Lexington avenue; also the application of Moritz Bauer for return of $141.40 overpaid on account of street vault east side of Third avenue, between Sixty-ninth and Seventieth streets, together with the following resolution, viz.:

Resolved, That two warrants, payable from the Sinking Fund for Redemption ' of the City Debt," be drawn for refunding overpayments on street vaults, viz.: One in favor of R. Lo Forte for seventy-four dollars and thirty-one cents, amount overpaid for vault north side Fifty-seventh street, one hundred feet west of Lexington avenue, and one in favor of Moritz Bauer for one hundred and forty-one dollars and forty cents, amount overpaid for vault east side Third avenue, between Sixty-ninth and Seventieth streets.

To the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund:

GENTLEMEN-I present herewith an application of the New York County Medical Society for the payment of one-half of fines imposed under chapter 513 of the Laws of 1880 for practicing medicine without license, on the complaint of the officers of the society, as duly certified by their counsel and the Clerks of the Courts of General and Special Sessions, the amount of the fines having been paid into the City Treasury to the credit of the "Sinking Fund for the Payment of Interest on the City Debt."

A resolution is submitted to pay the New York Medical Society the sum of $125, pursuant to section 3 of said act.

Respectfully,

ALLAN CAMPBELL, Comptroller.

Resolved, That a warrant for one hundred and twenty-five dollars ($125), payable from the "Sinking Fund for Payment of Interest on the City Debt,” be drawn in favor of the New York County Medical Society, said amount being one-half the amount of fines imposed by the Court of General Sessions on Franz E. Ruhuberg and by the Court of Special Sessions on August French, T. E. Marini and Adam Classon for practicing medicine without license, and payable to the said society, as provided by section 3, chapter 513, Laws of 1880.

The report was accepted and, on motion, the resolution was adopted.

II.

COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE,

January 22, 1883.

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To the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund:

GENTLEMEN-A resolution was passed by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund on December 27, 1882, directing the Comptroller to sell a lease of the franchise of the ferry between Thirty-fourth street, East river, and Long Island City, along with the wharf property at the foot of that street belonging to the City.

After advertisement, as provided by law, the lease was offered for sale on January 19, but no bid was received, and the sale was withdrawn.

Some of the citizens of Long Island City were very desirous to have the rate of ferriage for foot passengers reduced from four to two cents, and petitions were presented to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund to make such reduction.

Several special meetings were also held for a hearing of committees of the citizens of Long Island City and counsel of the East River Ferry Company, the former lessee of the ferry.

The books of the East River Ferry Company were examined, under my direction, by the general bookkeeper of the Finance Department, and a report was made by him, showing the receipts and expenses of the ferry.

After giving the subject careful examination, I presented a resolution reducing the ferriage for foot passengers from four to three cents, which appeared to me to be a fair and reasonable rate, and as low as it could be reduced to yield a fair return on the capital invested and maintain and operate the ferry properly for general public convenience and accommodation.

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The resolution I submitted was amended by a provision that "the ferriage for foot passengers from 5 to 7 o'clock A. M. and from 6 to 7 o'clock P. M. shall be two cents, "and at all other hours shall not exceed three cents each for crossing said ferry."

I am informed that the East River Ferry Company have reduced the rate of ferriage for foot passengers on the Thirty-fourth street ferry to three cents each, and I now submit for the action of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund a resolution providing for that rate of ferriage, as originally presented, with the same terms and conditions as to rental and other requirements of the lease.

Under a resolution of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund adopted December 16, 1882, the ferries running from Twenty-third street, East river, and Tenth street, East river, to Greenpoint, Long Island, were also offered for sale on January 19, and sold at the upset prices for the franchise and wharf property fixed by the resolution to the Greenpoint Ferry Company.

Respectfully,

ALLAN CAMPBELL, Comptroller.

Resolved, That, pursuant to the provisions of the Charter, and of chapter 498 of the Laws of 1880, the Comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to sell at public auction, to the highest bidder, a lease of the franchise or right to run and operate the ferry between Thirty-fourth street, East river, and Long Island City, along with the wharf property at the foot of said street belonging to the Corporation of the City of New York used and required for ferry purposes for the term of five years from March 1, 1883, at a minimum yearly rental or upset price of five per cent. of the gross receipts from ferriage at said ferry for the franchise thereof, along with the wharf property aforesaid, at an additional yearly rental of two thousand dollars, the said lease to contain all such covenants and conditions as are required by law and ordinances of the Common Council and are prescribed by resolutions of the Sinking Fund relative to the leasing of ferries and wharf property, upon a form of lease prepared by the Counsel to the Corporation and filed in the Comptroller's Office; provided, also, that the ferriage of foot passengers over said ferry shall not exceed three cents each, and that the rates of ferriage for trucks, carriages and vehicles of all kinds, and for horses, cattle and other animals shall not exceed during the term of said lease those heretofore and now charged at said ferry; and that sworn returns of the gross receipts from all ferriages shall be made by the lessee quarterly to the Comptroller, in such form as he may prescribe, and that the books of accounts shall be subject to his examination.

The report was accepted and, on motion, the resolution was adopted.

The Comptroller also submitted the following resolution, viz.:

Resolved, That, pursuant to the provisions of the Charter, and of chapter 498 of the Laws of 1880, the Comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to sell at public auction, to the highest bidder, a lease of the franchise or right to run and operate the ferry between the foot of Roosevelt street, East river, in the City of New York, and South Seventh street, in the City of Brooklyn, Eastern District, along with the wharf property belonging to the Corporation of the City of New York at the foot of said Roosevelt street used and required for ferry purposes, for the term of five years from the 1st day of March, 1883, at a minimum rental or upset price of twenty thousand dollars per annum, payable quarterly; the said lease to contain all such covenants and conditions as are required by law and ordinances of the Common Council, and are prescribed by resolutions of the Sinking Fund relative to the leasing of ferries and of wharf property, upon a form of lease prepared by the Counsel to the Corporation and filed in the Comptroller's Office; provided, also, that the ferriage of foot passengers over said ferry shall not exceed three cents each, and that the rates of ferriage for trucks, carriages and vehicles of all kinds, and for horses, cattle and other animals, shall not exceed, during the term of said lease, those heretofore and now charged at said ferry; and that sworn returns of the gross receipts from all ferriages shall be made by the lessee quarterly to the Comptroller, in

such form as he may prescribe, and that the books of accounts shall be subject to his examination.

On motion, the resolution was adopted.

Two petitions were received, numerously signed by residents of Staten Island, relative to the leasing of the ferry from foot of Whitehall street to Staten Island, praying that when the franchise of said ferry is sold "larger, more frequent, more rapid and cheaper ferry accommodation than is now possessed" may be provided for in the new lease.

On motion, the petitions were referred to the Comptroller.

The following communication from the Commissioners of Docks was received: CITY OF NEW YORK-DEPARTMENT of Docks, Į NEW YORK, January 12, 1883.

Hon. FRANKLIN EDSON, Mayor, and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Sinking Fund of the City of New York:

SIR-At a meeting of the Board governing this Department, held 10th instant, the following resolutions were adopted, to wit:

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“Resolved, That the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund be and hereby are respectfully invited to examine, at their earliest opportunity, the proposed bulkhead and pier lines for the permanent improvement of the East river water front, from Grand to “Thirty-fourth street, recently prepared by order of this Board by the Engineer-in-Chief "and submitted at a meeting of 3d instant, the same being laid out at length upon specially prepared map thereof and accompanied with various appendixes relating to "the estimated cost in detail of the proposed improvements, stating the additional wharf"age facilities to be obtained by the adoption of this plan in preference to the plan "heretofore submitted and by this Department known as the Plan of 1871, together with "a map of the East river (both shores), from Corlears Hook to Blackwell's Island, and also a map of the water grants on the New York side of the East river, for the same distance, so far as the same are known to be of record.

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"Resolved, For the purpose of affording the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund all "the information, arguments and reasons in the possession of this Board in relation to 'the advantages of the plan recently submitted to this Board by the Engineer-in-Chief, 'for the permanent improvement of the water front on the East river, between Grand "street and Thirty-fourth street, over the plan approved by the Dock Commissioners and 'submitted to the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund in 1871 (and which is awaiting the "approval or rejection of the said Commissioners, and who have referred the question "of the approval or rejection thereof to the Comptroller of the City for his consideration ‘and report thereon), that the maps and a copy of all the appendixes accompanying the "same be transmitted to the Comptroller of the City, with a letter to be prepared by the President, setting forth in detail the advantage of the plan recently proposed by the Engineer-in-Chief over the plan proposed in 1871.”

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Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN T. CUMING, Secretary.

On motion, the communication was referred to the Comptroller.

The Comptroller submitted the following resolution, which, on motion, was adopted, viz.:

Resolved, That a warrant for five thousand dollars ($5,000) be drawn against the Sinking Fund for Payment of Interest on the City Debt," and in favor of the Chamberlain, for deposit in the City Treasury to credit of Croton Water Rent-Refunding "Account," for refunding duplicate, erroneous and over payments of Croton water rent.

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The Mayor submitted the following report of the Commissioners of Accounts, together with "List of Securities held by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund January 1, 1883," viz.:

ROOM I, COUNTY COURT-HOUSE,

NEW YORK, January 17, 1883. J

Hon. FRANKLIN EDSON, Mayor, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Sinking Fund:

SIR-We beg to inform you that after the close of business on Monday, the 15th instant, we made a complete examination of all the stocks and bonds belonging to the Sinking Fund in the custody of your Secretary; and we have to report that we found bonds, of which we inclose a list, amounting to thirty-three million five hundred and sixty-nine thousand six hundred and seventy-one dollars and forty-seven cents ($33,569,671.47), all registered in the names of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, which was the amount called for by the books of the Finance Department on December 31, 1882, and verified by us; and also the Chamberlain's receipts, dated during this month, for four hundred and eighty thousand dollars ($480,000), for which the bonds purchased therewith will be issued at the end of the month.

We recommend that in all cases where stock of the same denomination, maturity and rate of interest is now held on account of the Sinking Fund, it be at once consolidated into a single bond.

It is only just to your Secretary to say that we found the bonds and certificates in perfect order, and so arranged that the thorough examination of each was readily and satisfactorily made.

We remain, sir, your obedient servants,

W. R. SHEARMAN,

J. W. BARROW,

Commissioners of Accounts.

List of Securities Held by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund January 1, 1883.