Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-08-18
SATURDAY, AUGUST IS
@THlNK IT OVER"

Bearing in mind always that Dory
Strong, the boss of this county, is a
membser of the State Board of Assess
ors, the following further COMPARE
sons by the Newark Evening News
show how closely allied this fellow
is with the corporations:
More numerous and 9laring IN
stances of apparent favOrit1sm by the
State Board of Assessors in the as
sessmcnt of railroad property are ne
ing brought to light by further study
OF the valuations made OF second
class property by the local assessors
for this year. Under the Duileld ACT
the second class railroad properly
was taxed last year at the local rates.
but upon valuations fixed by the state
hoard, The Perkins act left II as
sessment of the second class properly
entirely in the hands OF local assess
ors. The result Is exactly that pre-
dicted by those Who had criticised the
state boards valuations and asserted
that under the old laws the railroads
were not only paying taxes at a lower
rate than private owners, II were
having that lower rate upon Il lower
proportionate valuation.
From the returns made of the sec
ond class property in Newark ana
Jersey City 1t now appears that al
uansa without exception the state
bonrd's valuations have been much
Nswer proportionately than the valu-
aAOns of other property in these two
ci& es. All second class property in
HAdson, for instance, has been rails
ID 100 per cent, and the assessors
tkere say that that higher assessment
is still u~ndervalued. In Newark
the city board has jumped the valua-
lions on this class of property from
Hoo to 400 per cent. in various cases,
ahd the local tax authorities declare
that none of il is now assessed pro-
bo%rtionately higher than adjoining
property.
A few specific instances of local
differentiation by the state board are
shown by the following comparison
of the assessments upon identical
second class property by the state
board last year and the Newark as
SCISSORS this year:
1908 1906.
Central r.. II. ..$174,633 $30O,33I
Penn. r.. r. 10S,525 100000
Lacka. II. r.. 99,O07 3S3. 400
That city taxing authorities, apply
ing the same rule of valuation to
both railroad and private property,
have found it necessary to increase
the state board figures from 100 to
400 per cent. to bring second class
railroad property up to full value,
while the average increase i'm other
property throughout the city, to
bring ii TO the same stand of value,
has been less than fifty-five per cent,
is an Indictment of the state boards |
methods which fully iustifies the per-
tinent inquiry of whether other
classes of railroad property have not
been u~ndervalued in the same ratio.
In Jersey City instances have been
located of second class property on
which there had been no increase in
valuation for twenty years, until the
assessing power was placed in the
/ hands of the local authorities this
I, year.
The tax returns in Essex and Hud-
on second class railroad property
\ IL tend to suggest, when compared
18th assessments of former years.
1 there has been favoritism on the
Of the state board in making as
Ets, aad this suggestion iussi~
~asf-eroWifiw suspicion thai
-AE- not designed 20 aboI-
nation. II will re-