The Jersey City news., 1904-12-21


Mr.. McCarter referred to the reduction
in revenue in 1897 to the State by trans
ferring to localities fractional parts of
the total paid to the State, cutting it
100000. The so-called Voorhees, fran
chise tax act of 1890 was passed, giving
localities and not the State from corpora
tons which use the public streets and
highways sum which in 1903 amounted
to $4oss2e.7s.
While the State collects this money!
said Mr.. McCarter, sit does not retain a
dollar of it. Indeed it may be said that
it has become fashionable for local COM
munities 10 expect more and more of the
revenue which the State has heretofore
enjoyed and used for State purposes"
He referred to the rumors of proposed
distribution of the collateral inheritance
tax, which in 1904 reached $43S, 63S5. II.
Now, this constant attack by the local
communities upon the States revenue
would be matter of concern did the
expenses of the State remain the same.
but when We learn how they are properly
and necessarily increasing it becomes a
serious matter" Mr. McCarter went in
to detailed figures showing the cost of
running State institutions in 1883. 1898
and 1908, of which the totals were as fol-
lows:-Court expenses, 1888, $119.163;
1893. S169,332; 1903. s2o9.sss; militia
and naval reserve, S62, ,ss7, S117, ,695 and
S191.523 respectively; education, $50, ,324
SS2. .023 and s177.so6 respectively.
These sums do not include cost of yot-
ing machines. the new Senate chamber,
the war with Spain and similar expenses.
because they may be called extraordinary
expenses Mr.. McCarter mentioned the
appropriation for an extra wing to the
State prison. s25o,0OO: the Tuberculosis
Hospital, and demands for an addition
to the Railway Reformatory.
Enrolment in public schools since
1893 has increased from 1856 to
;5'44 ,457 and the average attendance from
151,273 to 23o,7s6. The amount ex-
pended by the State for roads in 1898
was $4,000; in 1903 it was 1886, 900.
Annual provision must be made for the
tuberculosis hospital; and annual appro-
priations for voting machines will con-
tinue until every voting precinct is sup
piled. On the other hand, since 1898,
the State has decreased the amount
charged to each county for the care of
patients in the State Hospital from So
to 81 week, an additional annual ex-
pense to the State of about $125 600,
and has contributed 100000 a year
more toward the maintenance of hospit-
ais for the insane in the counties.
Receipts by the State for 1908 were
S4.511, 800 and disbursements S4, $40, ,92G.
This was Unfortunately swollen by the
receipt from the Federal Government of
S4s0.000 interest on the Civil War bonds
so that if it had not been for that I'M
expected payment there would really
have been an excess of State expendi-
ure over. receipts" Mr. McCarter quoted
annual disbursements by the State .'for
legitimate State purposes" increasing
from 81 93o,255.22 in 1894 to S4,397,-
63701 in 1904.
Now, the only reason" said Mr.. Nc
Carter that State tax on the property
of individuals has been avoided is be-
cause of the revenue divided by the State
since 1884 from the tax on miscellaneous
corporations other than railroads. ? He
feared, however. that there is no SUBJ
stantial reason to suspect continuance
of that large income. because the period
of the formation of trusts has about
passed, while other commonwealth have
hcopied our corporation law or amended
their own more literally, making COM
petition with this State, and instanced
Maine, New York, Delaware and West
Virginia. Some of these States even
advertise for proposed corporations.
'sThe natural result has followed and
am informed by the Secretary Of State
that there has been decided decrease in
the formation of ordinary, not extraor-
dinary, corporations, and marked in
crease in the number of dissolutions of the
same kind of companies. OF course the
revenue of the State has suffered, and in
my Judgment is bound to continue to in
creasingly suffer on this account, and in
stead of our being able to rely on the in
come we have received for the past ten
years from miscellaneous corporations /
believe it will materially decrease in the
near future.
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