The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-02-27

ID
the provisions of this bill and much Cos
sip concerning the personnel Of the board
or court after the bill becomes a law.
The bill was drawn by the attorney
general. and although all who are ac-
4 quainted with its provisions maintain
reticence thereon, it is known that it
provides for a court Of three members
to be appointed by the governor, who
! SHALL in addition to having eognizance
of all appeals from the assessments of
the state assessors. perform duties which
now devolve upon the State tax board,
which is to be abolished.
Il is also said that the bin provides
that these commissioners shall be coun-
selors-at-law and that they are to be
paid salary large enough to induce
lawyers Of standing at the bar to be-
come members of the board.
Another story has ii that only two Of
the commissioners are to be required to
be counselors-at-law and that the third
place will be given to Henry J. West,
of Camden, who is member Of The
state tax board and was one Of the equal
taxation investigating commission.
The other two, the same story has it,
are to be Major Carl Lentz, of Newark,
and former Governor George t. Werts,
of Jersey City. A man well Yersed in
state affairs said that Of all this specula-
tion there were only two things which
could be relied on and that was that
Major Lentz could be a member of the
new board if he desires to be and that
Charles c. Black will not be asked to be
one of the commissioners. The reason
for ignoring Mr.. Black. the speaker said,
was that the governor had not forgotten
some of the things which Mr.. Black said
about him on the stump last fall during
the heat of the campaign, and was in no
mood to honor his late unsuccessful op-
ponent Still the governor might, the
speaker continued, change his mind in
this respect when he came to give the
matter more careful consideration.
The delay in bringing forward any
other feature on the tax question has ex-
hausted the patience Of those who, hav-
ing waited for the report of the investi-
eating commissioners, expected action on
the part of the lenders.
AS a result bills in This line may be
looked for next week. Governor Stokes
has been giving the matter much atten-
ton during the last week, having had
frequent consultations with the state
board of assessors and the state tax,
board, but it is generally believed that
the new equalization board was the sub.
ject of the conferences.
Mayor Fagan's law department of
Jersey City announces that what is
known as the Mayor Pagan equal taxa
tion bill will be introduced. This pro-
yides for the taxation of the main stem
of railroad property at local rates for
the benefit of the localities in which it is
located.
1t is said that Leader Duffield is chat
ing over the delay and has declared that
he will wait no longer but viii proceed
to push energetically Assembly Bill No.
/, which he introduced the first Monday
night of the session and which provides
for the taxation Of second class railroad
property at local rates for the use of the
municipality in which the property is To-
Gated
The statement attributed to the repre-
sentatives of the water companies that
the State cannot prevent the companies
from selling their water beyond the
boundaries Of New Jersey has revived
IN various parts of the State the demand
for State water board. to secure by
condemnation and otherwise the sources
of potable water supplies and sell them
to the municipalities as they may be
needed