The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-05


With lis new management, the New
York Times has lost none of its old
time crankiness. This morning it
has a regular old-fashioned atra-
bilious attack, under Il faxed Trenton
date. upon every project of better
ment which just at present interests
the people Of Jersey City. The City
Hall, the County Road, the new
Lunatic Asylum at Snake Hill, the
project for a new water supply and
the various schemes of rapid transit
are all denounced with a sort of hys-
terical virulence. As a sample of the
whole scream, the following intro
ductory sentences may be quoted
The attempt TO bury Jersey City under au
avalanche of wicksd jobs has an air of h~eartless
cruelty ABOUT il, because of the critical tinan-
cial condition of the city. The municipality is
already threatened with a three per cent. tax
rate for the coming fiscal year, and under the
restrictions OF the ''Martin Tax act such a
rate throws it into bankruptcy. The officials
are making frantic efforts to stave off impend-
ing ruin. and wiIhin the past fey days City
Collector 0sNeiil has sent out Il otto es to citi
zens. of high aid low degree alike, that they
must pay UP their personal tax bill Is at once or
go 10 Jal-
OF course, this is a gross exagger-
ton of the situation. We have no
idea that the tax rate will go above
three per cent. thissyear. 1t certainly
will not If the Tax Commissioners do
their duty. There are two directions
in which the assessment may be III
creased enough to cover all energen-
cies. The less of these is by an increase
in valuation to correspond with the
increment of value due to the public
improvements in progress or in near
prospect. The increase in market
price of the property Immediately
surrounding the City Hall site should
be represented in the tax levy, and it
should be enough or very nearly
enough to counterbalance the prop
erty taken out of the tax levy,
through the purchase ofthe City Hall
site by the city. About the same may
be said of the County Road frontage.
In one item alone, enormous value
has been added to taxable property
through this improvement. The
opening of Clifford place adds a great
sum to- the annual assessment, and
the buildings which are to be erected
along it will afford still another big
addition next year. Every foot OF
land along the road, or within a
quarter of a mile of it on either side,
is capable Of bearing more taxation
this year than last.
The second opportunity for increase
is in the personal property of the city.
This city is not tax burdened. though
the real estate may be. With prob
ably fifty millions OF personal prop
erty it is only assessed for eight millions
and taxes are not paid on four mill
ions. With such a margin to fall back
on for taxes, the financial situation OF
Jersey City certainly cannot be re-
garded as desperate or as threaten
ing bankruptcy.
But. whatever the situation, it GER
tainly cannot be improved by muni-
alstagnation. We have got to grow
or go broke in the long run, and if we
may not push public Improvements or
permit public ones, then, indeed, the
!. situation is bad. OF course the very
increases of value we indicate above
depend finally on the completion of
tlie enterprises upon which they are
based. More harm has been done in
this city by the reckless use of that
one word, Job" than by any other
thing. Everyone is afraid to favor a
new move, for fear Of having the word
sob" cried at him, and the city
stands still through the moral COW
ardice that it has itself created. 1t is
about time to stop bandying re-
i proaches and to get up and do some
thing.
4 So far as this year is concerned,
Mere is no fear of trouble on account
that fortunate windfall, the return
the Public Park money to the city
County Collector Dugan. The
aount we are to receive on account
kthe tax levies of 1890 and 1891 is
ut $50, 900, and this will be more
enough to cover any probable
age this year, thus leaving plenty
bathing time for u officials to
st the public affairs.
laps the story is not true, for 1t
sonly IN the World; but any
- paper says there is a huge
-ang at large in New York,
ce of it has been lost. 1t
the bush of the Central
ula have taken the l.
into the country, or it
ing in the Businesses OF
n Precinct, where the
.ir. If the last suggest
be the reality. he will,
er be found by the
best thing to be done
ev. DR.. Parkhurst TO
gpe from his cage OF
reminds one in q