The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-01-02
PERSONAL TAX PAYMENT.
Queer Facts From the Pub
lished Delinquent List--
Duty of the City.

To the Editor of THE Jersey City News
The advertisement of delinquents for
personal taxes of 1887, recently pupilsneu
In the News" reveals a shocking state
of affairs in more directions than one In
the first place. personal property bears
very small part of the burdens OF taxa
tion In 1871 the personally in Jersey rs Csy 1e!
was valued, for taxation. at So, ,6I2 l6l,
while the reality amounted to $685., SSI;
In 1899 real property has Increased to
$50. us, ,283, while personal property mas
estimate of the wealth of our citizens in
personal property is absurd In the last
twenty years property in stock, ponds,
debentures. &C., has grown enormously,
as every one save our lynx-eyed assess
ors knows.
The list of delinquents is curious; rich
and poor alike seem averse TO payment.
The government is a good paymaster, but
a poor collector. Office holders evidently
do not believe in reciprocity. For in
stance, George L. Record has always col
lected his dues from the State, as counsel
OF the Riparian Commissioners, but his
firm of Bacot & Record owe the city $l7.34
for taxes on their library.
Henry Puster received 81, 500 per year as
Assistant Corporation Attorney, but his
name appears among the delinquents.
No one knows exactly how much
Police Justice Potts receives yearly from
the city, but his name appears on the list
as delinquent Cor S1z 45. James S. Erwin
no doubt draws his salary of $1,000 as
Prosecutor of the Pleas, yet his firm of
Erwin & Keller are delinquent for s11.5
Marshall Van Winkle,. his assistant fol-
lows his example sas a tax shirker James
p. Hall no doubt earns his salary as
engineer on the new water works, but
why should he be advertised in three diff
ferent items for S57. 80, $1545 and $780,
Messrs. Pagan & Murphy both hold
positions, one as collector of the port and
the other as Assemblyman, yet their per-
Tenant, our well paid Corporation AT
torney and our brilliant young Assembly
man are in the same category.
Architects Broome, Sailer and Rowland
have each drawn large sums from the
city of late years, but their names are on
the list Architect Long has recently sued
the city for over 5000. Against him the
city should file an offset for sS.67 for per-
Emil e. Datz, Superintendent of the
City Hall; Frank j. Matthews, Sinking
Fund Commd ssioner; DR.. John T. Nevin,
our genial Police Surgeon; Daniel Y. Lew
is, Boulevard Commissioner; Nicholas E.
Furey, of the City Clerk s office; George
F. Witt, School Director; Edward ]. Ed
wards of the Engineering Department are
all on the list. Nor is this roll of honor
confined to the office holder of the present
day: many ''exs'' figure on the list. There
Werts, ex-Judge Robert G. Hudspeth,
ex-Tax Commissioner John D. German,
ex-Freeholder Joseph Zumbusch, ex-
and Dugan, ex-Ffnance Commissioners
Bedell and John M Jones. ex-Commis-
sion of Appeals John P. Landrine, ex-
Corporation Attorney Spencer Weart, Will
lard c. Fisk and others. While, mirabile
dictu, near its close appears the name of
George r. Hough, ex-City Comptroller
and ex-watchdog of the Treasury for
$15.E.
Every dollar Of personal tax can be coll
lected here, as it is in Elizabeth and
other cities; there is plenty of law on the
statute book. it only needs to be enforced.
Let Mr.. Queen or Mr.. Puster, the city's
attorneys, first pay their own bills; sec
ondIy, enforce the payment by other de-
linquent city officiaE, and, thirdly, put
the machinery of the law In motion for
the balance.
Let the Board of Finance pass resolu-
| tion directing the City Comptroller to re-
| fuse repayment of salary to any official In
arrear for personal taxes. Through the
| operation of the Martin act the city has
| collected large arrears of taxes on real
| estate. The time Is ripe either to collect
| the personal taxes or abolish their inposi-
| ton.
| ductive Of good results, may be inclined
| to follow It with another showing other
lcuriosfties in the HIST, and possibly more
| startling disclosures as to the non-taxa-
| ffon or low taxation Of our princes OF
| finance in this city f,ss s.
Yours respect fully.