The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-22


ings and lots are assessed too low lie
states that Hoboken has 1,220 acres, OF
which 200 are meadow and that 10 lots
to the acre, 1850 lots should exist TOR
assessment. What are the facts! Ho-
boken, instead of having 1,220 acres mas
but $50 acres as an application OF the
rule to the map will show, making
difference of $40 acres. Then if we de-
duct 3S acres of railroad property not
subject to local taxation and about 2oo
lots in use for parks. schools, hrehouses
churches, hospitals, etc. we nave ABOUT
800 acres or about ,356 city lots subject
to taxation and not 1880 as stated by
the County Board, being reduction OF
thirty-five per cent. Now, II you de-
duct three per cent. from Mr.. Mclean s
figures the assessment of Mr.. Dollard
will be found relatively fair to any other
assessment in the county.
'.But Mr. Mclean went further He
tells the County Board that at least 225
blocks of Hoboken's street frontage con-
sists of valuable brick buildings that
have cost $4,000 to $4,000 to build What
are the facts? West of Willow avenue
there are no fire limits, and as a result
built of wood east of Willow avenue,
and to the westerly line of River street
between Fourteenth street on the north
and Ferry street on the south, are 175
blocks, and not 225, several of which are
not built upon and many of which are
only partly built upon now. I ask any
resident present are there in that whole
area of territory, excluding public build
ings and churches and charitable institu-
tions twenty buildings that he would
give $4,000 for apiece? Are there ten
such houses that have cost $4,000 each
to build? Is 1t not true. 1 ask. that IN
that whole area of territory there are
few houses that have cost even $4,000
to build? And is it not true that a large
majority of the houses and lots included
in that whole section would not bring
if sold at auction today, more than
$4,000?
LESS THAN 5000 BUILDINGS.
Again he tells us that we have more
than 5000 buildings subject to taxation.
Whilst the report of the Hackensack
Water Company on November 1, 1899
shows but 4,262 buildings, and if we al
low for 100 erected since, we have a
difference of 121a per cent. from Mr. Nc
Leans statement. I do not think need
do more in this connection I think
have conclusively shown that the figures
presented to the County Board, upon
which they based their valuations and in
creased our assessment per cent, are
not correct, and if this be so, any esti-
mate of valuation made upon them
must necessarily prove erroneous
But there is one other fact to which
I desire to call the attention of this
board, upon which Jersey City politi-
clans love to speculate and dilate for the
purpose of showing that Jersey City
pays more than her share of county
tax. For years past it has been the gem
eral belief outside of Jersey City that
she was in arrears to the county. and
that every other city and township was
compelled to pay the county in excess
OF its share of county tax to make up
Jersey City's deficiency Protest after
protest has been raised against it, and
the city of Bayonne even went so rat
as to refuse to pay it's county tax in
one year and went to the Supreme Court
for relief. The argument was made and
the facts, but the court held
that the proceeding was not a
proper one to test the question
and nothing was gained by the suit. But
| think it will not be successfully contra
d1eted that for years past Jersey City
shas been in debt to the county for ar
rears of taxes, and has been quite re-
Gently obliged to cancel that Indebted
ness by giving its bonds to the county.
bearing 1-2 per cent. interest. Preyi-
Gus to giving these bonds, what was the
condition? Nothing less than that Jer-
sey City was in arrears for taxes, and
the county authorities had to make up
for these arrears annually by temporary
loans, bearing interest, which interest
the rest of the county had to pay. Ho-
boken's share of all such Indebtedness is
R.1 per cen so that during the Ion !.
period that Jersey City mas in arrears.
Hoboken was paying to the county annu-
by over 10 per celt of the interest due
on Jersey City's arrears. But more thar
that. The time came when these ar
lears had to be funded in Justice to the
rest of the county, and to satisfy the
continuing protests of the people that
Jersey City was not paying her taxes.
So we find in the county statement of
1885, at cage ]lc among the securities
hr;d by the bmmissicners f the Sink
ing Fund of the county the following
bonds:-
JERSEY CITY'S TAX ARREARS
For Jersey City tax arrears at 1-2
per cent, fifteen hundred thousand dol
lars due January l. 1898, and again for
tax arrears, Jersey City, 3 IL per cent.
three hundred and eighty-six thousand
dollars, due April 1, 1899.
There is no intimation in the county
accounts as to the length of time that
these taxes represented by these bonds
were in arrears, but it is safe to say
that for many years they were allowed
to run by the county because Jersey
CiIy's political representation in all coun-
ty boards outnumbers Hoboken and the
rest of the county more than two to one.
But whatever time they were in ar
rears the deficiency had to be met by
the Board of Freeholders by temporary
loans which carried interest probably
at per cent and perhaps at 6, which
interest Hobolen paid her pro rata share.
but the time came when these had
accumulated to such an extent that
temporary loans would no longer answer,
and what do we find the county doing
then? At page 80 of the county financial
statement for 1898 we find that the bond
ed debt of the county, among other
legitimate items consists of three hun
dred thousand arrears of taxes bonds
bearing interest at per cent, due Jan
uary l. 1898.