, 1905-05-17
Comment

damages amounting to $3.50. Peters
claimed that he spent $4,000 trying to
carry out his contract but that he was
continually hampered by the county
engineer. His payments were held up
and he could not pay his employees
and they quit work. He was compelled
to put on two coats of gravel instead OF
one AS called for by the contract n
was compelled to take gravel from a
place selected by The engineer, making
a long haul instead of using gravel
nearby as he intended.
The verdict offers poor compensation
as he had put all he had into The work
and judgments against him, with costs
of trial, will take his home and all he
had laid by in a lifetime of hard work.
There are pleasanter ways of making a
livelihood than working for the public.
HSS
Toms River has been lighted by an
electric company for $1,000 a year but
the company aver it has been losing
money on the job and asks $4,000 per
year to continue the work.
=
The cry for ssequal taxation which
was sounded long and loud in the po-
litical campaign last fall seems likely
to bear fruit, but not in just the way
the average taxpayer expected. The
hope was that in some way or other
the railroads might be made to con-
tribute a larger share of tax, while the
fact was lost sight of that all owe the
state taxes have been for years unequal,
without uniformity, and that not more
than one assessor in ten has complied
with the terms of the oath he has
taken.
The law creating the board of equal
ization of taxes, makes it the duty of
the board to investigate the method
adopted by local assessors in the as
sessment of real and personal property.
The state board has sent out a circu-
lar to assessors which is full of good adj
vice and also of warning; among other
things it says: "You are required to list
all the property in your taxing district
and on all of that subject to tax, you
are required to place its full value; that
is, the value it would fetch at private
sale on May Goth.
This your office requires you to do
and this you must swear to nave done.
A failure to do this, whether willfully
or from neglect is made a misdemeanor
and renders you liable to indictment.
The legislature, moreover, in the Gre
alton of this board, has given il power
to enforce its orders by proceeding
taken by itself.
s'This is no new thing to which we
have called your attention; but the ex-
animation made by the commission
appointed to examine the tax question
shows that the average assessment
throughout the state, a fact very gen.
orally conceded, is below the true value.
1t has been determined that this con
tinued violation of the law must stop.
We have written you at length so that
there need be nc misunderstanding of
the law and your duty on the part of
those taxed.
"You are, therefore, directed to strict
ly and literally follow the law, by list
ing in the first place all property SUBJ
ject to taxes land this means personal
property al well as real) and in the
next place assessing thereon it's true
valuation as directed by the statutes.
This thing each assessor will be strictly
required to do"
Assessors are o between the devil
and the deep sea. If they obey the law
the voters will retire them from office
at the first opportunity. If they do
not do their duty they stand a good
chance of having the Equalization
Board after them and being indicted
for m~isdemeanor besides.
1t is said that custom makes law; it
is sure that the custom with many as
SCISSORS has established an unwritten
law which now bids fair to be over
thrown.
For many years the law has pro-
vided that taxable property be assessed
at its true value, but excepting on bank
stock, the custom has been to make the
assessed valuation from 80 to so pei
cent. less than the real valuation.
Cash in hand and in bank, book &C.