Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-09
Governors MESSAGE.

Gentlemen of the Senate and General
Assembly:
The last legislature builded for the
present and the future and set an ex-
ample for emulation. 1t added to the
resources of our schools by taxing rail
roads as individuals are taxed, increas-
ed the revenue thereby and dedicated
that revenue to the cause of educa-
ton. Last year the results of this pol
icy We're problematieal; today they can
be determined. The ratables of almost
every taxing district in the state have
been increased in the increased amount
of second class railroad property and
the revenues swelled by the taxes
therefrom. The tax on the main stem
under last years legislation is figured
by the state board ofhlssessors at $3,-
503,5297O as against $950,99121 under
the former system. OF this amount
$2,533, ,S67 80 is to be apportioned di-
rectly for the benefit of our schools and
reduction of local taxes, while the re-
mainder is turned into the state treas
ury TO be appropriated, with such ad
ditions as the legislature deems wise,
to the same ends. Based upon appro-
priations equal in amount to those here
tofore made, the following examples
illustrate the benefits that will accrue
to our municipalities from last ses-
sion's legislation:
Atlantic City received under the
old system ......................... $3O, ,o40.7Q
Under the present act 1t Will
receive ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. N,bz2.1u
Hammonton received under the
old system ........................ 5,S4s.Os
Under the present act 1t Will
receive ........................... 17,52s2l
Northampton township, in Bur-
lington county, received under
the old system .................... 2,l243d
Under the present act 1t will
receive ......................... e.s7s@
Camden city received under the
old system ........................ s5.47s55
Under the present act 1t will
receive ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. LOG. 2O.65
Newark received under the old
system ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. lI7,5H. Al
Under the present act ii will
receive ............................ 5s2. .5S2. Al
Montclair received under the old
system ............................ Ii, 2s
Under the present act 1t will
receive ........................... 34,0116
South Orange received under the
old system ...................... s.4sO As
Under the present act 1t will
receive .......................... 1o,4n.g
Jersey City received under the
old system ....................... 1Os.5A5s
Under the present act 1t will
receive ............................ s2S. .57s.H
North Bergen township, in Hud-
son county. received under the
old system ....................... S,O2652
Under the present act 1t will
receive ........................... 24,o795e
Kearny received under the old
system ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. s,o14@
Under the present act 1t will
receive ........................... 27o4s A
New Brunswick received under
the old system ................... $4,000
Under the present act it will
receive ,........................... 22.e9oec
+, Bridgeton received under the old
sySte.- ......-.......- .....--......, z,055.u .ui
Under the present act 1t will
receive .,......................... 1s,14s.1I
Neptune township, in Monmouth
county, received under the old
system ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S,514ss
Under the present act II will
receive ........................... 25, ,544. *
Paterson received under the old
system Observation-Disclosures. 51.5529t
Under the present act it will
receive ........................... 154.65S7C
Passaic city received under the
old system Observation-Disclosures. 16,O462
Under the present act 1t will
receive ...........:................ 4S.12S6s
Acquackanonk township, in Pas
sale county received under the
old system ........................ 1855. ss
Under the present act 1t will
receive Observation-Disclosures. 1885. 9s
Raritan township, in Hunterdon
county, received under the old
system Observation-Disclosures. 2.519.9d
Under the present act 1t will
receive ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1853. 70
Washington, in Warren county,
received under the old system. 1914 81
Under the present act 1t will
receive OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. b,74Z.9a
These illustrations show that the To-
cal appropriation for school expenses
can be reduced from 80 to 70 per cent
The Necessity of Equalization.
The Investigations of the state board
of equalization of taxes disclosed great
Irregularities in the execution of our
tax laws. In no county was property
assessed according to the constitution
al requirements. 1t was acknowledged
that assessments were made in most
cases on an arbitrary basis without re-
gard to law and that there was little
effort to include personality in the
ratables. 1t is but fair to the assessors
to say that this was largely due to a
lack of system and to an accepted
custom which the individual assessors
could not remedy without great per-
sonal sacrifice and unpopularity.
Equal taxation depends upon equal
ity of valuation. Equality of valua-
ton, however, is impossible under the
administration of 500 different assess
ors without a uniformity of method
and with no proper supervision. The
necessity of some central, equalizing
board is Indispensable to an honest ad-
ministration of our tax laws
A careful if somewhat hasty inquiry
throughout the state shows that on a
conservative estimate from go to TX