Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-03-02
PARTY WILL
KEEP PLEDGE.
Governor Stokes So States Re.
garding the Promises Made
at Election Time.

JOui NV iSCpuDlltuh Pdi y WIN Ao'N
proved itself worthy of the confidence
reposed in it by the people of New
E Jersey through the enactment into
! law of every platform pledge Of the
last state convention and of the sew
I eral county conventions of last year
so far as the policy enunciated was
of general state interest" was the
optimistic view of the probable rec
I ord of the present session as express
. ed by Governor Stokes prior to leav-
Z ing the capitol for a visit to his Mill
Vile home Wednesday afternoon.
Only n disturbing factor has
arisen to date, and that-the care
: l~essness exercised in the preparation
of bills-is, according to the COVER
nor, the only thing which is likely to
5 prolong the session beyond the Usual
average of twelve weeks. Careless
ness or undue haste is assigned as the
cause which was illustrated in the
form in which the Perkins bill had
unanimously passed in the assembly
last week in such shape as to neces-
I state its recall in order to so rear
range the several sections m make
other changes as to carry out the in
tent of the act.
THE Perkins bill as originally
: passed in the Assembly is a fair sam
pie of the carelessness displayed in
the preparation of bills in general,
and particularly those which have
: been brought to my attention up to
: the present time. Unless more care
is displayed by the Legislature in this
= connection, eight weeks instead of
four nay be required to conclude the
. work of the session and make it pos
sible to have all passed bills disposed
of prior to final adjournment"
Pledges to BE Kept.
The governor expressed satisfac-
= ton over the progress made to date
and in connection with this said:
Every suggestion contained in my
message is receiving favorable con-
sideration, and | believe will be in
cluded in the session laws before the
legislature adjourns. The Perkins
average rate assessment bill, r%einforc-
ed, as it will be, by the companion
measures ~re-defining main stem,' and
the distribution bill, will provide all
. that was asked for and pledged in the
line of equalization of taxes.
What the increased evenue for
the state may be can only be approx
mated, as the Perkins bill, which re-
: defines main STEM takes from the
latter class all of the depot and ter
minal property now included and con
-: +I,o ,1o,t ,,o1,ohJn nortian nf
that class of property, and transfers
= it to the second class property, which
will be hereafter included in local
ratables, assessed by local assessors,
at local rates, for local purposes.
This will provide for the local
taxation of all of the nos valuable
part of railroad property exclusive of
personal property and franchises
which under existing conditions is
eliminated from the local ratables I'M
Justly perhaps as has been maintain
ed principally by the terminal cities
of Camden and Jersey City, which
" were most seriously affected.
n 1.-The state revenue from railroad
taxation will hereafter consist of the
tax assessed on main stem as re-de-
fined, and from this as provided by
I the Perkins apportionment bill will
be deducted an amount equal to 50
:, on each 1000 of the total valuation
so assessed, which will be withheld
for state purposes.
"The balance will be apportioned
among the several counties annually
& on or before the first day of February
by the state comptroller, according to
the ratables of each county as return
v ed for the preceding year. This will
t make it necessary for the several
s counties to conform as near as posi-
BILE to a true valuation in order to Sc
cure a fair share of the distribution,
e rather thar to undervalue, as appears
to be the case now.
THE money so apportioned will be
e devoted to the maintenance n sup
port of a thorough and efficient sys-
e tenn of free public schools, and it is
expected will be sufficient to entirely
eliminate the state tax for that pur-
pose now required to be raised by the
several counties.
Wipes Out School Tax.
This will not only relieve the mu-
inequalities from the necessity of rails
ing the state school tax now imposed,
e but it will make available the reve-
nue. for that purpose in November of
each year, instead of during the
: month of January following its col
lection when due IN December, as Is
, the case under existing laws"
By these changes, the governor
: said, local burdens would be so far
; reduced as to bring the maximum tax
rate within the scope of the Hillery
law as it will be when amended, as
now proposed by the legislature, and
thus make the average rate so ow as
to leave no reasonable grounds for
objections on the part of the rail-
i, roads.