the construction of buildings at the Middletown State Hospital. The Commission is to consist of the State Engineer, the Chairman of the State Hospital Commission, the State Architect, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, two members to be appointed by the Governor, and one member of the Legislature, who shall be a minority member of one of the financial committees of the Legislature, to be named by the minority leaders of the Senate and the Assembly. The measure in brief provides for a survey of the State hospitals for the insane, the development and adoption of a plan to provide for the present surplus and the future increase in patients, and directs the Commission to recommend to the Legislature each year the appropriation necessary to complete one-tenth of the entire hospital development plan. The measure also provides for the investigation of the problem of the care of the feebleminded and the development of a plan for its solution. When the feeble-minded problem is under consideration the Fiscal Supervisor shall take the place of the Chairman of the State Hospital Commission, and the Secretary of the State Board of Charities shall take the place of the State Engineer. Chapter 211 of the Laws of 1917 amends the Insanity Law in relation to State farms and institutions by providing that the Commissioner of Agriculture shall make definite studies of the institution farms. The Commissioner of Agriculture is instructed to give such directions as he deems best for the proper care and development of institution farm lands and the production and distribution of the crops thereof. These directions when issued shall be carried into effect by the superintendent or other person in charge of the farms. The approval and appraisal of the Commissioner of Agriculture is required for all future purchases of farm lands. Chapter 142 of the Laws of 1917 creates a commission to investigate the methods of purchasing materials and supplies for State departments, boards, commissions, offices, and institutions, and directs that it report thereon to the Legislature of 1918. The Commission is to consist of the State Comptroller, the Superintendent of State Prisons, the Superintendent of Public Works, the Chairman of the State Hospital Commission, the Fiscal Supervisor of State Charities, the Commissioner of Education, and the Secretary of the Trustees of Public Buildings. Chapter 205 of the Laws of 1917 is designed to assure an adequate food supply and the production thereof in the State of New York. It creates the New York State Food Supply Commission, which is to consist of the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Education, the Dean of the New York State College of Agriculture, the State Director of Farm Bureaus, the Commissioner of Foods and Markets, and four other members appointed by the Governor. The Commission has the power to adopt all necessary measures to assure an adequate food supply in the State, and the production of such supply by co-operating with the various State departments. It provides that, with the approval of the Governor, additional assistants may be employed by any State department. The Commission may buy and distribute at cost seed for staple food productions. It was originally thought that this measure, which carried an appropriation of $500,000, might provide the State institutions with seed, labor and fertilizers, but the Commission ruled that the funds could not be used for such purpose. Chapter 369 of the Laws of 1917 establishes a State Council of Defense, of which the Governor is to be chairman, and which shall consist of not more than seven persons to be appointed by the Governor. It is the duty of the Council to make investigations and to report thereon the location of railroads and all means of transportation within the State which might be used for military purposes, and to investigate and report on all the military and naval resources of the State, the production within the State of articles and materials used in support of military forces, and make all necessary arrangements for the efficient co-ordination of the various resources of the State in time of war. The measure carries an appropriation of $1,000,000. It supersedes to some extent chapter 205 creating a food supply commission, in that no moneys may be expended by the Food Supply Commission without the approval of the State Council of Defense. Chapter 596 of the Laws of 1917 amends the State Finance Law and provides that any department head having the control of an institution, State asylum, State hospital, State prison or reformatory, may, with the approval of the Governor and the State Comptroller, loan to or set aside for the temporary use of the United States Government or the Government of the State of New York, such accommodations or supplies as is practicable to meet the temporary emergency. Chapter 435 of the Laws of 1917 amends the Military Law in relation to the compensation of State and municipal officers and employees while absent on military or naval duty, and provides that no State employees shall hereafter enlist without the approval of the Governor and no city employees without the consent of the mayor. Chapter 574 of the Laws of 1917 amends the Civil Service Law and provides that every person hereafter employed by the State or any of the civil divisions thereof, except in the labor class, shall take and file a constitutional oath of office. Chapter 653 of the Laws of 1917 amends the Civil Service Law by establishing a system of service records and ratings. It provides that all departmental agencies of the State Government shall keep and report service records and ratings of employees for the purpose of recording in terms of quality, quantity and other factors, the relative efficiency of employees engaged in the same or similar lines of work, under rules and regulations prescribed by the Civil Service Commission. NEW LEGISLATION RECOMMENDED Section 89 of the Insanity Law provides that the Commission may authorize the superintendent of a State hospital to admit. thereto, under special agreement, insane patients who are residents of the State, other than poor and indigent insane persons, when there is room for such insane therein; and that the Commission shall fix the rates to be charged for the maintenance of such insane persons in a State hospital, the payment of which shall be secured by a surety company bond which shall be approved by the Commission. The Commission recommends that this section of the law be changed so that the requirement of a surety company bond in these cases may be discretionary with the Commission. The relatives of certain patients are willing to reimburse the State in advance for the cost of maintenance, and it is felt that the requirement of a surety bond in addition to such advance payment is unnecessary and inflicts a hardship upon. persons already heavily burdened. The Commission recommends that section 85 of the Insanity Law be amended so as to raise the salaries of the up-state special agents from $5 to $6 per day, and that the special agent in charge of the collection work in New York City be given a yearly salary of $2,000. The present schedule of wages for nurses and attendants is inadequate. During the past year many of the employees of these classes have left the State hospitals to accept more lucrative positions elsewhere. The Commission recommends that the schedule be modified sufficiently to enable the hospitals to secure and retain competent persons for ward work. OVERCROWDING AND NEW ACCOMMODATIONS The overcrowding in the State hospitals has steadily increased during the year. The increase of patients on the books of the hospitals was 1,144, and of patients actually in the hospitals, 925. The increase in paroles was 219. Additional accommodations were provided by the opening of "Wagner Hall," a building for 300 women patients at the Binghamton State Hospital; and by the completion of "Mabon Hall," a reception building for 150 men, and "Keener Hall," a building for 200 women at the Manhattan State Hospital. The aggregate accommodations thus provided were 650. In order to secure an accurate basis for the recertification of the capacity of the hospitals, the wards, bedrooms, dining rooms, day rooms and corridors of all the institutions are being measured, and one standard will be applied throughout the system. New buildings to accommodate about 550 patients are being constructed at the Brooklyn State Hospital, and cottages to provide for 100 patients are being repaired at the Creedmoor site. Additions now being made to the men's chronic and industrial building at the Rochester State Hospital will provide for 36 patients. An employees' home is being erected at Kings Park State Hospital which will release accommodations for 104 pa |