The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-04-04
LEGISLATURE
ADJOURNED,
Thursday Evening Saw the
Sine Die Adjournment Of
the Lawmakers.
CANAL BILL MEETS IT'S DEATH.

tions, adjourned sine die on last Thurs
day evening.
The scheduled time for the adjourn
ment Of the legislature was 3 o'clock
Thursday afternoon, but owing to the
developments Of the twenty-four hours
previous, it was still in session at mid
night that night The last hours Of
the session were marked by some ex-
citement in connection with the in
yestigation of the rumors Of bribery
In the House. AS result Of these
rumors the Morris Canal bill was
killed by a resolution to defer action
indefinitely The members Of the
new Board Of Equal Taxation were
named by the Governor
The Senate passed a joint resolution
providing for the consolidation OF all
railroad taxation measures by the
State Board of Equalization. The
House committee Investigating the
bribery rumors reported that it could
find no substantiating facts.
Senator Minch late last night unex-
pectedly reported out the Colby Fran
chise bill. Mr.. Bacheller called up the
bill, and it was passed under suspen-
sion of the rules. This action on the
part of the Senate was as sudden as it
was surprising. 1T was believed by
Mr.. Colby and other friends of the bill
that it was dead in the Senate COM
mittee. The fact that it was passed
will be extremely gratifying to the
people Of the Oranges in general and
to the members of the New England
Society in particular.
1t is a step at least toward the end
Of granting unlimited franchises to
trolley companies and other corpora
tions. The bill will now 90 to the
Governor, who, it is said by those who
are in position to be well informed,
will sign it.
The substitute for the Hillery Max
imum Tax Rate bill, one of the equal
taxation series of the present session,
was passed by the House Thursday
I night. Its passage was opposed by
Mr.. Hammill, Of Hudson, and was adj
vocated by Speaker Avis and Mr.. Rob-
bins, Of Burlington. The vote was "A
to IA. The bill was amended by a
provision that municipalities, by a
vote of the people, may exceed the
maximum rate of 81, 700 on 800.
Among the important bills that the
legislature refused to pass were Mr..
Colby's Main Stem" RailrC ad Equal
Taxation bill The House Judiciary
Committee smothered the Main
Stem" bill.
Governor stokes sent the following
nominations to the Senate Thursday
afternoon:
AS president of the board created in
lieu OF the State Board of Taxation,
called the Board of Equalization, Re
vision, Review and Enforcement of
Tax Assessments, Carl Lentz.
Managers of the New Jersey Re-
formatory, George A. Squire, Decatur
M. Sawyer and Freeman Woodbridge.
Managers Of the Village for Epilep-
tics, John w. Ewing and Alexander
w. Mack.
Prosecutor of the Pleas for Somerset
County, John T. Roger.
State Board Of Forestry, John G.
Brook, Professor H. B. VOORHEES, and
Theodore P. Price.
All the nominations made by the
Governor were confirmed by the SEN
ate in executive session at IL D. m.
The Dufield bill for the taxation Of
second-class railroad property at local
rates for tie use of the taxing dis
tricts, passed the Senate Wednesday
afternoon. The vote was 10 to 0. Mr..
Price not voting.
The bill provides that the class of
property referred to shall be included
in the ratables to be taxed in the
several taxing districts, and the neces-
sary tax rate for such district shall be
ascertained by the local taxing au-
thorities and certified to the State
Board Of Assessors on or before the
first day Of September in each year,
whereupon the State Board OF Assess
ors shall include in the taxes to be as
sessed by it, under the provisions of
the act to which this is a supplement,
the property described at the rate in
each taxing district that issocertified;
provided, that if the local taxing au-
thorities of any district shall fail to
certify to the State Board Of Assess
ors within the time prescribed the To-
cal rate OF tax as fixed, it shall be the
duty OF the board to allot to the tax
ing district so in default an app0rtion-
ment of tax at a rate not exceeding
ii per centum upon the class of prop
erty described.
r. A. Canfeld has been re-appointed
a member of the Board Of Geological
Survey.
The bill creating a new tax board
has passed both houses of the Legis-
lature and now awaits the Governors
signature
The bill abolishes the State Board
Of Taxation and creates in its place a
board for the equalization Of taxes.
The Senate amendments nrovide for a