have recently been retired by the Board, under the authority conferred by the charter of 1870.

During the year past 41 patrolmen have been thus retired and pensioned, at amounts graduated by their term of service and the circumstances in each case, not exceeding the maximum fixed by law of $400 per annum, thus relieving the treasury from the further disbursement of "half-pay" to that number of men who were rendering no service, and enabling the Board to fill their places with the like number of able-bodied and competent patrolmen.

The number of deaths of members of the force during the year was 23, being 7 less than in 1869.

HOUSE FOR DETENTION OF WITNESSES.

(Exhibit No. 4.)

During the year ending April 5, 1871, 283 persons have been com mitted as witnesses in the "Ilouse for Detention of Witnesses," and detained an aggregate period of 4,618 days.

Table No. 5 shows the number of witnesses detained in each year, from the date of its establishment in 1858. The thanks of the Board are due to Messrs. Harper & Brothers, the Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the National Temperance Publication Society, for valuable donations of books to the library of the institution.

SANITARY COMPANY.

The members of this company discovered and reported to the Board of Health 10,933 nuisances, served for that Board 9,302 orders, examined 2,580 steam-boilers, tested hydrostatically 2,176, condemned 29 of these boilers, and caused defects in 414 of them to be repaired; examined 2,237 engineers, of whom they reported 2,080 to be qualified and withheld certificates from 157.

Unsound meat, unfit for human consumption, weighing 29,312 pounds, was seized and delivered to the New York Rendering Company; and fish, unfit for human food, weighing 151,715 pounds, was removed from the city.

The members of the Sanitary Company and the Precinct Police reported the presence within the city limits of 11,975 dead animals, which were thereupon removed by the offal contractors.

Eleven officers, detailed from this company to look after truant children attending the Public Schools, made 6,876 visits to various schools, and received the names of 10,883 absent children, of whom 5,252 were found to be absent with, and 5,631 to be absent without cause. officers discovered and returned 463 sets of school books.

These

The report of Peter Yule, Jr., Captain of this Company (Exhibit No. 6), presents in detail the results of the efficient services rendered by it.

PROPERTY CLERK'S OFFICE.

(Exhibit No. 7.)

The value of lost and stolen property delivered during the year to Owners, at the several precincts and by the detective and court squads, as estimated and valued by the owners, was $1,277,036.85.

The value of like property delivered to owners, for the same period, from the Property Clerk's office, ascertained in the same manner, was $132,072.40.

By the provisions of law, all lost and stolen property which is not mptly claimed and restored to the owners, at the several precincts, sent to the Property Clerk, and by him duly advertised.

If no satisfactory claim of ownership is made within six months, it is advertised and sold at public auction.

The last-named amount, in pursuance of the statute, was paid to the Trustee of the Police Life Insurance Fund.

LODGERS IN THE STATION-HOUSES.

The number of persons accommodated with lodgings at the stationhouses, from 1860 to April 5, 1871, is 1,104,548.

During the past year 141,780 persons have been accommodated with shelter, and such lodgings as the station-houses afford. During the inclement season the rooms allotted to them are often overcrowded, possibly to the detriment of the health of the Police force; and not unfrequently the applicants for lodgings are, of necessity, sent from one station-house to another, on account of the insufficiency of the accommodations.

It is respectfully suggested that it would be wise to provide, independent of the station-houses, under proper supervision, several lodging-houses, to be located in different portions of the city, where the population is dense, of sufficient dimensions to receive and shelter this unfortunate class of the community.

Exhibit No. 8 states the number lodged in each year from 1860 to April 5, 1871.

LOST CHILDREN.

(Exhibit No. 9.)

The number of lost children taken charge of and restored to their parents, and otherwise disposed of, for the past year, was 5,933, to which may be added 161 foundlings.

The whole number from 1860 to the date of this report was 68,379.

STATION-HOUSES.

The table (Exhibit No. 12) herewith submitted, presents in a concise form the location and condition of the station-houses.

Special attention is respectfully called to the condition of the sta tion-houses in the Sixth, Eleventh, Nineteenth, Twenty-third, Twentyeighth, and Thirtieth Precincts.

When suitable provision shall have been made in the precincts last named, the station-house accommodations of the entire city will be both adequate to the present requirements of the service and creditable to the Department.

TREASURER'S REPORT.

The fiscal transactions of the Department are shown in the Treasurer's report, hereto annexed (Exhibit No. 13).

THE POLICE LIFE INSURANCE FUND.

Chapter 126 of the Laws of 1871, enacted with the approval of the then trustees of the fund, constitutes "The Commissioners of Police of the city of New York" a board of trustees of "The Police Life Insurance Fund."

The capital of this fund, on the 5th of April, 1871,

amounted to.......

On the 5th of April, 1870, to...

Increase..

$206,028 11

183,246 04

$22,782 07

The pensions chargeable upon the fund, paid during the year,

amounted to $29,892.12.

The present beneficiaries of the fund consists of eighty-seven persons who were once members of the force, of fifty-two widows and five orphan children.

The total number of pensioners is 144.

Table No. 14, bereto annexed, shows of what the capital is composed, and the sources and amount of income during the year.

FIRE MARSHAL.

The report of the Fire Marshal (Exhibit No. 15), hereto annexed, shows that the estimated value of the property destroyed, and the amount of damage done to property by fire, during the year covered by this report, amount together to.... For the year ending October 31, 1869, to.. For the year ending October 31, 1868, to..

...

.$2,643,387

.3,416,402

.4,057,376

These facts demonstrate the superior efficiency of the existing Fire Department, and also the value of the sevices of the Fire Marshal and his assistants in diminishing the number of incendiary fires, through the fear created of detection and punishment therefor.

The number of fires supposed to be of incendiary origin during the year covered by this report was.

In 1869...

In 1868....

New York, April 5, 1871.

40

55

82

D. B. HASBROUCK,

Acting Chief-Clerk.

J. S. BOSWORTH,

President.