The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-22

SCHALK ON THE SPIT
The County Board Of Equal
izatlon Roasts Gutten-
berg's Assessor.
QUEER JUGGLING WITH VALUES
Desirable Property Assessed Low
and Swamp Land Lots
Put Way Up.
QUEER JUGGLING WITH VALUES

The County Board for the Equalization
of Taxes put Assessor Schalk OF Gut
tenberg on a spit yesterday afternoon
and turned him over and over until he
was thoroughly roasted. The first busi-
ness taken up was an appeal of Mrs.
Thaurer from an assessment of Nl,7O0 on
her property in Bergenline avenue, North
Bergen, which she claims is too high.
Then Assessor Schalk was called up.
His attention was called to five lots on
Bulls Ferry Road, Meckert's brewery
property, which had not been assessed
at all. Next there was a house and lot
on the same road which he had assessed
at 500, and two houses and three lots
near b. also assessed at 5000. Commits
sioner Morgan said that the brewery lots
were worth at least 81 900. Some time
ago he sold some lots up there at auction
and they brought $500 each. They are
now easily worth $500 apiece. The AS
SCISSORS books show improved property
on Hudson avenue assessed very low
and swaanpy property valued at a very
high figure. The average assessment of
good property is not more than % or 30
per cent. For instance the Guidet prop
erty on the bluff is assessed at $4,000
The valuation has been raised from $780,
600 in the last two or three years. The
Assessors valuation of that property is
one-tenth of the entire valuation of the
town and the natural inference is that
there is a prejudice against the owner.
Mr.. Schalk's attention was next called
to the fact that his entire valuation is
e2s, 900 less than last year and that he had
failed to add the s per cent. ordered by
the board last year. So far from making
the addition he had come in and asked
for $500 exemption. Schalk explained
that j 1900 had been taken out of the
ratables on account of the land taken
for the Boulevard loop. Commissioner
Morgan reminded him that even with
that elimination the valuation is still
$1,000 less than last year.
The Assessor was asked why he had
failed to send out notices and he said
that the town is poor and could not
afford to pay for them. He is entitled to
five cents for each notice.
Commissioners Mclean said that the
valuation of the Guidet property was
valuations. He called attention to the
fact that Jersey City is assessed 70 per
cent. of the fun value and Hoboken 60
- 81 2&i0 0tCNdIeu ltldL the ASSES
sors in the towns and townships should
be compelled to do something near right.
Commissioners Morgan remarked that
the Hoboken valuations compared favor
ably with the valuations on Jersey City
Heights Commissioners Mclean said
that was probably true, but the fact re-
mains that lower Jersey City is assessed
to the top notch.
Assessor Schalk was directed to take
s2eoo0 OF the Guidet property and dis
tribute that and the S1S,000 deficiency
among the other property in the town.
Scnalk tried to throw the responsibility
his predecessor, and he also said that
has not been prosperous since
the race track had fallen into disuse.
Assessor O'Donnell of Weehawken re-
ported that he had added $50. 900 on the
HUDSON County Railway Company's new
Q and $4,000 for the property on which
the road is built. This latter property is
owned by the West Shore Railroad Conn
Under the instructions of the
Board he had taken $50. 900 off the North
Hudson C~ornpany's elevator property.
total increase in Weehawken is s42,-
900.
Assessor Gross of North Bergen has
added $4,000 to the shore front property.
Assessors Matthews of Kearny and Nc
Gable of Harrison have $7,643 and So. 1872
respectively for gas pipe.
Assessor Howeth of the Town of Union
reported that he had aiken off s 5000 for
Peter Cooper Glue Factory, which
commissions clear Who was a Sper
cial committee to m the water
property reported that the prop
erty all along the shore is now assessed
the same ratio as h property, ac-
to its value.