The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-11-29
TO REMEDY The
TAXATION WRONG.
W. D. Edwards Closes His
Argument and Gives
Conclusions to the
Tax Commission
VALUATIONS TO De EQuAllzED
Assessors to be Made to Do
Their Duty and the City
to Assess Fairly and
Collect Personal
VALUATIONS TO De EQUAlIzED

At the conclusion of his argument be-
fore the Commission yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Edwards declared that the water
front property Of the various railroad
companies was not as valuable at present
as it was in 1884 when it was valued un-
der the laws of that year. This was be
cause of the long trains that are now nee
essary, the more powerful locomotives to
haul them, and the pressure of other bus
mess that has forced the companies to
construct great yards on the meadows.
Great CHANCES in shipping facilities had
taken place. all of which had tended to
decrease the value of the North River
Shore front property. New York, he
contended was the real terminal and Jer-
sey CRY and Hoboken mere way stations
In response to questions asked b. mem
bers of the Commission as 70 his eonclus-
ions Mr.. t!asards classified tiiem under
thre@ zilesss hsasis as feilows;
J. Thas lie State Board Of Taxation
be given pesssr 10 remove assessors who
don't properly perform their duties, who
undervalue properties as matter of fav-
oritiSm.
.. An amendment 10 the Constitution
s providing that on appeal valuations may
Be reduced to as low as those Of sur
rounding properties.
Under the third head Mr.. Edwards
scored the city for not collecting personal
taxes and not taxing properties in a fair
way
The text of Mr. Edwards argument
as continued from The News of yesterday
is as follows:
This increase from 1883 to 1893 was
probably more than half due to the valu-
alton of the State Board staring the as
SCISSORS IN the face The smaIl increase
from 1893 10 1903, in itself, shows that
the good example has been lost.
During this decade the Boulevard has
been laid out and completed and the
whole western section Of the Hill. which
before 1893 was sparsely settled. with
unpaved streets, or none at all, lots then
selling at $500 cannot be bought for
ST 500. and houses of a better class than
ever erected before, have been built
Tie increase in dwelling houses alone
in the city in that ten years was 5,165,
which, at $1,000 each, certainly far be-
low their average cost, would equal the
total increase in valuation. Besides
these. between 1890 and 1900, as shown
BY the U. S. census. the number of manu-
featuring establishments increased 239,
or 32.9 per cent. The capital employed
increased s62,Ooo,oo0. or 342 per cent.
The wage earners, S.087, or 100 per
cent, and the gross product $40000,000,
or loe per cent.
Anyone familiar with the enormous
growth in manufacturing interest knows
that the principal incentive to it has
been the ability TO secure lands with
direct railroad connection. and the en-
enlargement given by the railroad COM
panies to the establishment of such
plants adjoining their lands
These facts seem to contradict the as
sertion that the city is suffering by loss
of taxable ratables taken. into the rail
road class
Such an assertion is untrue, and un-
founded on facts.
There are s1727 acres of second class
railroad real estate in Jersey City, val
ued at S22. .47o, ,1o7, at an average rate OF
ls27,5o5 per acre With improvements.
OF this, about s2o,o51 100 in assessed
value has been created By the Railroad
Companies or allied corporations. from
lands Of the State, non taxable. Only a
very small proportion of this land has
ever dgnred in the tax ratabIes Of Jersey
j City.
On the lands never at all assessed To-
cally are the greater portions Of tie Lack
awanna and Erie yards, all the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Harsilnus yard, all the
pa ssenger depot and ferry property, and
Forfify the system against disease BY puri