The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-12
HOBOKENl VALUES.
State Board of Taxation Con-
sldering the Five Per
Cent, Increase.
Mr.. M'LEANs TESTIMONY
County Board Examined the
Property Before Making
the Reduction.
Mr.. M'LEANS TESTIMONY

4
/ Dollard, by the County Board for the
| Equalization of Taxes.
1 President Henry ]. West of Camden
was in the chair, his colleagues, Messrs.
slupe and Black occupying seats be-
side. him. There were present, in addi-
! ton 70 these gentlemen, Tax Commits
sioners Love. Lahey and Clark, ex-Sen-
ator Edwards, Mayor Pagan of Hoboken,
| Corporation Attorney Minturn, Corpora
ton Counsel Blair Assessor Dollard and
Counsel to the County Board
| The board proceeded to business at half
| past. ten O'Clock. Counsel for the County
Board stirred up hornets nest at once
by asking that the complaint of Hobo
| ken be dismissed on the ground that
| its representatives have not shown
wherein Hoboken has been unjustly dealt
with. or any injustice done by the adj
dition of 5 per cent. to it's ratables.
| The motion was opposed by Mr.. Min
! turn who declared that as yet Hoboken
| has not been given sufficient opportun-
| ity to show wherein the increase has
| worked injury. He declared that with a
view to comparing Hoboken's and Jersey
City's assessments the local assessors
had been subpoenaed to appear before
! ken and produce all of Jersey Citys as
sessment books This he contended they
refused to do. He further declared that
| Hoboken had not been given a hearing
such as is prescribed by law, before the
County Board before the Objectionable
increase had been ordered. Counsellor
| Edwards objected to these statements,
and showed that Hobollen's assessor was
before the board and was distinctly told
that an increase of per cent. was to
| be added to his ratables. Mr.. Edwards
contended that the increased assessment
| was regularly ordered and that mas
| much as Hoboken had put in all its tes-
| timony, asked that the complaint be
dismissed.
LEGAL SPAT.
A sparring match of counsel ensued,
| during which Corporation Counsel Blair
| announced that Jersey City could and
would produce testimony which would
convince the board that Hoboken's as
/ sessment might be computed as being
about so cents on the dollar. ''Ths in
crease was not ordered said Mr. Ed
wards, without a personal investiga-
ton of assessments having been made by
the County Board"
sioner Black, when Mr. Cannon was
sent from Hoboken to examine Jersey
City,s assessment books ne was refused
that right"
Because the books were then being
compared by hte clerks replied Corpor-
alton Counsel Blair. people have ac-
cess to the books when they are com
pleted, not before"
James E. Connolly, clerk of the County
Board, was the first witness called. Ex-
Senator William D. Edwards conducted
the examination on behalf of Jersey
City. Mr.. Connolly testified that he ae-
colnpanied the members of the County
Board on tour of inspection of Hobo
ken's ratables. About three hundred
pieces of property, he said, were exam
ined, and it was found that they were
assessed anywhere from $40 to 65 per
cent. of their true value, as appraised
| by Commissioners Van Reipen and Nor
gan, who have loaned money on prop
erty in all parts of the county.
Counsellor Minturn endeavored to ridi-
cule the actions of the board, because
its members had remained in carriage
and looked at many houses where the
assessments were questionable.
Commissioner Mclean was the next
witness called. He said that he was fa-
miliar with valuations throughout the
county, having made a study of real es-
tate for the past twenty years He said
that he had from time to time watched
conveyances of Hoboken property filed
at the County Clerks office and had
found glaring illustrations of unfair as
sessments as levied by James e. Dol
lard.
UNJUST VALUATIONS
For instance, he showed that a piece
of property on the south side of Four
teenth street, 81 feet west of Bloom
field street, had been sold for $3.50. 1t
was assessed for $1,000 or about SO per
cent. of its real value. Another instance
was piece on the west side of Gar
den street, 1853 feet north of Sixth street,
sold for S. 900, and assessed for S., 400, or
56 per cent. of its value.
Another case cited was on the west
side of Bloomfield street, 1874 feet north
of Twelfth street, sold for $7,5O0s and
assessed for $4,000 about So per cent. of
it's value. In these instances the assess
ment averaged 81 per cent. of the real
values, while Jersey City realty is as
sessed about II per cent.
Ibid you find any occasion to raise
valuations in Jersey City?" asked Mr..
Minturn.
mo, SIR
'sHow many pieces of property in Jer-
sey City did you examiner"
about two hundred. We did not
think it just to raise Jersey City when
other communities were assessed from 40
to 60 per cent. only.
II wanted continued Mr.. Mclean,
ito raise Hoboken ratables about % per
cent, but my colleagues would not sup
port me. / wanted Hoboken to be as
sessed about as high as Jersey City, and
believe today that Hoboken is not
bearing its fair share of the county ex-
pense."
HOBOKEN'S CASE LAST.
.As a matter of fact asked Mr.. Min
turn, 'shad not the County Board decided
before the Hoboken assessor made any
returns to raise his ratables per cent.
or more?''
"That is not true, replied Mr.. Me-
Lean; 'fIobokens case was the last
one considered. We had raised other
values prior to acting on Hoboken's."
Mr.. Minturn tried to show that the
County Board did not make thorough
examination of property in Jersey City,
but was unsuccessful, Mr.. Mclean prov
ing that all the largest properties in the
~ i