The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-09
QUEER FIGURING.
Assessors Returns Puzzle
the County Equalization
Tax Board.
GUTENBERG TO BE REASSESSED
sneath's Error Discovered By His
Suecessor-New System to Be
Adopted.
GUTENBERG TO BE REASSESSED

Charles Sheath. during 1894. was town
ship assessor of Gutenberg. 1t has only
recently been discovered that he filed
two sets of returns for the same period,
and each considerably differed from the
other. To the Collector of the town his
figures were higher than those sent into
the County Board of Equalization of
Taxes. Here they are
The return that went to the Collector
was as follows:-
Real. $685.. IT'S: personal, $4,000; total.
sGS0.57
The return to the County Board of
Equalization of Taxes was:-
Real, 1894, Cos. personal. sSS.55o; total,
s63a. PAS.
Placed one beneath the other, the two
sets of returns are like this
Real Personal. Total.
To Collector. ......$637, 775 $4,000 $3.50. 575
To County Board. 5s4,ss5 $3.50 6ss,245
Difference. !. $1,000 s4,25O ss7, $3.50
BENEFITED GUTENBERG.
The difference is the amount of valua-
tons which Assessor Sheath should have
added to his returns to the County
Board. He did not do this, and therefore
Gutenberg paid State school and coun-
ty taxes on $47, $50 less valuation than it
should have done, and the taxpayers
saved the difference. for other townships
and cities had to make it good.
The mathematics of Sheath were never
understood by the County Board until
yesterday. when Assessor John Heiser,
who was last spring elected Sneath's
successor, made his report for Gutten-
berg. which was as follows
Real. $500. $40; personal, ZOO; total,
s707. 507; decrease real. $50. ISL: increase
personal, s440; total increase. 1924.
WILL REASSESS TILE TOWNSHIP.
When these figures were compared with
those of last year. the deficiency was at
once explained. Heiser aid he had
taken the figures filed with the Township
Collector by Sheath as a basis to work
on. and had fixed valuations according
ly. Sheath, too, had not added to the
valuations the percentage. that the
County Board a put or them. AS a
consequence, Heiser's returns were
wrong, and the County Board will cor
rect them and re-assess Gutenberg.
Assessor George Bruce, of North Ber-
gen, during the meeting. nsnsl.d Prest-
dent Van Reipen a copy Of an act that
became law last winter. The act com
mands all assessors to meet with the
township committees on the second Tues
day in July for the purpose of having
the committee verify the assessments.
The assessor is required to produce his
books. which the Township Committee
may keep until the third Tuesday in
judy. Under the law creating the Board
of Equalization of Taxes. the Beard must
sit for ten consecutive days as a Board
of Appeals after the assessors have
handed in their reports. These reports
are now all in. and today and until July
10 the Board will hear appeals. To do
his it must nave the assessors present
and also their books.
IGNORING THE TOWNSHIP.
The question was asked yesterday now
the Township Committee and the County
Beard could each at the same time have
the books of the assessors present. This
question was asked the counsel to the
Board, who directed it to pay no atten-
ton to tho townships, but 20 Keep the
hooks now n Its possession nuul nat
further needed. A resolution was az
cordingly f~,opted to keep the books in
the custody of the County Board until
July 10.
Captain James H. Symes. of Union
Township. attended the meeting yes
terday. He represents the Symes estate,
which includes property in nearly every
portion of the county. lie wants to
know if the estate vas assessed at the
SAME valuations placed Oh n~eighDoring
property. He will attend other meetings
of the Board.