The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-02-26
PERKINS BILL TO.
Be AMENDED
Railroads Will Be Given
Until May ! This Year
to Prepare Their Returns
and the Future Date Will
Be March
SENATE WILL ACT QUICKLY
SENATOR sIINTURN WILL PRO
POSE CHANGES BUT HAS LIT
TIE HOPE OF PASSING THEM
RAILROADS STILL FULL OF
FIGHT.
Special to ..rhe Jersey city News.

TRENTON. Feb. 26, 1905. 6.--Notwith
standing that the Perkins equal tax bill
was rushed through the Assembly last
Wednesday, it will have to be recalled
from the Senate when the House meets
this evening for the purpose of amend
ment.
The measure as it now stands provides
that the railroads shall file returns of
their property to the State Board of AS
SCISSORS before the first day of March of
Senate will take action on the bill before
that date and the Governor will not
sign it until after that date, it has been
decided by the House leaders to amend
the bill and extend the time for the fling
of the returns until May of this year
and March l every year thereafter. This
would give the railroads two months
time in which to prepare their returns.
In the haste to pass the bill last. We'd
nesday before the House adjourned for
fhe week so that the Senate could act
on it this week, the provision that the
railroads should make returns before
March was overlooked. If the bill was
not signed by the Governor until after
that date, the railroads could not be COM
PEELED to comply with it's provisions until
March of next year. It was therefore
deemed expedient by the House leaders
to amend it.
When the bill is recalled and placed
back on second reading for the purpose
of amendment, it is not thought that As
semblymen Miller or Arrowsmith will in
terpose any objections or obstruct its
passage.
The opinion still prevails at the State
House that the the Senate will pass the
Perkins bill without alteration, though
Senator Minturn, of Hoboken, has a SER
les of amendments which he proposes to
offer before it receives his support. 1t
is generally believed that the amend
ments he will propose viii be the lead
ing features of the Hamill equal tax bill
Of last year, which he drafted and which
the Hudson Senator always contended
was in accordance with Democratic prin-
ciples.
One of the leading features of the
Hamill bill provided for distribution of
the revenue derived from railroad taxa
tion among the municipalities. The Per-
kins bill provide sthat the money shall
be paid into the State treasury, leaving
the distribution open for further legisla-
ton.
The railroad representatives have not
abandoned all hope of defeating the Per-
kins bill provides that the money shall
its provisions are unjust to the railroads
and they want its royisions modified be-
fore they will consent to accept it. They
declare the bill discriminates against the
railroads in favor of the small property
owners because private property is not
rated by the assessors at more than so
or so per cent. of its actual value, while
railroads are now paying more than its
fair share of the taxation. The fact the
Perkins bill will increase the railroads
share of the tax about $3,O00,O00 an
nually, these railroad representatives
claim, is conclusive proof that the rail-
roads are being held up.