The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-07-29
TAX VALUES FIXED.
Final Reports Filed With
the County Board of
Equalization.
UURRY'S FALSEHOODs PROVEN.
Dollard's Injurious Partiality-
Decrease in Hoboken, In
crease, Elsewhere.
FALsEHOoDs PROVEN.

The members OF the County Board for
the Equalization of Taxes met yesterday
for the last time until August 10. Yes
terday's session was held for the specific
purpose of permitting the various Assess
ors 10 submit revise i aud amended re-
ports of their work in the outlying dis
tricts. The severe examinations the As
SCISSORS, who are supposed to know just a
little about values. have been put through
recently, were not without their good ct
feet. In nearly every Instance the
amended reports show increases. which
were on every ground %justifiable.
The Commissioners also heard a few
appeals and referred them to the proper
Assessors for further Investigation. Upon
the values submitted yesterday, however,,
the state and ounty rate will be struck.
NDICT THIS FELLOW.
Counsellor George Douglass In behalf,of
the American Cotton Oil Company flied
an affidavit in which he makes Assessor
Curry, of the Township of Union appear
a most palpuble ~falsiier of fact. Curry.
in making his assessments reported $l01,-
900 worth of personal property. OF this
sum 800, 600 worth was fastened upon the
Cotton Oil Company. Counsellor Doug
las in his affidavit swears that he Gale
upon Curry to ascertain the amount OF
zeal and personal property assessed in the
township of Union. Curry informed him
that his books were or file with the
County Board. Curry gave him several
values from memory which Upon being
compared with the amounts i'll the books,
were greatly different. Curry o
also testified that Douglass aske d
him to make certain reductions.
Mr.. Douglass swore that he did nothing
of the sort. and further that Douglass
told him it was of no use to go before the
County Board, because that body would
give him no relief. Curry further swore
before the Board tlat seven new tanks
had been built by The company. Il that
forty-ive engines were operated at tue
WORKS. AS u matter OF fact two tanks
which had been burned down, had been
rebuilt, and only seven engines were op-
Grated i'll che works.
Curry e~ndeavored to explain his pecu-
liar position, but made matters worse as
he continued. Commissioner Morgan was
not at all backward in informing him
that he believed a gross injustice had been
done the Cotton Oil Company.
Curry's revised report shows that be
has now found 81. TAB, 600 worth of taxable
real estate and Sl26, 000 worth of axabl
personal property. This is an increase of
$66, 900 on real and SIS, QUO on personal
When asked how he accounted for this
change, Curry staggered to the desk be-
fore tine Commissioners and with a be-
wildering smile said, why, / lost two
columns of me figures. CT"
The Commissioners didn't &C." but
Curry was released.
Campbell & Co., through Counsellor NJ.
P. Lewis, complained that in 1889 they
were assessed $3.50, 900 on 429 feet of water
front: in 1892, $224, 600, an advance of
S44, 600. which was far in excess of the
increase on adjoining properly.
NC CHEEK HERE.
The Hoboken Land and improvement
Company asked for a reduction. Iu 1890
its property on the water front between
First and Second streets was assessed for
SIG, 800: 1891. $40, coo; 1892, $50, 600. The
complaint set forth that the increase was
too great. The property between Fifth
and Tenth streets in 1890 was assessed
for $500. 600: in 1891, S4lS, 900; 1892, $516. 200.
Campbell & Co. and the various Steam
ship com pauies also filed complaints.
Assessor Dollard had been given a Sc
we're shaking up for his work at a pre-
vious meeting and it was an agreeable
surprise to The Commissioner to lear
that he had made a few reductions.
D0LLARD'S A r
Dollard's re ~luctions emanated from an
attack made by Commissioner Utz, in
which ne intlmated that Dollard's nigh
assessments had been made for political
purposes. Commissioner UtZ. in review
ing the asse isinent5 formerly made by
Dollard, showed that the property of the
companies named had been Increased in
valuation outrageouslv. Their aggregate
valuations stoou 81. Isl. $50 as against $22,-
$50, GOO for the entire city, Or ABOUT IL per
cent. of the whole valuation. The pro-
portion of increase throughout the city
Of Hoboken was but 51-2 per cent, while
the increase on the companies property
was 81 per cent. IKE Hamburg Liue
property WAS increased "a per cent. and
lheO Ocean "a per cent. this year. Last
year iJ was increased only 8 per cent.
COMMISSIONS Utz maintained that such
procedure would in a very short time
drive the companies out of Hoboken.
Last year 401 steamships landed in Ho-
boken. 1t was finally decided that an in
crease of 10 ner cent. would be sufficient
over last year. Commissioner Doilatd
had made this change In his report ana it
was accepted.
FINAL IGURES.
Assessor Bruce for North Bergen re.
ported that his assessments OIL real es-
tate amounted to $2,51l 40 and $145. $50
on pei Sonal.
III Edward McDermott, of West Hoboken,
reported So, 547, $50 on real originally and
amended it ny increasing it to So, 1875 50.
He also increased personal 1927. 600. His
report vas accepted. The Assessor had
made a few mistakes in addition.
Adam Miller for the Town of Union.
reported 2.4l2,0 $50 on real aud STA, 100 on
personal prop-rty.
Jacob Schwack added 100000 to the
Gutenberg valuations.
William Green, for Kearny, submitted
$4,250.S00 on real and $843,4 50 on personal.
James Nolan. for Harrison. added
$4,000 so real estate, making it 50, TAG. 44S.
Assessor Dollard's re vised report shows
$50, 280, 900 on real estate and 81 1929, 255 on
personal. This is a reduction from The
original report of $1S5 500.
The Assessors books were returned to