The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-03-14
Want a Division.

udy, 10 VlSlG ner mOInerp MIS- mary T.
White, of Union street.
Want a Division.
Some of the taxpayers of Beverly town
ship, who reside at Edgewater Park, fee
that they would be benefited if the town
ship were divided, and they have taker
active steps to secure that end. Meetings
have been held at the residence of Gen
E. Burd Grub, at Edgewater Park. There
is not any hall at that place. The town
hall is at Delanco, about three miles away
In fact nearly everything is at Delanco
except the pocket books of the residents
of Edgewater Park, and they seem to be
easily reached in the matter of taxes re.
little in return for their money. There is
a school house in the township which cost
$13, 900, but it is three miles away from
those who gave large amount toward
its payment. The polls are three miles
away and the voters, if they desire to ex-
ercise the right of citizenship, must travel
that distance, going through Beverly city
for that purpose.
Believing that there was just cause for
complaint number of taxpayers agitated
the idea of making Edgewater Park a
borough, separating it from Beverly town
ship. The line was to extend from the
Burlington township line, to the Mount
Holly road in Beverly, around by Cooper
town, back to the place of beginning. In
this territory there reside 154 taxpayers
and 1913 of these signed the agreement to
stand by the proposed movement. One
of the reasons set forth for the change is
that there is strongly founded impression
that the tax valuations of the properties
in the eastern end of the township have
been and are abnormallY high, that the
tax rate upon these valuations is exceed
ingly high, and the fact has been pointed
out that on one side of a street of Edge
water Park along which the line of the
township runs, the citizens pay g. II on
the 800, while on the other side, in an
adjoining township, the rate is but $1.60
The records seem to bear out the be-
lief that the largest portion of tax raised
in the township is expended for the beue-
fit of the western end. The schoolhouse,
costing $4,000, is there, Notwithstanding
there are in the neighborhood of 80 chill
dren of school age, in the eastern end.
There has not been Justice of the Peace
in the Edgewater Park end for years, nor
is there place where prisoners may be
detained pending hearing or removal to
the county Jail, and one of the constables
is authority for the statement that it
was recently necessary to chain drunken
tramp in somebody's back yard, until he
could be sent to Jail.
The town meetings are always held at
Delanco, thus compelling persons from
the other end to go long distaoce or lose
| all chance of voice in the town govern
ment. The advantages of forming a
borough would be that the residents would
have the disposition and management of
the taxes they pay, and would not be COM
PEELED to be continually putting up money
for the improvement and maintenance of
one end to the utter neglect and ignoring
of the other. 1t is well known fact that
properties in the territory named in the
proposed change have not increased at all
in value for many years. The feeling is
that there would be change in this re-
spect at least, and the new borough could
get along with very little expense, as few
of the officials could receive pay under the
borough law.
The proposed change is naturally op-
posed by the Delanco people. If the
Edwewater taxpayers were to be allowed
to withdraw, there might be necessity for
curtailing expenses somewhat, there might
not be so much money to handle, the fees
of some officials would be reduced and
there would be many little incidents that
would not be pleasant to those who have
been in charge so long. Consequently it
is not to be wondered at that the western
end arose in indignation and held a meet
| ing to discuss ways and means to prevent
any such withdrawal Various resolutions
| WCAO dOOPION1 oLAOb& OHO QfAOCtLuS
the township committee to go ahead and
fight the movement. employ counsel and
do such other things as might seem pro
per, drawing on the township treasury for
the expenses This was. however, strick-
en- out later in the evening, and commit
tee of Is was appointed to go Trenton
and protest against the division. Thus
the matter stands at present. Those who
wish to have government of their own
have engaged counsel and have prepared
bill to be presented to the Legislature
before it adjourns this session.
There are rumors that improvements
are to be made in the Delanco end this
year that will call for an increase in ex-
penditures and natural increase in the
tax rate. There does not seem to be good
ground for any such apprehension. Even
if there were disposition to do this the
township committee could not legally take
such action. Under the law recently
passed township committee cannot in
crease the appropriations of the past year
more than is per cent. If they disregard
this law they are liable to punishment