The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-27
RAILWAY TAXATION
MI. H. B. Condict Tells All
About Exemptions to the
Goo Goo Club.
JERSEY CITY IS ROBBED
Some Towns Have No Railway
Property and So Totally Es-
cape a State Tax.
JERSEY CITY IS ROBBED

o~Po M
-
Mr.. Henry v. Condict lectured in Ar
canum Hall last evening on Equal
Taxation The lecture was held under
the auspices of Goo Coo Club No. L.
About twenty members were present.
MI. Condict began by explaining that
in 1920 JERSEY CITY was Incorporated by
act of the Legislature. 1t then com
prised 1890 people and it's selectmen
had no authority to lew taxes. From
that year until 1928 the only taxes lev
led were, authorized att town meetings.
Thasa $3.50 amo,,n+ad ~ s1oo ner year
Ihese taxes amounted 70 siVV per year.
In that year, however, by special act
of legislation they were increased to
sam To take the wear 1925 as an ex-
ample. he said that only SIPS was col
lected of the required 500, the rest was
oba rsed ~ tayes in arrears
Mr.. Condict described the poor means
of travel in those days. To New York
one crossed fhe Hudson in a sailboat.
which returned to the shore at any
had often told him, he said, how he
held the filler while the skipper trim
9 ~ tni. W. nsi s,ahia uas :
med the sheet. 70 Phiiadelphia was a
days journey by humping stage coach
through part of a sparseIy settled
State. Thus Mr. Condict led up TO the
point of the evening, the relation of
the railroads TO his subject.
In 1880 some ~enterprising capitalists
proposed to build the Camden and Am
boy Railroad. The people We're delight
ed and the Legislature were found an
easy mark for these capitalists. They
were ranted a franchise. exempted en-
tirely from taxes n assured of a mon
opoly in sol much that no other road
could obtain permission to parallel its
tfacks; a,tx,
ru 20 ~ an ~, d., o Iii fssa a3adr and e MY "a
Seaggers Th wnlc Ma entered ere n 5ne Saase T Tra qeif
Toau. VILE in.S MAS ihe fn not3 {be s+a teat tbe
nan aram6an md Au1bau stafeo and
nr ani te sdai44bb e st ate a1tto}}gS aff New d ane
Its wss x,a nv ,,nnon,,sr II +brnnebo,I The
ifninn tn 1850 # Was abolisbed and the
lieu Of this this tax. p Until 1873 this endured.
irban tba law With tayed al rai1road
PROPERTY at one-haif of one per cent.
was passed and continued until the
In 1884 a bill was introduced and
o. Cole and others. It e~sdeavored to
make all railroad corporations pay their
share of State and city taxes on the
| same scale as individuals. It passed
the House, but was amended and
emf law was passed which calls for a
commission appointed by the Governor,
consisting of four members, Inc called
road Property. This commission is di-
rected by act to divide the railroad
property into four classesLFirst, the
100 feet wide and as long as the road
and all stations. depo5s 4 other sIruc-
lures upo1 II; sscono, al the real IS,
railroad purposes; third, the personal
properly; the Iourth, tne IranchlSe.
line ray Pro ~ y tnat AM an tn ~ pr g ger =
and that uhat OF the secona clasS pay N
addIelon one per cent. TO lhe loeal uaxlng
d1sprlct. "Ihe law IS a gooa one, sac
Mr. Conalcd, IN as Iar as ~ crSaLes q
means OF vaiuing property and collecIlng
taxes. But there can pc no reason why
rallroads snouid NOT pay ene salue iace
as l~ndlvlduias., Inc one-nall OF oHe PEI
cent. is RAISED ror State purposes omy
and cannot pc appIeu 70 local eApSnses
Ihe law d~lscrlInlhaees againsl Jersss
CITY and IN favor OF orher parts 81 ene
State, because she mas more nalroad
property than these other districts ano
because the efty tax rase Is SO nlgh
taxed at about IS per cent. of its
values" -.
In continuation Mr.. Condict SAID tnal
Jersey City. property equals IN valne
State. He held, therefore, that TINS
should pay only one-eighth of the State
taxes. AS a matter Of fact from thls
city goes about one-fourth the taxes palo
by railroads to the STATE. we shoulu
get back our o-ver-payment," said Mr.
Condict, .the system is wrong to US. In
the State. there are twenty-four town
| ships without railroad property, which
| therefore pay no State tax. These rail
| roads rely upon the local authorities for
| fire and police protection, and hold them
| accountable. The Pennsylvania Railroad
depot in this CITY pays no taxes 10 tne
pansy feared a riot it notified Jersey city
| CNdL she WOuiu .ut uciu iidUiC oHy