The Penn's Grove record., 1905-03-10
Equal Taxation Discussed.

At the public hearing given by the
Legislature on the Equal taxation bills
on Tuesday Corporation Council George
L. Record and Mayor Mark M. Pagan,
Of Jersey City, Republican officials,
both spoke in favor of the Hamill
(Democratic) bill and criticised the
Dufield Republican, bill. Mr.. Pagan
said ''The people Of Jersey City will
never be satisfied until the railroads are
required to pay tax on all their proper
ty at equitable rates"
Mr.. Duffield, who presided, seemed
nettled under Mr.. Records criticism of
his bill. Mr.. Record said that Mr..
Riker and Chas. G. Black, the late
Democratic candidate for Governor,
had submitted a report discussing as
they should the question of railroad
main stem taxation and have given the
legislature detailed advice upon the
subject.
1.-THE only defense to the present sys-
tenn offered by the railroad companies is
that as a matter of fact there is not ap-
piled to property other than railroads
the same certainty of listing property
which is applied to railroad property,
and that the assessment put upon rail-
road property by the state board of as
SCISSORS is at a higher percentage of true
value than is applied to other property.
and that, therefore, as a result of this
inequality in administering the two sys-
TENS the railroad companies actually do
pay as a matter of fact their fair proper
tion Of taxes, wen though they are fav-
ored as the law reads, by a special rate
of S. per 81, 900 on main stem property
and SIS per 81, 200 on s9cond-class prop
erty.
"But the complete answer to this
point was the showing up which we
were able to make of the methods of
the state board of assessors in listing
railroad property. We showed that the
system was virtually an assessment up
on property valued at the valuation re-
turned by the railroads themselves.
W. showed that over S., 0O0, 900 worth
of the most valuable property in New
Jersey, the terminal lands of these rail-
roads lying between the riparian bulk
head and pier lines, which is owned in
fee by the railroads and is worth over
$4,000, 900, was absolutely not assessed
at all by the state board of assessors.
"If, therefore, these two points made
by the railroads are true and much
property other than railroad property
escapes taxation or is u~ndervalued, the
injustice is a general one and is not con-
fined to the railroads and, therefore,
they cannot use it as a foundation for
exemption.
eff the railroads are to be allowed a
low fixed rate because of this inequality,
then every person who pays taxes upon
fair valuations and upon all of his prop
erty is entitled to come into the same
favored class"
CANNOT STIFLE PEOPLE.
Adolph Laundering, mayor of Hobok-
en-, pleaded for an equal tax rate on all
real and personal property of the rail-
roads.
Edward Kenny, mayor of East New
ark, said: "Whatever legislation is pass
ed, all railroad property should be tax
ed the anne as other property. Rail
roads are as much protected as other
property and should pay the same tax.
Railroads are trying to evade the ques-
ton in order to stif1e the sentiment of
the people,"
Others who made speeches along the
same line were Mayor Lankerlng, Ho-
boken; former Assemblyman j. J..
Tracy, Of Jersey City, and former Cor
poration Attorney Herbert Boggs, of
Newark. Allan Strong, representing
the Pennsylvania Railroad, asked to be
heard in opposition to the measure, and
the committee decided to give afurther
hearing.