 actions or proceedings were begun, 

 and application was made asking that 26 other ac- 

 tions be begun. The number of actions in which 

 the Attorney-General appeared for the people were : 

 Certiorari, 23 ; quo ivarranto, 2 ; mandamus, 6 ; in- 

 junction, 2 ; miscellaneous, 57; and the enforcement 

 of bond, 6. Papers have also been received in 

 proceedings of voluntary dissolution of corpora- 

 tions, 138; in proceedings for the sequestration of 

 corporations' assets, 61 ; in partition suits, 6 ; and 

 in foreclosure of mortgages, 27. During the year 

 234 claims against the State were filed with the 

 State Court of Claims, while 403 claims, aggregat- 

 ing $682,323, were considered by the court, the 

 award therein amounting to $181,141. 



He called attention to the adverse decisions of 

 the courts on the antitrust law. The decisions, he 

 said, have made the law nugatory, instead of sim- 

 plifying practice and enabling an examination to 

 be made for the purpose of determining the exist- 

 ence of a trust. "'Outside of the legal questions 

 under review,'' he added, " it may be said that the 

 statute contains defects which probably make the 

 law of very little utility." 



He treated at length the tax question. In rela- 

 tion to threatened prosecutions against local assess- 

 ors for alleged failure to assess property, he says : 

 "Threats of criminal prosecution against officials 

 whose duties are quasi judicial will accomplish 

 nothing except to make the amount of equality 

 more glaring in the future. There can be no ques- 

 tion that the tax laws of the State require careful 

 revision. A com mission com posed of men who have 

 had judicial experience and who are free from bias 

 could undoubtedly make recommendations which 

 will be at once both practical and beneficial." 



Banks. These are under the supervision of a 

 State superintendent, who is appointed for three 

 years, and receives a salary of $5,000. The incum- 

 bent during the year was Frederick D. Kilburn, 

 whose term of office expires on May 9, 1899. The 

 resources of the savings banks of the State at the 

 close of the year ending June 30 were $889,000,000, 

 an increase of $20,000,000 during I lit- six months 

 previous. During the year the sum of $285,227,049 



Si~ecl over the tellers' desks of savings banks in 

 renter New York. Of this sum, $146.611,878 was 

 deposits, and $138.615,171 was withdrawn. The 

 banks of Manhattan received $109,212.163 on de- 

 posit, and paid out $103,182,421. There ar> 370 

 (Miilding and loan and co-operative savings and loan 

 associations, of which 86 are in New York County. 



Of these. 44 are national and 317 local associations. 

 The local co-operative associations showed total as- 

 sets of $37,385,642, with receipts of $19,034,384, and 

 cash on hand $1,656,856. The number of shares in 

 force Dec. 81. 1897, was 732,870, of which 189,089 

 were issued during the year, 197,867 being with- 

 drawn during the same period. During the year 

 292 mortgages were foreclosed, $5,820,264 was loaned 

 on mortgage and $804,909 on other securities, 

 $7,739,464 paid on withdrawals, dues, and profits, 

 $767,669 on matured shares, and $1,152,355 of bor- 

 rowed money. The expenses were $194,024, and 

 other disbursements $348,175. In the "nationals" 

 the same items show: Total assets. $24,199,077 : re- 

 ceipts, $14,964,504; cash on hand, $677,987. Shares 

 in force Dec. 31, 1897, were 882,793. of which 375,- 

 935 were issued during 1896, while 318,349 were 

 withdrawn. During the year 431 mortgages were 

 foreclosed, $5,043,498 was loaned on mortgage, $629,- 

 136 on other securities, $3,853,221 paid on with- 

 drawals, dues, and profits, $135,056 on matured 

 shares, and $279,190 of borrowed money returned. 

 The expenses were $595,147, and " other disburse- 

 ments " $1,225,926. 



Insurance. The care of the insurance interests 

 of the State is under the charge of a superintend- 

 ent, who receives $7,000 a year, and holds office for 

 five years. The present incumbent is Louis F. 

 Payn, who was appointed on Feb. 11, 1897. His 

 report shows that the assets of life insurance com- 

 panies on Dec. 31, 1897, were $1,334,051,344.68, an 

 increase of $105,727,002.94. Of this amount Ne\\ 

 York State companies have $801,879,708.36 ; com- 

 panies of other States, $532,171,636.32. The ag- 

 gregate of premium notes and loans show a de- 

 crease of $29,061,785.17 during 1897, while deferred 

 and uncollected premiums have decreased $142,N(it;.- 

 83. The liabilities of the several companies, ex- 

 cepting $9,740,500 of capital stock, are $1,148,249, 

 329.87. The increase was $94,641,191.80. The lia- 

 bilities of New York State companies as reported 

 are $687,020,233.06; companies of other States. 

 $461,229,096.81. The gross divisible surplus is: 

 New York State companies, $114.859,475.30; com- 

 panies of other States, $70,942,539.51; aggregate. 

 $185,802,014.81. The aggregate receipts of New 

 York State companies were $183,652,785.96, an 

 increase over 1896 of $13,620,599.65 ; other com- 

 panies, $117.615,393.22, making the gross receipts 

 $301,268,179.18. and the gross increase over the re- 

 ceipts of the preceding year $21,895,072.39. The 

 disbursements were $20"5,866,393.05, an increase 

 of $6,693.094.23 ; $92,688.305.50 was paid for claims, 

 $26,431,311.98 for lapsed and surrendered policies 

 $18,425,197.25 in dividends to policy holders, s : 

 553.80 in dividends to stockholders, $31.252.634.3.'! 

 for commissions, $16,513,883.06 for salaries aim 

 medical examiners' fees and $19,815.507.13 for mis- 

 cellaneous purposes. This classification shows tha~, 

 $137,544,814.73 was paid to policy holders, whilu 

 the cost of management, including dividends to 

 stockholders, was $68,321,578.32. 



Excise. The collection of the excise dues U 

 under the charge of a commissioner, who serves for 

 five years and receives a salary of $5,000. Tha 

 incumbent during the year was Henry II. Lymai , 

 whose term of office will expire April i, 1901. His 

 reports show that the total amount received IVr 

 liquor-tax certificates, transfers, and fines durin J 

 the fiscal year ending Oct. 1, 1898. was $12,640.718 - 

 01 ; county treasurers' fees, $60,277.31 ; net. balance 

 for fiscal year. $12,580.440.70 Of this amount the 

 State received $4,216,278.24; towns and cities re- 

 ceived $8,364,162.46. The total number of liquor- 

 tax certificates of all kinds issued were :!1.499; 

 number of certificates in force Oct. 1. 27,897: totul 

 number of certificates surrendered and canceled for 



