1

time previous to conference, whether the papers on which such difference arose are before the house receding, formally or informally; and . on such vote to recede the same number shall be required to constitute a quorum to act thereon, and to assent to such receding, as was required on the original question out of which the difference arose.

RULE 7. After each house shall have adhered to their disagreement, the bill which is the subject of difference shall be deemed lost, and shall not be again revived during the same session in either house.

RULE 8. All joint committees of the two houses, and all committees of conference, shall consist of three senators and five members of assembly, unless otherwise specially ordered by concurrent resolution. RULE 9. No bill which shall have passed one house shall have its final reading in the other in less than two days thereafter, without the consent of two-thirds of the members thereof present; and whenever ten or more bills shall be in readiness for final reading in either house, such house shall forthwith proceed to the final reading of such bills, under the order of "third reading of bills," and continue the same from day to day until all such bills, then in readiness for final reading, shall have been read, unless this order of business shall, by the vote of two-thirds of the members present, be suspended or laid on the table. All such bills shall, have their last reading in each house in the order in which the same shall have been ordered to a final reading in such house, unless the bill to be read be laid on the table. In all cases where a bill shall be so ordered to lie on the table, it shall retain its place in the order of the final reading of bills, but shall not be called up for consideration unless by a vote of a majority of the members present.

RULE 10. The same bill shall not, specially or by name, create, renew or continue more than one incorporation, nor contain any provisions in relation to the altering of more than one incorporation by name; but this rule shall not be construed to apply to corporations to be formed under general laws according to the eighth article of the Constitution, nor to bills for consolidating corporations. After any

bill has been reported by a committee, no amendment shall be made thereto which introduces an entirely new and different subject-matter from the subject-matter of the bill reported.

RULE 11. Whenever there shall be an election of officers by the joint action of the two houses, the result shall be certified by the president of the senate and speaker of the assembly, and shall be reported by the presiding officer of each house to their respective houses, and be entered on the journals of each, and shall be communicated to the governor by the clerks of the two houses.

RULE 12. There shall be printed, of course, and without order, 639 copies of all original bills reported by committees of either house, and 800 copies of all messages from the governor (except messages certifying his approval of bills), all reports of standing or select committees, and all reports or communications made in pursuance of law, and 796 copies of the journal of each house, which number shall be denominated the usual number.

RULE 13. Neither house shall order the printing or purchasing of books for the use of members or for distribution, except by joint resolution, upon which the ayes and noes shall be called, and which must receive the votes of a majority of each house; and no printing shall be done by order of either house, which is not embraced in the con

tract for doing the public printing. Whenever either house shall order more than the usual number of any message or document, the fact shall be communicated immediately by message to the other. Whenever extra copies of any document, or publication of any kind, shall be ordered printed, the printer shall be authorized and required to deliver to the trustees of the State library at least five copies in addition to the number so ordered, for the use of the said library; and whenever more than five hundred copies are so ordered, the printer shall in like manner furnish five additional copies for each five hundred, for the purpose of literary exchanges.

RULE 14. When the same document shall by separate orders be directed to be printed by both houses, it shall be regarded as but one order, unless otherwise expressly directed by either house.

RULE 15. In the distribution of documents, the governor and elective State officers, and State officers appointed by the governor and senate, or elected by joint or concurrent action of the two houses, adjutant-general and the clerks of the two houses shall each have the same number as each of the members; and a specified number may be added for any committee, officer or author of a document.

RULE 16. The superintendent of documents of each house shall receive from the printer all matter ordered by the respective houses, and shall keep a book and enter therein the time of reception by him of every such bill or document, and the number of copies received, and shall cause each and any of such bill or document to be immediately placed on the desks of the members.

RULE 17. There shall be printed six hundred and thirty-nine bills, and distributed as follows:

There shall be printed three hundred and ten messages and documents, and distributed as follows:

There shall be printed three hundred journals of each house, and distributed as follows:

There shall be printed to bind four hundred and ninety-six journals of each house, and the same number of messages and documents, and distributed as follows:

For the senate

For the assembly..

For senate library..
For assembly library

38 copies. 140 copies.

16 copies. 50 copies.

1

For the counties and public officers...
For literary and scientific exchanges, to be made by the
regents of the university, including one copy for each
State and territory, and one copy for each of the regents
who are not otherwise provided for
For State library.

....

123 copies.

124 copies.

5 copies.

There shall also be printed and bound for the State library five copies of the Session Laws, and also of the journal of each house, and fifty-five copies of the same, for the regents of the university, for the purpose of literary exchanges.

The clerk of each house shall forthwith, after the journal thereof of each day is approved, deliver a legible copy thereof to the printer for the two houses, who shall have the same printed and delivered to the sergeant-at-arms of each house within forty-eight hours thereafter.

RULE 18. There shall be a standing committee, consisting of three members of the senate and five members of the assembly, to be called the joint committee on the State library and cabinet of natural history.

RULE 19. The supply bill and the annual appropriation bill shall be reported by the fifteenth day of March, and printed immediately thereafter, and made the special order for the twenty-fifth day of March, or some day prior thereto, immediately after the reading of the journal.

RULE 20. No bill introduced after the fifteenth day of March in either house shall have its final reading in either house until all bills previously introduced in either, and sent from one house to the other house for concurrence and ready for third reading, shall be disposed of, unless by unanimous consent, except the supply bill and the annual appropriation bill; and the clerk of each house shall note on such engrossed bill the day on which it was introduced, and the day on which it was received from the other house, and shall announce such facts when the same is proposed to be read a third time.

RULE 21. When a bill originated in the senate or assembly shall have been lost in either house, neither the same nor any other bill on the same subject, and containing similar provisions, shall be subsequently introduced into the senate or assembly during the same session, unless by unanimous consent.

RULE 22. The postmaster of each house shall weigh and stamp all documents sent by mail or express, and enter in a book to be kept by him for that purpose, the amount of postage or express charge thereon, and report to the clerk of the respective houses the aggregate thereof weekly; and the assistant postmaster of each house shall enter in a book to be kept by him for that purpose an accurate account of all documents, with the postage or express charges paid thereon, transmitted from the post-office of their respective houses by mail or express, and report the aggregate thereof weekly to the respective clerks of the senate and assembly; and the clerks of the senate and assembly shall, from time to time, furnish to the postmaster of each house, respectively, the stamps requisite for carrying into execution this rule, and an account thereof shall be kept by them in books to be by them provided for that purpose,; and the books kept by the postmaster and assistant postmaster, above specified, shall be, at all times, open to the inspection of the clerks and members of each house respectively.

No. 8.

IN ASSEMBLY,

FEBRUARY 3, 1882.

REPORT

OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION, AUTHORIZED TO INVESTIGATE THE BUILDING AND LEASING OF DOCKS, PIERS, BULK-HEADS AND MATTERS RELATING THERETO, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

ALBANY, January 10, 1882.

To the Assembly of the State of New York:

The undersigned have the honor to present the following report of the committee appointed in pursuance of resolutions adopted by the assembly, respectively on March 24 and May 5, to investigate the subject of leasing and building of piers in the city of New York, and matters relating thereto, as follows:

Resolved, That the committee on commerce and navigation be directed to investigate the subject of the leasing and building of piers in the city of New York, and matters relating thereto; that the committee be authorized to sit in New York and send for persons and papers, and employ a stenographer at a compensation not to exceed fifteen cents per folio.

Adopted March 24.

And the following:

Resolved, That the committee on commerce and navigation, authorized to investigate and examine the subject of leasing and building docks, piers and bulk-heads, and matters relating thereto, in the city of New York, be empowered to employ an expert and stenographer to assist said committee in the discharge of its duties, which shall include all matters relating to the department of docks of the city of New York. The said committee is hereby authorized to continue said investigation and examinations during the recess of the legislature, with full powers to send for persons, books, vouchers and all papers, and to report to the next assembly on or before the 10th day of January, 1882, with the evidence taken.

The committee have held its sessions in the city of New York, and examined eighty-nine witnesses, representing the shipping, steamship and canal-boat interest, the maritime and produce exchanges, dock-builders, harbor-masters and others who have had business relations with the dock department, or the water privileges of the city of New York. They suggested to the committee a variety of inquiries touching the subject-matter of our investigation, and the committee have endeavored to make the investigation as thorough and complete as possible. At the outset, your committee discovered that there was a conflict of interests touching every subject likely to come before it for examination.

The first question taken up was that of shedding piers and bulkheads. A number of gentlemen connected with the Maritime Association and Produce Exchange, and others engaged in the shipping interest, appeared before your committee, as the testimony will show, and complained that, under chapter 249 of the Laws of 1875, the dock commissioners had leased nearly all of the piers available for heavy-draft sailing vessels to the steamship companies, so that only a few were left for general commerce. In many instances, as the evidence shows, ships, with cargoes consigned to the city of New York, were obliged to unload at piers in Brooklyn, and that it has frequently happened that vessels have been obliged to wait for days and in some cases weeks before they could obtain berths. to discharge cargo. Many witnesses who testify upon this question express the opinion that the dock commissioners have been protecting foreign commerce at the expense of American shipping, coasting and local commerce; and the testimony upon the subject justifies the cause of complaint. Under the act of 1875, whenever a party or association leases a wharf or pier in the city of New York, and that wharf or pier is shedded, under the direction of the dock commissioners, it becomes, to all intents and purposes, during the period of the lease, the private property of the lessee. The lessee has the exclusive and absolute use of and control over such pier, and can determine the rate of wharfage that shall be paid by any person desiring a berth at such pier; and unless such demands are acceded to and paid as they see fit to charge, and notwithstanding there may be vacant berths at such piers, the vessel is not allowed to load or unload at that pier. In this connection, upon the statement made by the commissioners to your committee, there are but five or six unshedded piers upon the North river, and they are unfit for heavydraft vessels to land or unload at. The North river, prior to 1875, was practically given over to regular lines of steamship and railroad companies.

By the act of 1875 all deep-water piers upon the East river were reserved for sailing vessels regularly "employed in foreign commerce," and having a draught of more than eighteen feet of water. Several of them, however, have been shedded."

Your committee desire specially to call the attention of the legislature to the fact that the words "foreign commerce" used in the