The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-07-14
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Tax Commissioners Dynan, Dollard,
Guisto. Leonard and Coughlin appeared
before the hoard yesterday, to explain
the reasons for the decrease in Hoboken's
ratahles. Mr. Dynan said that last years
valuation was s2s, 500 on which the city
had paid the State, school and county tax.
When they started to assess this year
they had shortage to make up of
about 5000 600 that had ben allowed in re-
ductions by the State Tax Board during
the year and in addition 200 of the
city's ratables had been wiped out by the
recent disastrous water front fire. In
speaking of the unfair reduction allowed
by the State Board on the Castle Point
property, Mr.. Dynan said
ssThey not only reduced the amount the
assessment had been increased over the
previous year, but went further and de-
creased the assessment that had been
standing for years.
''The State Board compelled him to take
off the river front property about one
third or in round figures 81, 10000.
Continuing he said:-'There is no time
an appeal is made to the State Board
that the city does not get the worst of it,
As an instance of this fact and the un-
fssTtess Of their reductions, there are
some meadow lots on which we had
placed the nominal assessment of $500. The
owner appealed to the State Board and
they reduced the amount to 500. Com
missioner Clarke will bear me out in the
statement that there is no lot in Hoboken,
even in the centre of the meadow district
that is not worth $500, and yet the State
Board by this reduction has fixed value
by which we must abde''
Jersey City had the same trouble with
the State Board" remarked Commits
sioner Love, until we engaged an expert
who went before them and contradicted
the arguments of the experts engaged by
the parties making appeal. 1 should
think 1t well for Hoboken to do the same
thing
1--WE are in a different position from Jer-
sey City" replied Mr.. Dynan. 1--WE have
no authority to engage experts and no
money with which to pay them if we
do. In the recent appeal of the owners
of the Castle Point property we engaged
Engineer Mccain as an expert for the
city, and the Common Council agreed
to pay him 5000 for his services, but
he hasn't got the money YETI
The reduction made on the Pennsyl-
wanna itdiitOod pI0ptIly, amounted 10
$3.50. .O00.'' Mr.. Dynan said. "A piece of
property directly north of the PennsyI-
vania Railroad property was assessed at
100000. The deed was in another name
and we assessed it, although we believe
it is an adjunct of the railroad property.
If we. hadn't sustained such immense
losses we would have shown an increase
of s750,OO0,' continued Mr.. Dynan.
NJ
Lloyd Company was s420,000.''
Again referring to the unfairness of the
State Boards reductions in the matter Of
appeals from Hoboken property owners
Mr.. Dynan cited the case of the Hobo
ken Land and Improvement Company
The local board had increased their water
front valuation by $4,000 They appealed
to the State Board and not content with
reducing it to the original amount that
body, after taking off the increase, re-
duced the assessment $150,000 more"
Commissioner Love remarked that Ho-
bolSens water front was much more val
uable than Jersey Citys by reason of the
greater depth of the channel in front of
it.
ITO illustrate the uselessness of our OPP
posing appeals to the State Board /
would like to cite one case, said Commits
sioner Gusto. 'Last year the Hamburg
line got control of the Old Pennsylvania
Railroad property. We increased it about
100 per cent. about the figures at which
the State Board had been assessing it to
the railroad. If the State Board assesses
at but half our figures what chance
have we to go before them and look to be
sustained?'
.All Hobolxen gets out of the railroads is
about $4,000 remarked Commissioner
Dollard
Commissioner Dynan said that the
board had assurances from Mr.. Schwab,
the representative of the North German
Lloyd Company, that the increased value
of the piers they would erect would make
good the loss the city would sustain by
the recent destruction of their property
The Hoboken Commissioners then pre-
sented the following statement of values:
Rea lestate, $25, no. 500; personal property,
s2,o2o, ,2so Total, s27. .791, ,1so. Decrease. real
estate, $3.50, 800; increase, personal prop
erty, s110.930; net decrease. S248. .3T0 The
decrease on realty values was due to re-
An Old and Well Tried Remedy