The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-11-08
BIC TAX
Case ENDS
Edwards and Record Have a
Final Battle Over Central
Railroad Assessment.
BUSY COMMISSIONERS
Only Two of the Four State
Officials on Hand to Hear
the Arguments.
BUSY COMMISSIONERS

The final hearing of the appeal OF the
Central Railroad of New Jersey from
the assessments levied by the local Tax
Board ON its shore front property at
Communipaw for the years 1900 and
1901 was heard yesterday by the State
Board of Taxation in the City Hall.
The case closed at $50 o'clock when
William d. Edwards, counsel for the
railroad, finished his argument. He spoke
for three-quarters of an hour, after
Corporation Counsel George L. Record
had taken up nearly twice that time in
closing the case for the city.
MAJOR LENTZ ABSENT.
Major Carl Lentz did not attend the
last two sessions of the Board. Copies
of the testimony will be forwarded to
him and he will do a lot of reading be-
fore he votes with his colleagues on the
question of deciding the appeal.
1t is understood that the Major absent
ed himself yesterday to recover from the
effects of the tremendous thrashing he
received at the polls in Essex County
last Tuesday.
He is expected to attend meeting of
the Board at Trenton next Tuesday
at which time the Commissioners will
discuss the reams of testimony taken in
the case. An early decision will be an
nounced.
LUNCH TIME.
The Commissioners had another sand
wich-munching-bee yesterday afternoon.
CIarl~ n C,nnollr mas ,r;xya,, fb O
plans and specifications for the provender
and he performed his contract of sup
plying the grub to the utmost satisfaction
Of everybody. He produced an armful
of oyster, ham, roast and eorned beef
sandwiches which We're carefully slowed
away where they would do the most
good.
A collection was taken up to pay for
the lunch.
RECORD TALKS.
Mr.. Record commenced at o'clock to
sum up. He spoke with great earnest
ness carefully going over all the evidence.
He insisted that fhe city had made out a
strong case showing that the Centrars
property had not been overassessed. He
declared that sales .ef shore front lands
which were presented in evidence indicat-
cd that the price paid approximated up
wards of 100000 an acre.
After Mr. Edwards had been speaking
few minutes, Judge Thompson, of the
board, said that he would be obliged to
leave. A stenographer was directed to
take down Mr.. Edwards's remarks,
which were addressed to the two remain
ing members of the board, President
West and Commissioner Black A copy
Of the speech will be sent to the judge.
MIR. EDWARDS'S ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Edwards made a splendid argu-
ment. He said that the only property
valuations which could be considered in
determining the values of the Central's
lands were the market prices brought
for properties adjoining the tracts in dis
pute. He said that the Central would
require dozen or more years in which to
develop the Communipaw property if the
same ratio Of development in the past
was kept up.
He insisted that the company has no
sale for it and no use for it at present
1t has already paid over $1OO,OeO in
taxes, and it is a hardship, he said, for
the city to place excessive valuations on
property which must be idle, and from
which no return can be secured.
The Commissioners and lawyers were
glad when the long drawn out case was
ended