The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-02-20
NEW JERSEY
LEGISLATURE
Tax Measures Constitutional
Reports Both Perkins and Gal
vin Bills meet Requirements.
IMPORTANT HEARINGS HELD
Especial corresnondence.l

week on account of the observance of
Lincoln's birthday, the legislators made
up for the time lost by hard work Tues
day and Wednesday. A number of i'm
portant hearings were given, a batch
of new bills was introduced, and the
measures yet within the legislative ma
chinely were put forward on their way
to final consideration
Probably the most important event Of
the week was the transmission to tht
legislature by Attorney General Nc
Garter Tuesday of his report as to the
constitutionality of the numerous equal
taxation measures now before the leg
islature. This report was requested re
Gently by the house. According to the
attorney general, either the scheme
contained in the Perkins equal taxation
measure or that of the Calvin biz
meets all the constitutional require
ments. The Perkins bill is the admins
tration measure, and the Calvin bill is
favored by the Hudson county Repub
lican organization. The attorney gen.
eral holds that the bill introduced by
Mr.. Martin for the Colby faction will
not stand a constitutional test. The
two Miller bills, drawn along the same
lines as the Perkins measure, the re
port says, are constitutional. The attor
ney general says that as to the Calvin
Dill, which applies to the main stem
second class property and tangible per
sonal property and provides for theil
assessment and taxation in each taxing
district and applying the revenue de
rived therefrom to the taxing districts
he sees no reason to question the consti
tutionality of the law if the state
should see fit to surrender the revenue
heretofore derived from railroads.
Taxation of the Main Stem.
As to assembly bill No. 8, the Martin
bill, the scheme of which is to have the
main stem, tangible personal property
and franchises of railroads assessed by
the state board substantially as at pres
ent, except that the board should assess
or determine separately the value Oh
the parts or portions of the main stem
lying in separate taxing districts ant
also the value of that part of the tan
gible personal property located in each
taxing district, the attorney genera
holds that this act would clearly fix i
different rate for the main stem OF
each railroad, the tax being based upol.
the various rates existing in the taxins
districts through which the main stem
runs and that this would not produce
an equal rate between two main stems
but would vary as the tax rates in the
various taxing districts would vary.
In the senate Mr. Colby introduced 8
bill that provides for a civil service
commission in which both political par
ties shall be represented. The commits
sion is to consist Of three persons ap
pointed by the governor. No officer
that has the appointment or employ.
ment Of civil service employees shall
appoint any subordinate except with
regard to the provisions of the act
The civil service by Mr.. Colby's bill
will be divided into unclassified and
classified service. The unclassified will
include all officers elected by the peo-
pie, all officers subject to the senate's
confirmation, all principals and super
intendents of public schools, all heads
of state government departments and
also city and county departments, all
persons appointed in any statute and
certain unskilled laborers. All other
officers are to be included in the classi-
fed service. The commission shall pre-.
scribe the examinations to be passed
for positions in the classified service
and shall make rules for appointments
and promotions. Mr.. Colby's bill was
spread over twenty eight typewriter
pages. The judiciary committee got it.
No ssRaise'' For Judges.
Senate bill No 80, which proposed to
increase the salaries Of circuit court
judges from $500 to $4,000, was lost
by vote of IL to 6. Mr.. Wakelee,
speaking for the bill, said that it should
be passed because Judges are compell-
ed to pay their travelling expenses.
Those who spoke against it urged its
defeat on the ground of economy. Mr..
Wakelee changed his vote and moved
to reconsider the bill. The matter was
laid on the table on the motion Of Mr..
Lee.
In executive session the senate re-
ceived from the governor the appoint-
ment Of Theodore Booream as Judge
OF the court Of common pleas Of Mid
dIesex county and the appointment of
Edward G. Robertson, Newark, as d
member Of the state board Of educa.
Fion III place OF James Seymour, de-
ceased.
These appointments of members Of
the board of education sent in last
week were confirmed: S. st. ]. Nc
Cutcheon. James 4. Hays, James B.
Woodward and Francis Scott.
Senator E'relinghuysen's new military
bill, introduced in the legislature last
week, Is meeting with much opposition.
The bill proposes TO bring the militia
v thin the provisions Of the Dick bill,
introduced IN congress some time ago,
under which the United States army Is
now regulated and operated
Opposition to Frelsnshuysen Bill.
1he following important house bills
were introduced this week:
Assembyman Hines oil Passaic
amends the act relative to condemna-
fion proceedings; Mi. Patterson author
lies Incorporated towns 10 erect elec
trIc light plants; Mt Everett amends
fhe conveyance net respecting foreign
acknowledgements Air Hoagland al.