IN ASSEMBLY,

January 21, 1831.

ANNUAL REPORT

Of Horace Turner, an Inspector of Beef and Pork for the town of Lansingburgh in the county of Rensselaer.

To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New-York.

I, Horace Turner, Inspector of beef and pork, residing in the town of Lansingburgh in the county of Rensselaer, hereby certify and

REPORT:

That since my last return I have inspected in the whole, of beef and pork 2,884 barrels of the following qualities, to wit;

2,884 barrels at 15 cents per barrel amounting to $432_60

January 19, 1831.

[A. No. 65.]

1

HORACE TURNER.

IN ASSEMBLY,

January 25, 1831.

REPORT

Of the Secretary of State, giving an Abstract of the Returns of the Superintendents of the Poor in the

several Counties.

STATE OF NEW-YORK, Į

SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

Albany, Jan. 25, 1831.

The Secretary of State, in obedience to the provisions of the statute for "the relief and support of indigent persons,"

RESPECTFULLY REPORTS:

That copies of the annexed circular, and form for the reports of superintendents, (marked A,) were transmitted to the several county clerks in June last.

On the last day of December, thirty counties were delinquent; and circulars were sent to these counties by mail, enclosing a duplicate of the form, and urging the superintendents to make their reports without delay. Reports or letters have since been received from twenty-one counties, and nine are still delinquent. Those counties in which the superintendents have omitted either to report, or to assign any reason for the omission, are Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauque, Kings, Orange, Schenectady, Sullivan and Yates.

It is made the duty of the Secretary of State, by the statute before referred to, (section 79,) to present annually to the Legislature, "during the first month of its session, an abstract of the returns and reports" received from the superintendents of the poor of the several counties. This abstract is given in the tables appended to this report, and marked B and C.

It will be seen by reference to these tables, that the whole number of town and county paupers relieved or supported during the past year, in the forty-four counties which have made returns, is 15,506.

The total number of paupers received into the poor-houses during the year, is 11,515.

The total number of paupers in the poor-houses of thirty-seven counties, on the 1st of December 1830, was 4,566. Of this latter number, 2,110 were in the New-York alms-house, and 2,456 in 36 other counties, averaging 68 in each county. Assuming this average for the eighteen counties which have not a poor-house, or have not reported, and it gives 1,224, and would make the total number in the poor-houses on the first of December last, 5,790.

The average number of paupers for the year, probably would not exceed the number in the poor-houses on the 1st of December. If so, the total expense of their support, over and above their earnings, and the cost of the poor-house establishments at the average cost in those counties from which reports have been received, would be $173,230.80 cents.

The total cost of the poor-house establishments in thirty-four counties, is $191,348.64 cents, averaging $5,627.90 cents each. Taking this average for twenty counties which have not returned the value of their poor-houses, and it makes the total expense of the poor-houses in all the counties except New-York, $303,906.64 cts. : add to this the cost of the alms-house establishment in New-York, and it makes the aggregate cost of poor-house establishments in the State $865,406.64 cents; which, at an interest of six per cent, gives $51,924.39 cents, making the total annual expense of supporting all the paupers in the State $225,161.19 cents.

This estimate is based upon the assumption that the number of paupers in the poor-houses on the 1st December would be the average number for the year; and that they are to be supported in the poor-houses at $29.92 cents per year each.

The whole expense of supporting town and county paupers in forty-four counties, as will be seen by reference to the 4th column of Abstract B, is $216,535.00: deducting New-York, and the average is $3,021.79 cents for each of the forty-three counties, making returns of the amount paid; and this average multiplied by ten coun

ties from which the returns are deficient, gives $30,217.90 cents; making the aggregate expense of supporting the poor in the State, by the different modes now adopted, $246,752.90 cents.

The estimate of expense for the support of paupers, as given in the 4th column of Abstract B, does not embrace generally any allowance for the expense of the poor-house establishments; and in some cases, the amount paid to overseers, justices, &c. is not included.

It will be scen by reference to the second column of Abstract C, that the total cost of all the poor-house establishments is $757,257. 64 cents.

This probably embraces all the poor-houses now built.

The total number born in these poor-houses during the year, was 108; died, 863; bound out, 298; discharged, 4,563; absconded, 504. Of the persons relieved during the year, there were 2,398 foreigners, 345 lunatics, 361 idiots, and 32 mutes.

Of the persons in the poor-houses on the 1st December, (excepting therefrom the alms-house in New-York,) there were 1,151 females, and 1,199 males: Total, 2,350.

Of the females, there were of 16 years of age and under, 339; males of the like age, 337: total, 676. This does not include any of the children in the New-York alms-house, where there are 550 of 11 years of age and under.

The paper marked D, shows the number of children in each poorhouse, and the arrangements which have been made for their instruction. As ignorance is one of the assigned causes of pauperism, it is desirable that in providing for the support of the poor, provision in all cases should be made for removing, so far as relates to the tenants of the poor-house, this cause of pauperism. It ought to be made imperative upon the superintendents in every case, to provide means of instruction for all the children under their charge, who are of suítable age to go to school. In the New-York alms-house, an excellent school is kept in which about 300 children are constantly taught on the monitorial plan. This is the school at Bellevue, as returned by the public school society, and which shares in the school money of the state and city.