The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-10-15

JERSEY CiEY'S CASE
Attorney General Stockton
Says TAatsthe Taxation
Law Works I'M
justly Here.
TAXATION COMMISSIONERS MEETING
Newark Presents Her Case and
Complains That the State ASS
SCISSORS Are at Fault.
Spsetal u the jersey cNu Neus.

EkGtt4t - tftS NF8 fE|
NEWARK, Oct. 10, 1sss.-The Commits
sioners to investigate the taxation OF
railroad property met in the Council
chamber in the City Hall here this morn
ing to hear, as Attorney-General Stock
ton in opening the meeting said. New
arkss views on the subject.
I'VE are not going about investigating
everybody and everything; but simply to
near the views and advice Of the people
We went first TO Jersey City, because
ehe has good reason to complain of the
inequality of taxation, and now we come
to hear what you people have TO advise
us as to what report we shall make to the
legislature"
Among those present were:-Commis-
sioner c. C. Black of Jersey City, Gene
raj Rushing of Trenton, w. H. Vreden-
burgh of Monmouth, ex-Sherif Reynolds
OF Newark. the Acknowledgement; Mayor
Seymour of Newark sEdlow W. Harri-
son Of Jersey City; James Allen. for the
Erie Railroad; George De Forrest. Central
Railroad; James B. V~redenburgh. for the
Pennsylvania Company; Colonel i. L.
Price and a host Of Newark celebrities.
Judge Otto, president of Newark's Tax
Board, was the first speaker. and New
ark's complaint, he said, was in substance
that the State Board of ASSESSORS vaiua-
tion for second class property in Newark
was too low. The local assessors have a
Tot Of trouble, he said, in this matter of
taxing tracks, ETC., falling under the head
of second-class property The local as
SCISSORS tax it, and so does the Railroad
Commission, with the result that the To-
cal body has to remit thai tax and it
causes trouble. He suggesed that the rail-
road Commission should report to the
local Board and thus save confusion.
Surveyor Schlegel Of the Newark Board
Of Assessors exhibited a map showing
the property cut by the main stem. Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company and cor
roborated Judge Otto'S complaint that
there was a mix up in the assessments
by the State and local Boards. Further,
he said, the State assessors in their re-
ports did not properly describe the pro-
perty so taxed.
THAT seems to me to be a matter of
detail. which can be settled between
these Boards interrupted General Rus
ling, and the Commissioners nodded their
heads in assent.
Have you any complaints in the va1ua-
tons by the State Board, Judge?" asked
General Rushing.
Eyes. sir" was Judge Otto's reply; 1--WE
find that in all cases the State Assessors
fix the value of second class property
which we had previously assessed as To-
cal taxable propert at a much lower rate
than we would if we had jurisdiction. /
will give you an illustration. The land Of
the Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad
we assessed at S6o,006, and We considered
that extremely low, but when it passed
into the hands of the State Board they
assessed it at SIS. 5000"
why are they too low?" asked Com
The PRESIDENT of the Newark Tax
Board couldn't say; all he knew was that
what should they be?v pursued Mr..
Black.
II cam say. but they are too low"
answered Judge Otto, and wandered off
into a general request that the railroad
companies should file plans of first and
second class properties with the local
board before THAI board makes up its
tax levy on the third Wednesday of Janu-
airy.
General Rushing asked about the tax
alton of personal property in the county
Of Essex, and Judge Otto replied that
about $50, 8o0,e 600 worth of property was
taxed.
How much escapes taxation?' asked
Il don't know. All we can't find, 1
guess" was the reply, and everybody
smiled.
General Rushing then put a poser to the
President of the Tax Board by asking
how it was that Essex could only collect
per cent. of her personal property;
per. cent. Judge Otto could not say. and
took shelter behind his former reply that
he collected all he could find. To convince
the Commission that his board was not
delinquent in its duties he explained the
modus operandi of the boards collector
OF personal taxes.
Clerk Goeter OF the Tax Board appeared
suddenly by the side of his chief with a
popderous book and with a trace of in
dignation said that Newark collects rs
per cent of her personalities and not ID.
Judge Otto looked proudly around and
added
We nave no complaints about the per-
Commissioners ~Vredenburgh then took a
hand and asked Judge Otto what he
Thought of the fact that in Essex county
there were $780, 900. 900 worth of exempted
property. That amount Included churches,
schools, hospitals, charitable institutions,
city buildings, etc.
Judge Otto replied that the law for ex-
empted property allows too much. He
read a list of .'porotchicap' institutions,
as he persisted in calling them, and rec
some action.
D you include private schools?'' asked
the Attorney General.
YES, they are schools where they teach
languages, but they are not of much ac-
count. daughter Then there is the
property of willows
Don't touch the widows" said Mr.. Vre-
denburgh, and there was a burst of mer-
riment, renewed when he said that par
sons houses should mot be exempt from
had a snug berth and could afford to paw
the tax. In the city of Newark, ne add
ed, the parsonage property exempt
amounted to about s250, 600 to s260, coo.
The trouble confronting the State is
that IN the State there is one millions
worth of church PROPERTY, and In the
country several hundreds of millions, all
escantns taxation, and the trouble is it
is increasing in value and rolling up its
extent. What is to be done?
The few real estate owners viii have
to pay the tax, added Local Tax Com
missioner BrentniH.
Returning to the main question Judge
Otto said that the railroad company
should pay a more equal tax. Other
members of Newark's local board said the
same thing and pointed out that the State