The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-08-30
THE LOCAL ASSESSORS SPEAK.


Sticking Pretty Closely to AZ that Prop
erty il Assessed at True Value.
Ex-Judge Hoffman has been engaged all
week examining the local assessors of the
various taxing districts through which the
Central Railroad runs. This examination
was cross examination pursuant to stipu-
lation. Mr.. De Forest is out Of town, and
Mr.. George Holmes conducted the EXAMINE
alton for the railroad company. The first
batch of assessors were Richard Gerke,
John Flynn, I. A. Schorr, VIM. McCuller
and Charles 81. Ross, af the First, Second,
Third, Fifth and Sixth Wards respectively
of Elizabeth. Richard Gerke was formerly
q matchmaker, but the Assessorship was q
more profitable business. So he Jumped
| from fixing main-springs and estimating
the value of watch works and determining
the quality of the different movements, to
| valuing real estate. He has been Assessor
| for fifteen years, however, and one would
| judge, If he ever is to know anything about
| the value of property, he should know it by
this time. Mr.. Gerke is an intelligent
German and undoubtedly understands his
business. He says he assessed the land in
his district on the basis of what it would
sell for at q fair sale-not under the ham,
mer. He used his own judgement as to
the assessment value and in his opinion
the value at which he assessed property was
| fully up to its real value. John Flynn,
the next witness sworn, said he was q
blacksmith by trade; has been an assessor
for two years, and a resident of Elizabeth
for 80 years. If John doesn't know any
thing more about assessing property than
he does about giving testimony. and no
more about blacksmithing than he does
about assessing, he doesn't know anything
about any of them. He testified to about
the same thing as Mr.. Gerke, although he
admitted that he used the book of the for
mer assessor. None of the assessors, on
Monday, would admit that they assessed
any property at any figures under its true
value, and they all considered that the true
value of property was what could be OBJ
they all said, if man wants a piece of
land in particular place, he must pay for
| it, but that forms no criterion of
its value for assessment purposes.
One assessor-Mr. Crane, of Cranford--on
Tuesday testified that some lands in his
district, the owners of which lived in New
York, he taxed at a higher rate, because
! they held their property (not knowing the
value of property in the neighborhood) at
very much higher figures than he knew it
| to be worth. Questioned very closely on
this point by Judge Hoffman, the witness
| finally said that he hadn't ought to have
said that either; that he really did not
mean what he said.
What put it into your head to say that.
MIR. Crane? asked Judge Hoffman. "You
stated the fact, didn't your"
No, sir. replied the witness.
You didn't state the fact /"
81 don't think did, exactly-no."
John A. Etheridge, of Linden Township,
testified that the difference between the
assessed value and holding value of prop
erty in his district was about 20 per cent.
D. Hobart Sayre, of Fanwood, testified
that in some cases land could be bought
| for its assessed value, while in others its
holding value, or the value at which 1t was
held, was 40 per cent. higher than its
assessed value.
No more testimony will be taken till
| September 18th, when the Railroad Com
paDy says-if there is no rebuttal-the tes-
timony can be closed within ten days. The
contest, when renewed, will be on terminal
values.