The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-08-05
STAMP REQUIREMENTS.
Information Of Much Service TO Many Who
May Need It.

nue. District has issued the following
statement relative TO stamp require
ments as to leases:
twenty-five cents-Leases dated on or
after July 1, 1898. for a period of one
year or less. Receipts for one month or
any other period of time less than one
year, provided there is no lease, and pro-
vided the period covered by the receipt
is after July /, 1898.
Fifty cents Leases dated on or after
July l, 1898, for period more than one
year, but not more than three years.
One dollar-Leases dated on or after
July /, 1898, for a period more than
three years
Exempt-All leases dated prior to July
/, 1898, no matter for how long a period
of time. All receipts given for rent for
any period of time prior to July /, 1898.
All receipts given fer rent for any period
of time after July 1, 1898, where the
period of time is covered by a lease
executed either before or after July 1,
1898.
Tenants are exempt from paying the
tax. No landlord can compel a tenant
to put stamp on a lease or receipt.
The landlord or his agent must provide
and cancel the stamp. The principle is
this: Agreements must be stamped; a
lease is an agreement and therefore must
be stamped; in the absence of a lease, a
receipt becomes an agreement and there
fore must be stamped.
The department at Washington has
interpreted the law, and all receipts for
rent, where there is no lease, and where
the period covered is after July 1, 1898,
must be stamped, whether the rent is
paid in advance or whether it is in
arrears.
The law provides penalties for neglect
to provide the stamps, and all documents
not properly stamped are not binding.
The law provides also that that the party
who issues any document must provide
the stamp. The landlord issues the
lease and also issues the receipt for rent.
Under the law he should provide the
stamp for each lease or receipt for rent,
affix it, and cancel it.. If the rent is col
lected by real estate agent he must act
for the landlord. In no instance can the
tenant be compelled TO pay the tax.
1.-THE express companies are between
the devil and the deep sea. If they re-
fuse to accept merchandise offered for
shipment and this they are doing every
dow EoIla To 0Ca fI1of, OH ,.ka
The Interstate commerce law requires
them to transport all merchandise
offered. The only articles they are al
lowed to refuse are goods not securely
packed and explosives. On the other
hand, they are liable to get into trouble
with the railroads if they increase their
charges. Their contracts with the rail-
roads call for the payment of So per cent.
of the money they receive. If they
should increase their charges so as to
cover the tax, the railroads would de-
mand large share of the returns, and
they would have to pay it under the
terms of their contracts. This would
amount to more than thousand dollars
day.
stamps and affixing them to receipts for
freight, evidently feeling that the law
cannot well be evaded. The Pennsyl-
vania, l know, has been doing this. 1t
is the only way to avoid suits for annul-
ment of charter"
Commissioner Scott of the Internal
Revenue Bureau has issued circular re-
garding the manner in which documen-
tary and proprietary internal revenue
stamps are to be cancelled. It prescribes
hesive stamp shall be used for denoting
any tax imposed by the war revenue act
the person using or afixing the same
shall write or stamp thereon with ink
the initials of his name and the date
year in which the same shall be at
tached or used, or shall, by cutting and
cancelling said stamp with a machine or
punch which will affix the initials and
date as aforesaid. so deface the stamp as
to render it unfit for reuse. The cancel
lation by either method could not so de-
face the stamp as to prevent its denomi-
nation and genuineness from being read
lily determined.
Stamps imprinted upon the face of
checks, drafts, or other similar instru-
ments, may be cancelled by dating, sign
ing, and filling out the blank lines in
writing across the face of the stamps in
the usual manner of drawing checks and
drafts. Stamps on checks and drafts
may also be cancelled by perforating
through said stamp and the paper to
which it is attached the amount in
figures for which said check or draft is
drawn.
Where proprietary stamps printed
from nrivata dies are nsad for the pay