The Jersey City news., 1891-09-19
SHREVD DAVIS Trick.
Tax Commi ssioner Law
renee Trying to Make
Capital for His Party
iii November.
POLITICS VERSUS TAXES.
Commissioners Prigge and Gormau
Give Their Views in the
Matter-Lawrence Said
10 be "Sour."

10 be "S0ur."
1t has been an open secret about the
City Hall for some days that there is
trouble over the tax rate which the Board
of Finance labored so hard to make ac-
ceptable to the people The trouble
comes from the Office of the Tax Commits
sioners.
AS THE NEWS has pointed out very
often, there is much individual prop
erty in the city and particu-
larly in the lower districts that
has been undervalued, but it is not the
intention of the Tax Commissioners to
permit il to remain so. They did not have
time to make the careful and proper in
spection OF individual property that
should have heen made, and with desire
to assist the County Board for the Equal
ization Of Taxes. the Commissioners In
many cases simply made rough estimates,
basing their Judgment on previous
assessments.
David w Lawrence, the repub blican mem.
ber OF the Tax Commission, Is shrewd
and clever politician. and saw in this
action an opportunity TO make political
capital on the eve of a campaign. and
when the abstract of the rateables OF the
city was presented TO the Board foi the
Equalization of Taxes. he refused to
sign and swear TO it, although his
associates, Commissioners Prigge and
German, did so. In effect Mr.. Lawrence
said inasmuch as the Commissioners did
not do their work in the time allotted he
would not aid in doing it at all.
POLITICAL CAPITAL
Naturally This action has a bad effect
on the mind of the unthinking taxpayer,
and affords the political capital Mr.. Law
renee evidently seeks to create. He prob
ably calculated that the average taxpayer
would not stop to consider that the tax
rate is high because the valuations, unless
corrected, are low, and thought that with
out making any analysus Of the subject
the average tax payer would perhaps cast
a vote this fall against what he imagined
to be eXuravagance.
According to the annual custom the Tax
Commissioners in common with the other
Assessors made their report to the
Board for the Equalization Of Taxes, in
tending TO follow the custom that has
been adhered to year after year, OF correct
ing errors in their filed books before
they were confirmed by the Board of
Fiuance. II these corrections should not
be made some large property holders will
avoid paying the taxes they justly should
aud the burden will fall on the poorer
owners This is always the Republican
idea The large dealer escapes taxes and
the poor pay them.
TAXES AND RATE.
The total amount of taxes to be raised
hy the city this year is $2.370. S9414. 1t is
divided as follows:-
For city appropriations s............$ $1.6Ss, ,715 Al
For county tax. AZ, i60 IS
For State school ltax.................. 234,43o 62
Total l................. 81 3T0, ,S34 10
The tax rate struck from these figures
would be &c. 13 per 1000, and would be an
increase over 1890 The tax rate for that
year was S26 40
When l saw Mr. Lawrence just before
meeting of the Tax Commissioners was
held Thursday, / asked him In the pres
ence of the other Commissioners why he
had refused to sign and swear TO the alb
stract of valuables submitted to the Board
for the Equalization of Taxes.
because could not comply with the
OATH could not swear as the law re-
uuires that u full and fair valuation had
heen placed on all the property IN he city,
for i did not assess all of it. l only as
sessed the Fifth District. was and am
prepared to MAKE oath that the law was
G ,nplied with IN this district" +"
"Do you believe the Commissioners
have right to increase or diminish the
amount submitted to the Board for the
EQUALIZATION of Taxes as the total valua-
tion of this city!
assessors have always been in the
habit of correcting errors before the
Board OF Finance confirmed their books.
Under the law as | understand it, the
Commissioners may correct all errors.'
"Do you mean that the Tax Commits
sjouers have right to add $1,000, 600 or
So. .0o0. 600 TO the sworn abstract of rate
aLles under pretence that the increasewaS
the result Of corrections In assessments?"
mo; mean that when an assessor has
hQra Qp6 fhpra that fha
Board may correct the mistake"
.sDo YOU think it would be legal for the
Tax Commissioners to add several million
dollars to the amount sworn to alb
slract?"
THINKS IT ILLEGAL.
81 do not; beside it would be entirely
unfair to the balance of the county The
Board for the Equalization of Taxes uD-
der law receives these sworn state
ments of valuation, aud ON them does
what the Office WAS created for, equalizes
The tax rate.
AFTER the Tax Commissioners and the
other assessors in the county make their
returns and the county tax rate is fixed,
it is, in my opinion, wrong to increase to
any appreciable extent the valuations of
Jersey City to decrease its tax rate. 1t is
but simple Justice to all other parts the
county that the sworn to abstract OF
valuations snail be the true, full and fair
yulnatious. That is what interpret the
law to mean. The increasing of the city's
valuations several million dollars
after the AK rate for the county is fixed
depriyes the balance Of the county from
enjoying it's proper share of the city's
wealth, and the Board for the Equaliza-
ton OF Taxes was created purposelv to
avoid such result All this Board has
to depend on in fixing a fair ana just tax
rate is the sworn return of the rateables."
"Will the tax levy be legal without
your affidavit to the rateables?'
''Ob, yes; | think the law is plain in
this respect. The acts of the majority
constitute the acts of the Board, and
Commissioners Prigge and German have
both signed and sworn to the abstract as
being the true valuation OF the property
in the city,"
COMMISSIONER GoRMAN's VIEWS.
Soon after this l met Commissioner
German on the street. He told me that
the Board had hot had time to make Il
proper assessment ana meet thes sdemands
OF the County Board. He said the Com
missioners had right to correct all er
rors. and when asked ii that meant to
add, as it is said will be done. 81 900, 900
or S50O0,000 to the valuations. he re-
S"If it is right to add 81 and q proper
reason can be shown for it, !t is inst us
right to add more if the same good rea-
sons can be given
Leaving him | sought man who has
made the finances Of the city study,
H. reutlilv ora nted me an intervievv hnt