; ()VERN AI ENT. The first charter of Greater New York went into elfect January 1, 1898. But it was found defective in several hnportant re spects, and in 1901 the Legislature made radical changes. Under the amended charter, the Mayor is elected for two years. Much power and re sponsibility is given him, especially in the ap pointment and removal of administrative officers. The heads of 14 of the 13 administrative depart ments—law; police: lire; water supply, gas, and electricity: street-cleaning; bridges: parks; docks and ferries; health; public charities; cor rections: education: taxes and assessments; and tenement houses—are appointed by the Mayor, as are also certain other officers, including three civil service commissioners. lle may remove any of these otlicers except members of the board of education, aqueduct commissioners, trustees of the College of the City of New York. trustees of Bellevue and allied hospitals, and judicial of ficers. Legislation is in the hands of a single body. the board of aldermen, consisting of 73 members elected for two years, the president of the board being elected by the whole city. The aldermanie Ilistriets generally coincide with the districts into which the city is divided foir the election of members of the State Legislature.
The Mayor's veto is final when placed upon grants of franchise, but in other matters it may be overridden. \Ian• interests are provided for through local government. the five boroughs being divided into 23 local improvement dis tricts. In each borough a president is elected, in whom important powers are vested. The borough presidents control such matters as the grading and paving of streets, sewers, piddle baths. etc.. and the presidents of Queens and Riehmond have control also of street-clean ing. Each borough has a bureau of buildings, the superintendent of which is appointed by the borough president, and is subject to removal by hint. In the smaller dh.tricts there are local boards of improvement, consisting of the presi dent of the borough as chairnmn and those mem bers of the board of aldermen who represent the distriets within the area subject to improvement. The resolutions of the local bo:r•d upon certain subjects must be submitted to the Mayor. Most of the offices in the departments are filled in ac cordance with civil service requirements.