The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-03
OF IMPORTANCE.
Measures Before the Legis-
lature Which Effects
Jersey City.
Mr.. ABBETT'S ATTACKS ON TRUS rs
Mr.. Marks Wants Free Baths
and Gymnasiums
Established.
Mr.. ABBETT'S ATTACKS ON TRUs rs
Especial to .srhe Jersey city News."I

I it ptfPtt >AN% "0'f
TRENTON, Feb. 8, 1Se9.-Among the
one hundred or more bills now before the
Legislature there are several of import
ance which materially affect Jersey City.
Prominent among these is House No. 4,
introduced by Mr.. Murphy on the first
business day of the session. 1t y the Old
equal taxation measure over which SO
many fierce battles have been ragged in
the House in the last few sessions. 1t
| provides that the State tax on all rail
road and canal property at one and one
half per cent. upon each dollar of valua-
| ton, and for each local taxing district an
additional tax at local rates, provided the
same shall not exceed two per cent. upon
each dollar of valuation. The Importance
of this measure to Jersey City is well
known to every citizen thereof ana each
and every one should do all in his power
to secure its passage.
Mr.. Abbett has also introdd ced an equal
taxation measure which defines with con-
| siderable detail all the appurtenances of
the railroad companies as real estate.
The act DEGREES that section three of
the act entitled "a further supplement to
an act entitled ar act concerning taxes
| approved April fourteenth, eighteen hun
| dred and forty-six,' which further up
plement was approved April eleventh,
eighteen hundred and sixty-six, be and the
same is hereby amended so as to read as
follows:-
8. And be it enacted, That the term
''real estate" as used in this act, shall
| be construed to include all lands above
and under water, all water power on such
lands or appurtenant thereto, and all
buildings, erections. sub-structures and
superstructures erected upon under or
above or affixed to the same, trees and
underwood growing thereon and all
mines, quarries, peat and mari beds and
all fisheries; also all wharves and piers,
including the value of the right to col
lect wharfage, storage or dockage there
on; all supports and Enclosures for cleo
/ trical conductors and other appurten-
ances upon. above and under ground;
all surface, underground or elevated rail-
| roads. including the value of all fran
| chise rights or permission to construct,
maintain or operate the same in, under,
| above. on, across, or through streets,
highways or public places; all railroad
| structures, sub-structures and super
/ structures, tracks and iron thereon,
u SniltiCS 1iAo tAiS -
mitted or authorized to be made, laid or
placed in, upon. above or under any pub
lie or private road. sewer or grounds;
| all mains, pipes and tanks laid or placed
in. upon, above or under any public or
| private street or place for conducting
steam. heat, water, oil, electricity or any
property. substance OF product capable
of transportation or conveyance therein,
or that is protected thereby, including
the value of all franchise rights, authori-
49, w. arr IA nn1CfTI1nf MAINTAIN
or operate in, under. above, upon, across
| or through any streets, highways or pub
lie places any mains. pipes, tanks, con-
Quits or wires with their appurtenances
for conducting water, steam, heat, light,
| power, gas, oil or other substance or
electricity for Geographic, telephone or
other purposes.
| of great financial benefit to Jersey City
should it become a law, was introduced by
Mr.. Benny, and provides that one-haif OF
after imposed upon. corporations Or
ganized under the laws Of this State
shall by the State be allotted osthe tag,
of the company is located in this state.
When it is. remembered that a great ma
jority of the companies incorporated I'M
der the laws of this State locate their
principal offices in Jersey City, it will
readily be seen what a boon the enact
ment of this law would be to that city,.
Mr.. Dexheimer of Essex has a bill in
whereby he seeks to relieve cities Oh the
expenses of maintaining the District
Courts and placing it upon the counties IN
which the courts are located. 1t is doubt
full whether this is a benefit to the city or
not. The measure takes from Jersey
City the expense of maintaining IT'S own
two District Courts, but compels 1t to bear
| a good share of the cost of all the District
Courts in the county.
Assemblyinan Marks stands sponsor for
free public baths and gynnasiums in
cities of this State. the inhabitants of
which shall. BY, a majority vote at the
baths and ~gymnasiums. The cost of
maintenance of the institutions is to be
obtained by the imposition of a tax of
sessable property in the cities wherein a
| majority Of the people vote in favor of the
baths. A board of five commissioners
shall have supervision and direction OF
| the institution, the board to be appointed
by the mayor, the latter to be one OF the
five.
| the telephone companies, with a bill
which fixes the charges for telephones at
not more than $50 per year. Converse
lions over the wire between persons IN
different counties are to be charged for
at not more than fifteen cents for the
first ten minutes and seven cents for
each succeeding ten minutes; for talks
by telephone between points in the same
| county, five cents for the first ten min
| utes and two cents for each succeeding
| ten minutes. This is the third bill direct
ed against the tefeplfOliS toHipdHiSo HiC
| has been introduced this session.
Mr.. Marnell, whose father is a sergeant
of police in Hoboken, introduced a bin
| which provides for the p~ensiOning of the
| families of policemen who die from in
juries or illness sustained while in the
discharge of their duties.
Assemblyman Bell, of Bergen county,
| has a bill which is essentially a jury
| commission act. The measure is intended
to wipe out the system now in vogue
| of drawing grand juries.
Mr.. Bell proposes to authorize the Gov
! ernor, by the passage of the bill, to
appoint two jury commissioners in each
| county of the State, one Democratic and
| one Republican commissioner, who shall
draw the grand juries after the plan in
cluded in the Bergen mans measure.
This plan provides that the commits
sioners shall take the list of the residents
! of their respective counties, qualified for
Jury duty, and shall select alternately
| one name each from the list until they
| shall nave selected four times as many
names as shall be required for the grand
jury.
The names so selected are to be placed
in a box n twenty-four drawn there
| from, which twenty-four shall constitute
the grand Jury of the county.
The members of the bipartisan COM
| missions are to be remunerated. under
the provisions of Mr.. Bells plan by the
| payment of SO per diem, for each day ac-
| tua1ly engaged in the work of selecting
| the Jurors, and shall hold office for three
| years from the date of their appoint
ment.