During the two years ending September 30, 1905, the expenditures of the State charitable institutions for new buildings, improvements, etc., were $1,155,507.85, as compared with $609,057.20 for the preceding two years, an increase of $463,450.65.

The population in 1905 was 8,367; the population in 1903 was 8,349. The increase in population in two years was 18.

Two circumstances account for this large increase in expenditures. The first was the necessity for providing accommodations for increased population in the institutions for defectives,-the feeble-minded at Newark and Rome and the epileptics at Sonyea; the second resulted from the creation of new institutions and the conversion of old ones to new uses. This included the establishment of the New York State Hospital for the Treatment of Incipient Pulmonary Tuberculosis at Ray Brook, the purchase at West Haverstraw of a new home for the New York State Hospital for Crippled and Deformed Children, formerly located at Tarrytown, which had outgrown its original quarters, the conversion of the State Industrial School at Rochester into an industrial and agricultural school, and its removal and establishment upon a fifteen hundred acre farm in the town of Rush, and the conversion of the House of Refuge for Wemen at Hudson, a reformatory for women, into a training school for girls under sixteen years of age. A change similar to that occurring in the State Industrial School is under way at the New York House of Refuge at Randall's Island.

The immediate effect of the conversion of the institution at Hudson into a training school for girls was to stop all commitments of female misdemeanants sixteen years of age or over to that institution, crowding the two remaining reformatories for women at Albion and Bedford to the limit of their capacity and

compelling the erection of two additional cottages at each of these institutions. Further than that, the change at Hudson stopped the commitment of girls to the State Industrial School at Rochester and the New York House of Refuge at Randall's Island, leaving these two institutions, which had capacities of 900 and 1,000 respectively, with populations of 609 and 703, respectively.

A COMPARISON OF ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES.

A comparison of the cost of maintenance for the sixteen institutions, exclusive of Ray Brook, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1905, and the preceding year shows that but for the large increase in salaries and wages, the total cost of maintenance for 1905 would have been lower than in 1904.

In making this comparison the New York State Hospital for the Treatment of Incipient Pulmonary Tuberculosis at Ray Brook has been omitted for the reason that it did not enter into last year's figures in any way, the year ending September 30, 1905, being the first full year that it has been in operation. In all of the comparisons which follow, therefore, Ray Brook is not counted.

The total cost of maintenance was $1,438,161.52 as compared with $1,434,983.68, an increase of $3,177.84. The average total population of these fifteen institutions was 8.280.94 as compared with 8,385.14 for the preceding year, a decrease of 104.2. While the total increase in the cost of maintenance was only $3.177.84 there was an increase in salaries and wages of $20,588.58, which increase is accounted for by increases in salaries allowed by the Salary Classification Commission.

Decreased expenditures are shown under seven of the twelve divisions of the estimate, viz: Expenses of managers, provisions,

household stores, fuel and light, hospital and medical supplies, shop, farm and garden, and ordinary repairs, while increases are shown under salaries and wages, clothing, transportation of inmates, and miscellaneous. Salaries and wages, while counted together cover two divisions of the estimate one and two. The aggregate of the decreases was $23,980.90, while the increases aggregated $27,158.74.

While the total expenditures under a majority of the divisions of the estimate show decreases, the average per capita expenses show an increase under all but three divisions of the estimate, i. e., household stores, hospital and medical supplies and ordinary repairs. This is accounted for by the unsettled conditions resulting from the creation of new institutions and the conversion of old ones to new uses, which I already have discussed. When large institutions like the Elmira Reformatory, the House of Refuge at Randall's Island, and the State Industrial School in Rochester are fully manned, an increase in the population reduces the per capita cost, while a decrease in the population increases the per capita cost. The population at Elmira has fallen off about 100, at Randall's Island more than 150, and at Rochester more than 200. In addition to that, the fact that Rochester is practically maintaining two separate institutions, one at the new site at Rush and one in its old quarters in the city of Rochester, largely increases its per capita expenditure for salaries and

wages.

Taken as a whole, the financial showing of the charitable institutions for the past year is a very satisfactory one.

A comparison of the itemized expenditures of the fifteen institutions is interesting as showing where savings have been made, and where increases have occurred in the cost of maintenance.

A year ago, out of the total increase in expenditures for these institutions of $11,423.93, the increase in salaries and wages was $8,700.21, or about 75 per cent. This year, with a total increase of $3,177.84, salaries and wages show an increase of $20,588.58. This comparatively large increase is traceable to the difficulties encountered in several years past in securing help for the charitable institutions owing to the fact that the salaries paid in those institutions were not as large for the same class of work as were paid in the State hospitals for the insane. These conditions were inquired into by the Salary Classification Commission with the result that some increases in salary were allowed by that Commission with a view to equalizing to a certain extent the salaries in the charitable institutions and the State hospitals for the insane.

At the Western House of Refuge for Women at Albion salaries and wages increased from $14,871.08 to $15,347.17, an increase of $476.09, but a per capita decrease of $20.27, the population at Albion increasing from 144.60 to 185.88. During the past three years the per capita expenditures for salaries and wages have decreased steadily as the population increased. Three years ago, with a population of 117.66, the per capita expenditure for salaries and wages was $123.80. Two years ago the population increased to 128.37, the per capita expenditure for salaries and wages dropping to $114.28. A year ago, with a population of 144.6, the per capita expenditure for salaries and wages dropped to $102.84, and this year, with a population of 185.88, it dropped to $82.57. This is a fair illustration of the manner in which per capitas decrease as population increases.

At the New York State School for the Blind at Batavia the total expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $22,

752.35 to $24,289.08, an increase of $1,536.73, while the per capita expenditure decreased from $178.52 to $177.62, a per capita decrease of 90 cents.

At the New York State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Bath the total expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $74,357.82 to $75,231.30, an increase of $873.48, while the per capita expenditure decreased from $11.67 to $41.45, a decrease of 22

cents.

At the New York State Reformatory for Women at Bedford the expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $22,396.09 to $23,787.22, an increase of $1,391.13, while the per capita expenditure decreased from $106.02 to $105.00, a decrease of $1.02.

At the New York State Reformatory at Elmira the total expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $92,369.31 to $100,591.85, an increase of $8.222.54. At the same time the per capita expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $66.56 to $77.67, an increase of $11.11. This increase is accounted for by the increase in salaries of employees allowed by the Salary Classification Commission, guards receiving $60 a month and maintenance, while the schedule used to allow them $50 a month and maintenance. The increased per capita expenditure is further magnified by the reduction of over 100 in the population of the institution.

At the New York State Training School for Girls at Hudson the total expenditure for salaries and wages increased from $22,919.92 to $24,154.60, an increase of $1,234.68, while the per capita expenditure decreased from $136.75 to $131.17, a per capita decrease of $5.58. The fact that the population at Hudson increased from 167.61 to 184.15 accounts for the reduction in the per capita expenditure.