The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-29
Opponents of the Maximum
Tax Are In Trenton To-
day Pointing Out the Bad
Features of the System
STRONG DEMAND FOR REPEAL
INSURANCE AND TRUST INTER
EsTs IN THE STATE TO BE
HEARD Ro-MoRRoW IN oPPO-
sITToN TO THE MARTIN INvEs-
TIGATI0N MEASURE.
Special to .-The Jersey city News,

TRENTON, Jan. % l906.-Ihe
fourth week of the Legislative session
will begin ait o'clock this evening, when
both houses will probably receive another
raft of bils. Thus far nothing in the
line of law-making has been accomplished
except the passage of a bill which ex-
tends the time for holding elections in
boroughs from February to the general
election in November 1t was only the
Importance of this measure which in
duced the lawmakers to pass the bill,
thus enabling the Governor to sign it in
time to enable the borough authorities
to countermand the order for spring elec-
tions.
Beginning with this week it is expect
ed that the legislative machinery will be
started in both Houses. The chairmen Of
the various committees to which a large
number of important bills have been re-
ferred have been asFed to facilitate mat
ters by promptly reporting all bills now
in their possession so that the legislative
mill will not become choked during the
final days of the session. Each chairman
has given his word of honor that no bill
will be held up longer than necessary
and for this reSson it is expected large
majority of the bills thus far presented
viii be favorably reported tonight. Then
the legislative grind will be started.
The Judiciary Committee of the House
started the ball rolling this afternoon BY.
giving the Newark authorities a hearing
in favor of the repeal of the Hillery max
imum tax rate law of last year Nearly
all the municipalities thus far heard,
viz: Jersey City, Elizabeth and Orange,
have strongly advocated the repeal of
the Hillery bill, claiming that its provis
ions could never be adopted in the muni-
cipalities and that nothing would satisfy
the people except the repeal of that OBJ
noxious law.
The Newark authorities are among the
most bitter opponents of the bill. They
claim that unless it is repealed it will
cause financial ruin and force that city
into bankruptcy The claim is made that
the Hillery law was drafted for no other
purpose than to satisfy the demands of
railroads to force municipalities to in
crease the assessments on private prop
erty
1t is expected that the Newark authori-
ties will present such data to support
the argument that the Hillery law should
be repealed that the judiciary Committee
will find it a difficult matter how TO re-
port As the committee now stands it
is composed almost exclusively of adj
ministration men, and the probabilities
are that they win obey the Governors
wishes to report an amendment to the
present Hillery law, which will halfway
meet the arguments of the opponents.
Another measure that is likely to meet
with considerable attention this week is
the resolution introduced by Assembly
man William P. Martin, of Newark,
which provides for an investigation of
the insurance and trust companies of the
State by a legislative committee.
The insurance and trust companies of
the State claim that such an investiga-
tion would unnecessarily alarm deposit
tors in all banking institutions, They
have sent agents to Trenton explaining
these facts and have asked the Commit
tee on Banks and Insurance. to which
the resolution was referred, to grant
public hearing, at which those various
institutions can present reasons why the
resolution should not be adopted.
The interests of the Prudential Life
Insurance Company and the Fidelity
Trust Company, of Newark. are the
main spirits of the movement to induce
the committee to grant public hearing
and it was probably at their request that
Chairman Mills decided in the affirma
tive. The hearing will be held at the
close of the legislative session to-mor-
row afternoon. 1t is expected that rep
resentatives of all insurance and trust
companies in the State will be present
to advance such arguments as will prac-
tically seal the resolutions fate.
Senator Colby introduced similar res
olution in the Senate, but the Judiciary
Committee, of which Leader Perkins is
chairman, does not seem disposed 70 re-
port it until the House committee has