The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-21
TAXATION HARDNESS.
The New State Commission
Has Not Met Yet---Gard-
ner's Bills.
Special to the JERSEY Citv Ne,os.

Special to the Jersey City Ne,0s.
TRENTON, July 81, 1890. The Tax Com
mission, which was created by the last
Legislature, has a hard time getting
down to business It-has been in exist
ecne for three months, and there has not
been full meeting of the Board. Last
Tuesday was fixed for a meeting. when
the plans of the commissions were to
have been arranged. The only two mem
bers that put in appearance were Assem-
blymen Marsh and Voorhees,. Barker
Gummere. who is chairman, sent word
that he wBs i'll and could not attend.
Both W. I. Hoffman and w. F. Albeit.
the counsel appointed, were on hand
ready to make report.
There being no quorum no meeting was
held, but an hour was spent in an in
formal conference.
The counsel stated that they have re-
ceiyed any number of novel suggestions
as to how the taxes oil the State should
be raised. One man has q long argument
why salaries over 81. 500 year should be
taxed for the benefit of the State He
also sends in petition, and has framed a
bill which he urges the commission TO re-
port favorabiy to the next Legislature.
Another chap in Jersey City wants it
made a misdemeanor for any man to
transfer his securities to escape taxation,
and particularly to secure a loan from a
bank and claim exemption on the ground
of owing the bank a sum of money. This
is the fashionable way of escaping taxa
ton in all parts of New Jersey. An
attempt was made to prevent this process
by bill introduced by Senator Martin
last winter which bill, however, was
killed in the committee. The man who
wants the commission to frame a bill
urges that the penalty for tricking the
assessors be made fine, one-half the
amount of the amount "SWOrn off,"
DIGEST OF TAX LAWS.
The attorneys of the commission are
now making digest Of the tax laws of
all the States. This is intended as a refer
ence for the members of the commission
when they begin to discuss the framing
of bill which they hope to present to the
next Legislature. There will be no pub
of September. 1.-the meanwhile the at
torneys will sit at regular intervals sufii
cient TO make a bill OF expenses which
will interest the Comptroller in the near
future.
The State Board of Agriculture intends
to make immediate preparation for a
large exhibit of the agricultural interest
of the State at the Worlds Fair in Chi
cago. The Executive Committee will meet
ON Tuesday evening and will at ence begin
to devise some plan OF action State Secre-
tary Dye has discovered that if anything is
to be done. it must be done at once. De-
cause the principal feature of the exhibit
will be displays of special crops, and they
must be planted next spring. The farm
ere will have TO be interyiewedias TO what
they are willing to do, and others will
have to be urged to make special efforts.
To prevent a concentration OF effort or
any particular line of crops, the State
Board Will request that every farmer tell
what he will grow and to make occa-
sional reports of the success of his plant
ings.
The Executive Committee realizes that
they have considerable to do ii they,wanI
to get the plan mapped out so as to for
mally present it to the State Board at the
annual meeting in February. New Jer-
sey has been acknowledged to be the sec
ond strongest agricultural State in the
Union, and it hopes to prove this by MAX
ing the best exhibit at the Worlds Fair
of the Eastern States. To do this the
State Board will be obliged to ask for q
special appropriation TO pay for the gath
ering of soils and specimens of minerals
and preparing cases for them.
Governor Abbett is in accord with the
State Board in this work, and there is no
trouble anticipated over securing the
necessary funds through a legislative ap-
preparation next winter.
SENATE COMMITTEE BILLS.
The Republican State committee has
decided to take no action in the matter of
paying the bills contracted by the Senate
Committee on Election during the inves-
tigation of the Hudson county frauds.
The members suspect that should they
assume the responsibility of the debts
that item of the incidental bill would not
be passed by the next Legislature, on the
ground that the bills have been paid.
Some of the Republican leaders have
been trying to raise the money elsewhere,
but everybody thinks that it would be
dangerous to pay the bills for the same
reason.
The unpaid sergeant-at-arms and clerks
have exhausted every possible effort to
get cash for their service. Several have
offered to sell their claims for fifty per
cent, but they find no takers. Some pay
mefits have been made by individuals,
but Notwithstanding that some S3, 900 has
been handed out from time to time. the
CLAIMS do not grow smaller and nobody
can tell just who got the money. There
are all sorts of wild rumors heard about
various sums that have been paid. Those
having the most urgent claims declare
that they cannot get cent.