TRUANT REPORT OF NEW YORK.

There are five men detailed to look after truant children, who visit our public schools daily and receive from the teachers the names and residences of all absentees, and visit them at their homes to find the cause of their absence from school. During the past year there have been reported by the teachers to the truant officers, 5,116 children, as absentees or truants from school. All of these have been visited at their homes with the exception of 352, whose residence could not be found. Of the whole number reported 2,153 were reported without cause, viz.:

One hundred and sixty-four sets of books, valued at three hundred and eighty-eight dollars, have been recovered and restored to the teachers of the public schools.

12

CONVICTIONS, ACQUITTALS, AND DISCHARGES

BY THE COURT OF SPECIAL SESSIONS, IN AND FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW YORK, FROM THE YEAR 1840 TO 1867, INCLUSIVE.

1064 1180 1419 1453 1475 1415 1411 2047 1788 2041 1919 1953 2082 1747 1397 1512 1411 1963 2184 1824

78 138 142 148 193 220 173 258 261 219, 187 214 179 108 190 208 273 317 289 365 382 256 279 263 323 345 252

1369 1466 1577 2032 1519 3047 2922 2352 2502 2966 3933 3539 3884 3944 3921 4354 4449 5825 6748 6957 7005 6189 5425 5057 4332 5508-5659 5339

FIRE DEPARTMENT THEREIN.

PASSED MARCH 30, 1865; THREE-FIFTHS BEING PRESENT.

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The cities of New York and Brooklyn shall constitute, and they are hereby, united into a district, to be known as the Metropolitan Fire District of the State of New York.

§ 2. The Governor shall nominate, and by and with the consent of the Senate appoint, four citizens, residents of the said district, to be "Metropolitan Fire Commissioners" (which office is hereby created, with the duties and powers herein contained and imposed), who shall form a Metropolitan Fire Department, to take and have, as provided by this act, control and management of all officers, men, property, measures, and action for the pre

vention and extinguishment of fires within the said district, to be organized as herein provided, and to be known as the "Metropolitan Fire Department." Said Commissioners shall hold the said office respectively for the terms following, to wit: One for two years, one for four years, one for six years, and one for eight years. And at the expiration of each term respectively, a successor shall be appointed in the manner above provided, who shall hold said office for the term of eight years. Vacancies in said office shall be filled by temporary appointments, by the remaining members of said Department, to hold until the same are filled by the Senate, on nomination of the Governor. Said Commissioners shall be subject to removal by the Governor as is provided by the laws applicable to the removals of sheriffs, which are hereby extended so as to relate to said Department, but no removal shall be made until the Commissioner contemplated to be removed shall have been served with specific written charges stating the derelictions complained of, and have been afforded an adequate opportunity to publicly answer the same, and make his defense thereto.

§ 3. Immediately after the appointment of such Commissioners, they shall meet in the office of the Secretary of State, and proceed, under his direction, to determine by lot which of such Commissioners shall hold such office for each of the respective terms of two, four, six, and eight years; whereupon they shall take and file with said Secretary the oath of office prescribed for State officers. And the Secretary of State shall give to each a certificate of appointment for the respective terms of office so determined as aforesaid.

§ 4. Said Commissioners, on being qualified, shall meet and organize "The Metropolitan Fire Department," by electing one of said Commissioners to be President, and appointing a person to be Secretary. Whereupon they shall possess and have all the power and authority conferred upon or possessed by any and all officers of the Fire Department of the city of New York, and to the exclusion of all such officers, and such other powers and duties in said district as are hereinafter conferred. Three of said Commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but the surviving members may, at any time, fill a vacancy, as provided in the second section of this act.

§ 5. The said "Metropolitan Fire Department" is hereby empowered and directed to possess and exercise fully and exclusively all the powers, and perform all the duties, for the government, management, maintenance, and direction of the Fire Department of the city of New York, and the premises and property thereof, which at the time of the organization of said Department were possessed by or under the control of the boards and officers of the Fire Department of said city, or the officers or employees of said city; said powers and duties to be exercised and performed, and said property used, in the said city or otherwise, as hereinafter provided. And the said Department shall hereafter have sole and exclusive power and

authority to extinguish fires in said city of New York; and all acts conferring upon any other officer and officers any power in relation to the extinguishment of fires in said city, are hereby repealed.

§ 6. The Board of Commissioners shall have full power to provide, in and for the city of New York, supplies, horses, tools, implements, and apparatus of any and all kinds (to be used in the extinguishing of fires), and fire telegraphs; to provide suitable locations for the same, and to buy, sell, construct, repair, and have the care of the same, and take any and all such action in the premises as may be reasonably necessary and proper.

§ 7. The Department hereby created is hereby empowered and directed to possess and exercise full and exclusive power and discretion for the government, management, maintenance, and direction of the several buildings, and premises, and property, and appurtenances thereto, and all apparatus, hose, implements, and tools of any and all kinds, which at the time of the appointment of the Commissioners aforesaid were under the charge and control of any and all city officers or officers of the Fire Department in said city, for the use and benefit of the Fire Department of the city of New York. And it shall be the duty of all persons and officers in possession of any property, real or personal, belonging to or set apart for or in use by or for the Fire Department of said city, to deliver the same to the possession and control of said "Metropolitan Fire Department."

§ 8. Any one of said Commissioners shall be considered as vacating his term of office, in the event of his accepting or holding any other political office. And any Commissioner who shall, during the term of his office, be publicly nominated for any office elective by the people, and who shall not decline the said nomination within ten days succeeding notice of the same, shall, in either case, be deemed to have vacated his office.

§ 9. The Commissioners shall select one of their number to act as Treasurer of the said Metropolitan Fire Department. He shall be the fiscal officer of the Department. He shall, on check or voucher, duly disburse, by order of said Commissioners, for the purposes of this act, all moneys, and shall deposit all funds in a bank or banks to be designated by said Commissioners. He shall execute a bond with two sureties, satisfactory to the Comptroller of the State of New York, conditioned in a penalty of fifty thousand dollars to the People of the State of New York for the faithful discharge of his duties, and shall receive one thousand dollars per annum for such services as Treasurer, in addition to annual compensation as Commissioner.

§ 10. The "Metropolitan Fire Commissioners," and the Comptroller and the Mayor of the city of New York, convened as a Board of Estimate, four of whom shall form a quorum for business, shall annually, on or before the first of July, make up a financial estimate of the sums required annually for the payment of salaries, compensation, and rents, for the purchase of supplies, horses, apparatus of any and all kinds, tools, hose, implements, and keeping all of the same in repair; and generally for the purposes of