The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-13
BUDGET OPERATIVE.
Mayor Hoos Creates a New
Sensation by Sending
in No Veto.
BIG HOLE MADE IN IT
Attorney Generals Opinion About
the Payment of Railway Tax
Money Under the Act
of 1897. :
BIG HOLE MADE IN IT

Vi 1851. 4
Mayor Edward Hoos treated the city
to another bombshell today. 1t came IN
the nature of a surprise and was that
he sent no veto in to the Board OF Fl
nanee's tax budget and allowed 1t TO pe-
come operative without his signature
Everybody was expecting vigorous
veto. and particularly the Board OF FL
nance who held meeting this morning
for the purpose of receiving any commu-
nications from His Honor the Mayor. A
communication was received, but IL
wasn't the veto.
The Mayor was of opinion that the ten
days allowed him in which to veto or
approve, or to do neither, expired at
midnight tonight, while the Finance
Board insisted that it expired last nlgnt-
Hence the Mayor, in this difficulty. judg-
ed it a wise and polite act of states
manship to withhold any veto he might
have up his sleeve and allow the budget
to become operative. He of course knew
full well that if he had sent in the veto
he had proposed, the Board would nave
passed it over his veto.
The Finance Commissioners, however,
said they would take advantage of no
teehnicality and waited this morning 1or
the veto which never came. Their sur
prise was complete. President Brautigam
looked at Commissioners Simpson, Kel-
lers and Bailey, and there was sly
twinkle in his eye, to which his col
leagues replied by a portentous Wink
and a I-told-you-so look.
The communication sent in by the
Mayor was copy of letter from
Comptroller Hancock, which explains IT.
self 1t was as follows
TRENTON. 5, 6. '97.
Hon. Edward Hoos, Mayor, Jersey CITY,
n. J.
Dear Sir-I am in receipt of yours of the
I'd inst, with inquiry as to my construc-
ticn of the act entitled ''An act to revise
and amend an act for the taxation OF ran
road and canal property, being Chdp-
ter So of the Laws of 1897.
NV action under this law will be not TO
pay municipalities any of the additional
moneys allotted to them by the law OF
1897 from taxes assessed in the year 1871
and payable in the year 1898, for the rea-
son that they will be assessed previous
to November l. 1897, and the law only
applies to those assessed after that cate:
Your second inquiry as to the amount
of new railroad property likely .;S 70 De fasr as
sessed, cannot be answered until aIter
assessments are actually made.
L herewith enclose copy OF Attorney
General Grey's opinion to me on the con-
struction of the law of 1897
Very respectfully
Comptroller.
Enclosure.
State of New Jersey
Office of Attorney General,
Trenton. August 5, 1897.
Hon w Hancock, Comptroller, ETC.
Dear Sir-I am in receipt OF your Iavor
dated August 1897 enclosing ,a an tbs exfTanl Hao
folIows:-s.In making up the tax levy for
the city Of Jersey I ei5y It haI aet to
wise and amend an act for the taAa.iolr iaIis,lr
of railroad and canal property, pelng
Chapter s. of the Laws. vs. OF lSya, wonld Hsoa1
year and the Board of Finance in Jersey
City in making up thsAtax levy for the the
officiallv what construction your office
would put upon said law; whether we
during mudru ea the coming fiscal year or not
The act of 1885, to which Chapter 69 OF
the act of 1897 is supplementary, requires
the first Monday of July, unless that day
fall upon the fourth of July, In which
event they may meet on the first Tuesday;
railroad and canal companies interested,
touching the valuation and assessment
of their property; the board may adjourn
y,
fit. require all arguments and COMMUNE
cations to be presented in writing
BY Section 9 of the same act It is pro-
vided That the State Board of Assessors
shall, upon the completion of their valua-
ton and. assessment, proceed to compute
the tax upon the. entire assessed valua.
tion of each railroad company and of
each canal company, as ascertained by
them; upon such valuation each company
shall pay to the State, for general State
purposes. a tax at the rate of one-half
of one per centum annually upon each
dollar of valuation, and the State Board
of Assessors shall compute the same. The
sum of the estimates or computations by
each company shall constitute the tax
to be 4 ID by each company and shall be
q lien Paramount to all other liens upon 2
franchise of such company in this State;
such lien shall take effect on the first
1ayua3ion Day Fl IN detail Of the prop property Of
each corporation and of the tax assessed
against the same, under the provisions of
urer of such corporation, or left at his
office within ten days after the first day
of November; but the failure to serve any
any tax assessed or effect any lien
created under this act; said tax shall be
a debt due from such company to the
at law or in equity may be maintained,
and which shall be a preferred debt in
case of insolvency: these remedies are in
vided for in this act.
BY the tenth section the Board is re-
Quired to certify to the Comptroller, on
or before December J. in each year, a
statement of the assessed valuation of
the property of each company in the
State and of the separate valuation of
property in each taxing district the
amount of tax payable by each company
with respect to its property separately
valued in each taxing district, and the
aggregate assessed valuation. and the
total tax levied upon each company
These statements are made separately
for each company and are to be recorded
+. in books in the Comptroller's office and
become public records. The amount of
tax payable by each company, as shown
BY the said statements. shall be due and
payable into the State Treasury on any
day between the first day of November
and the first day of February following
Under the operation Of the provisions of
this act I think the State Board is re-
quired on the first Monday. or the first
Tuesday of July, to take steps looking
to the valuation Of property taxable un-
der. the law, and they have until the
first day of the month of November fol-
lowing. to complete their estimate and
valuation for purposes Of taxation and
to tax the companies whose property Is
affected- The power to assess given to
the State Board expires at the last mo-
ment on the 31st day of October of each
year. The taxes assessed prior to that
time become lien upon the property of
the companies. from and after the first
<1av of November. 1t is also a debt made
SO BY the statute due from such com