The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-02
SUGAR IN TWO SHAPES.
How Much of 1t Should
MatthieSsen & Wiechers
Contribute to the
City.
THEIR ASSESSMENTS DOUBLED.
Other Concerns Subjected to q Much
Smaller Increase Of Valua-
tiOns-Tours Of In
spectioh.

The hearing In the matter OF the asses.
ment Of the Mafthiesssn & Wiechers'
property was continued yesterday after
missioner Priggs testified on material
points, the same as did Justice O'Dounsll.
whose evidence was published in the JEz-
sEY CITY News.
Al three O'Clock State Tax Commls-
sioners Black. Slate and Hopper. accom-
panied Dy Corporation Counsel W. d.
Edwards, were conveyed TO the sugar
house in carriage. and thorough in
vestigation Of the bnflding was made.
Commissioner Black. Deing familiar with
the private property. assisted Corporation
Counsel Edwards in explaining the loea-
tlon and showing what . valuable plant
the sugar house was.
Tho barrel factory was first visited,
Superintendent Nierse acting as guido
The firm Of Matthiessen and Wiechers
object to the assessment on this piece Of
property. In 1850 1t was assessed for
e. 900, which they claim was fair valua-
ton In 1859. however. the valuation
was increased to 81. 900, and the company
contend that that the increase Of nearly
one hundred per cent. is entirely too
much IN one year.
The Commissioners, to offset this OBJ
lection. endeavored to show By the loca-
ton Of the property, the building and
material. that &, 900, or even ST.. 600 was
low valuation. After viewing he
property, Commissioners Slate and Hop
per were conducted through the building
their surprise at the perfect and quick
manner in which barrels were made and
rolled out for use.
VALUE OF A CHIMNEY.
The next place visited was plot Of
ground adjoining the main building that
was assessed in 1889 for 81. 000 In 1890
the valuation was increased 10 800, 900.
The Increase was explained to the Com
missioners by Mr.. Edwards, who pointed
out an immense chimney which had been
built during the year. The local Tax
Commissioners revised the value Of the
land and put valuation OF SO o0o on the
chimney.
Tine chimney" said Superintendent
Nlese, may be, and probably is. worth
10000 to US. but IL cost US only 1900, and
IN our Judgment, such an assessment a.
SO, 900 Is excessive The chimney is also
on piece OF old property we have owned
for years, and not on the new piece re-
Gently purchased
The entire plant was inspected, the
commissioners conciudine their investi-
cations in the main building. which is as
sessed for $500, 600. In 1889 this main
building was assessed for $500. 900, bur
last year the assessment.w WIS doubled, and
even now the commissioners claim that
the valuation is Tar below what it should
be. This increase of 100000 on one
building, and SIG, 800 on various fats,
making total increase Of S463.000 in one
year. is the cause Of the present suit
The plant in 1889 was assessed s7120
but now its valuation stands at s. .163, ,000-
The objection raised By the company is
this:-tDat the valuations on their prop
erty have been increased In every in
stance about eighty per cent; whereas in
all other parts Of the city the 1ncrese Is
relatively lower They object to having
the property assessed on the basis OF the
value ir Is to the company. They claim
further that it is not assessed on the same
basis as Gautier's Works, the Jersey City
Steel Works or the property OF lsorrilard
& Co., and that 1t Is relatively higher than
any property throughout the city.
The assessment levied upon this conn
pauy represents one sixty-nfnth of the
entire valuation of the city.
INSPECTING L0RILLARDS.
After inspecting the WORKS and being
shown thousands of dollars worth OF
sugar ia every form the Commissioners
were driven to the works of Lorillard &
Co. The real estate Of that COM
pany is assessed al about S. 200 lot,
while the sugar house property is
assessed on an average OF S14 coo lot.
In personal property the ratio Is about
Lorillnrd s. Co s, 900 70 Matrhiesssn Il
Wiecher's s2S 900
The location OF the property Of the two
COMPANIES was taken into confederation
and great stress was laid by Corporation
Counsel Edwards upon the fact that L0ril-
lard rad no water front. The inspection
Of the tobacco factory was OF short dura-
ton, the Commissioners evidently deter
mining that no comparison between the
two plants could be made.
The Board viii meet at Trenton next
Tuesday TO hear more evidence. The
Commissioners viii render decision in
the case about August l. The decision OF
the Board this time will establish the tax
able value Of the Sugar House for years