The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-27
CAN'T ESCAPE TAXES
IF YOU DO. YOU GO TO JAIL
IN RAILWAY.
McGurck. Carpet Bag Collector from
Elizabeth, Gives You But Five Min
utes to Pay Up Sometimes.

RAILWAY, July 27.-Rahway is in
the throes of rebellion against the
medieval methods of the tax collector.
The acting Mayor, finance committee
of the City Council and receiver of
taxes dragged out of antiquity last
January a law which permitted a Jer-
seyman to be incarcerated for life,
without benefit of bail, If he neglected
to pay his mead and dog tax.
Fer forty years the authorities had
permitted the law to be a dead letter.
Today dozens of men and several
women have been subjected to the In
dignitles incident to arrest by police
officers, and many of the men have
been thrown INTO cells in the city lock-
up, there to ruminate upon the advan-
tage of living in Railway under the
operation of the blue laws.
Three years ago Charles e. Reed,
the collector, got his books into a
tangle, and as a consequence some
| difficulty was experienced in making
the citizens pay their taxes. some OF
them insisting that they had already
paid. Incidentally the examination
which followed showed that manyc iti-
zens were behind in their personal
taxes. which include poll and dog
taxes, at 81 each, n the assessment
upon all varieties of personal prop
erty.
The finance committee of the City Coun-
Gil determined to take drastic methods TO
establish the treasury, and first dug up
the old law with a modern amendment
thereto, passed In 1903, obliging delinquent
taxpayers to pay 10 per cent. per annum'
compounded. upon unpaid assessments.
MI, IL Friod IN uacurQ the services OF a
citizen who would accept, the deputy coll
lectorshlp and force his fellow citizens OF
both sexes to pay up arrears or go 10
iail. After strenuous effort 1t was found
that not a man in the city would accept
the Job. They all said that 1t would mean
political and social as well as commercial
suicide to accept the post, In spite or
the fact that the compensation was sure
to be large.
Then the committee went to Elizabeth
and employed Peter j. McGurck, an in
stalment collector, whose methods were
represented to be crude but effective. he
had no scruples on the score OF social os-
tracism and was made deputy collector
under Receiver John Bernhard.
If was agreed with McGurck that he was
To have 8 per cent. of all taxes he collect
cd "a we'll as 80 cents for each warrant
served. so cents for each arrest, and in coll
factions for arrearages prior to 1908. 50 2-s
per cent, of all sums collected In excess
of $40.
McGurck started In last anuar Act
ing Mayor DIR. Albert ]. Westiake and the
finance committee sanctioned the reestab-
lishment Of compulsory methods, and with
In a week half a dozen recalcitranfs were
thrown into cells in Chef George virgins
police headquarters.
McGurck is said to have followed one
formula In each case he gave the tax
payer five minutes to decide whether he
would paw or suffer arrest. In some cases
the citizen proved stubborn. and he was
actually arrested. In others he pleaded
for time. and was granted a brief respite.
ATLANTIC CITY. July N.-Delinquent
Atlantic City taxpayers who have ignored
notices OF taxes due In past years ware
given a jar when lawyers, representing q
big New Jersey corporation. purchased
thirty-hve fine properties sold under the
new delinquent tax law. which gives the
purchaser OF the property under tax sale a
right to enter into possession after a npeci-
fled time.
Immediate steps were taken by the
corporation attorney to record the fact
that the corporation had paid over the
taxes and taken the subsequent lien al
lowed them under the new statute, and
owners of the houses will be forced to
pay over the IL per cent. interest allowed
by the law on the prepaid taxes before
they can regain undlsprted title.