The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-17
TAXATION DISCUSSED.
Board of Trade Mourns the
the Railroads Vietory-aEs
Commission Bill APP
proved. HaI

The Board of Trade. ssrepresentedN b.
President "A. ". Corcoran, Secretary ". !
TAFT and Messrs. Furst. Dear Carr, Con;
dict, Anderson, Voorhees, Hasking am
Drake, just a quorum, held aweetinl
last night.
A communication was received from
the Good Government Club of Bayonne
asking the Board to unite with them Il
urging the representatives of the count,
in the Legislature 10 pass bills Nos. %
and 2S9. requiring electric light and tele
graph and telephone companies to lay
their wires under ground in all cities o
the State. Mr.. Myron Furst moved tina
the bill be endorsed and the Secretary in
structed to notify the Senator ard mem
bers of Assembly from this county of thi:
action of the Board.
Mr.. H. v. Condict, of the ComInittes
on Equal Taxation. made a gloomy re
port on the failure of the Legislature tt
pass a proper bill for relief.
Mr.. Furst asked Mr.. Condict il he wa:
really in favor of bill NO. 1874 becoming {
law, and Mr.. Condict replied thai ne was
He said that it was not merely half
loaf they have got but something more
The railroad companies now pay a tau
of $500, 900. of which Jersey City only re
eeives $60.00O by this bill the city will gel
instead S114,0OO. he considered a
great triumph.
Mr.. Dear said that the great bulk OF
railroad property not used for railroad
purposes in meadow land now valued at
a low rate. or property which will be
converted into train yards and its valu-
alton increased. while in other property
there would be a corresponding de-
crease.
Mr.. Furst thought the bill merely a
makeshift passed simply to hoodwink the
people. w should get full justice OF
nothing" he said. 1.-The law should be rm-
edied to the extent that the people de-
sire. Instead of the railroads being re-
CURED to pay a just tax. what we receive
will come from the rest of the State. II
is robbing Peter to pay Paul"
Mr.. Dear declared his belief in the prin-
ciple laid Town by Daniel O'Connell, Take
what you can get, sue for the balance
eve have really succeeded MY in arous-
ing some sympathy for our unfortunate
condition. he said, but the object of the
passage of this bill is to put am end to
the agitation of equal taxation. Our rate
of taxation is nov s2.75. the heaviest in
the State. but what we are promised will
reduce the ate to about $2.A. Unless
there is some great extravaganza, this
city shall not spend any more money
than it has been spending, except demand
ed by growth. 1t will not be long be-
fore we VIII get a tax from the telephone
companies greater than that from the
trolley railroads and from the gas com
panies. If the valuations of other prop
erty continues to go up and that of the
railroad property under a State Board re-
mains where ut is, this question will break
out again"
Mr.. Condict said that the Commission
ers recommended that the railroads should
pay taxes according to the local rates,
but this was cut from the report and left
Tor Mr.. Black to put in a supplementary
report.
A motion by Mr.. Carr was adopted that
the report of the committee be received
On motion of Mr.. Condict a vote of
thanks was given to the member of the
Legislature from this county for the
The Committee appointed to wait upon
the Mayor in reference to the water
question reported that the matter was
IN statue quo. The Chairman of the
ing when it would be convenient to see
them, but his honor had not deigned to
reply.
On motion of Mr.. Furst, the Secretary
was requested to secur files of all bills
in the Legislature to be kept
in the rooms of the Board for the use
of the members.
The Railroad Commission bill, No. 81.
by Senator Johnson, was the
next subject under consideration. Mr..
Dear was IN favor Of it. He thought IT
clause giving authority to the Commission
70 decide IN reference to grade crossings
without consulting the city authorities.
OF the authorities Of municipalities should
pc required in addition to that of the
commissioners No commission should
grade crossing withut the PERMISSION Of
the authorities. This Bill, he said. how
ever made a way by which railroads
n MAY pc d pr99ugSh n to the bar Of public
sion had the right to institute proceedings
against any railroad for violating the
law: This commission appointed By the
state having at its back the Attorney
General, could bring up a railroad with
a short turn. He was glad TO have
something to which the people could 90
railroads.
The Secretary read at the request of
Presuent Corcoran a legal opinion upon
Fac. fben e Of the penal j. sections Of the bill with
demand for the proposed commission the
people do not wan it, and there IS Moth
ple." peo-
M. Condict insisted that the control of
railroads. should be left with the Street
and Water Board, and they should be
held responsible. He was certain that
Jersey CITY would not be in 1t when it
MI. Furst said that what the railroads
want IN New Jersey they get, and what
they don't want the people couldn't make
NJ 49, 49,, F
g commission was an experiment in th;S
state, and that the result would ali de-
Commission. ene
No action vas taken on the bill, and If
journed. az
AeATHOI DRAMATIC CLUBS PLAY
The members Of the Agathoi Dramatic
Association presented the interesting
THE Bankers Daughter" at ST
Mary's Hall on Willow avenue. Hoboken
i Cd nfoL% A. 49,